Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images
On Monday, Alberts Šmits took the ice for the first time at the New York Rangers’ practice facility for Development Camp.
Šmits, who was selected by the Rangers with the fifth overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, expressed his relief to be done with the draft process and is now ready to shift his focus to the development camp.
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“It’s a big relief that you end up in such a good organization, and now just you have the time and good place to work on your little things that you have to improve to take the next step,” Šmits said.
The big question surrounding Šmits is whether or not he’ll be attending training camp starting in September to compete for an opening-night roster spot.
Šmits is considered to be one of the more NHL-ready defensemen in the 2026 draft class, but he neglected to specify whether he would be at training camp in a couple of months.
“We’ll see how it goes,” Šmits said, trying not to reveal his plans for this upcoming season.
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The 19-year-old’s draft stock rose after he was able to hold his own playing for Team Latvia at the 2026 Winter Olympics against some of the best players the NHL has to offer.
In addition to his time at both the Olympics and the 2026 IIHF Men’s World Championship, Šmits has experience competing against pro-level talent, playing for Mikkelin Jukurit of Liiga, the top-tier Finnish ice hockey league.
“A lot of experience how to handle situations when you go against much bigger and stronger guys,” Šmits said of his time in Liiga. “I think they are more improved than playing against the junior guys, so it gave me a lot of experience (how to) handle different situations.”
As for Šmits’ summer plan in terms of his training, he chose not to reveal it to the media, keeping it between himself and the organization.
