- Alberts Smits made the Rangers’ 23-man roster out of training camp
- The 18-year-old defenseman was the fifth overall pick in June’s draft
- Read below for how he stacks up against the rest of this year’s top picks
Alberts Smits made the New York Rangers.
The 18-year-old defenseman is on New York’s 23-man roster to open the 2026-27 season, according to Mollie Walker of the New York Post. Smits went fifth overall in June’s draft, and it took him just one training camp to force his way onto the big club.
Walker confirmed the news Sunday:
He’ll join Kaapo Kakko and Alexis Lafrenière as 18-year-olds who made their Rangers debut on opening night. No defenseman has ever done that in franchise history. Dave Maloney, Len Wharton, Spence Tatchell and Red Garrett all debuted at 18 or younger going back to the 1940s, but none of them did it on night one, according to archived game logs on Hockey-Reference.
Sullivan was asked Friday what stood out about Smits all preseason.
“He doesn’t get outmuscled,” Sullivan said, “and he’s not afraid to make a play. He plays the game out there like he belongs.”
Braden Schneider is projected to line up next to Smits on the third pair, and he’s already sold on his new partner. Schneider told The Post last week that Smits “definitely earned the chance” to be in the lineup.
Walker also mapped out what the rest of the opening night roster could look like with Smits in it:
Smits is one of just five players from June’s draft who made an opening night roster this fall. The other four: the Maple Leafs’ Gavin McKenna at No. 1, the Sharks’ Ivar Stenberg at No. 2, the Jets’ Viggo Bjorck at No. 8 and the Ducks’ Nikita Klepov at No. 15.
The Latvian defenseman made his pro debut with Jukurit in Finland’s Liiga at 16, then split last season between Jukurit and Germany’s EHC Munich. New York signed him to his entry-level contract in July, making him the highest-drafted Latvian player in NHL history.
New York opens the season Tuesday in Boston. If Smits steps on the ice, he’ll do it as the youngest defenseman to debut for the Rangers on opening night in franchise history.
