Less than three weeks after selecting Alberts Smits fifth overall in the draft, the Rangers signed the 6-foot-3 Latvian.
Smits signed his three-year entry-level contract with the Blueshirts on Wednesday, the team announced. After attending the club’s prospect development camp earlier this month, the 18-year-old defenseman is expected to compete for a spot in the Rangers lineup during training camp in September.
With Smits coming over from the Finnish Elite League and the Deutsche Eishockey Liga, the premier professional league in Germany, his jump to North America has been highly anticipated.
He was valued as one of the more NHL-ready blueliners available in this year’s draft class.
That narrative has hovered over Smits throughout the entire draft process. While his readiness has been a topic of conversation, Smits captured the attention of NHL scouts with his play against men much older than him in the aforementioned leagues overseas.
For a defenseman, the learning curve upon entry into the NHL can be steep. Smits’ readiness to join the league was naturally his defining trait leading up to draft night June 26.
The Rangers added significant pieces to their defense corps this offseason, which padded their depth enough to not need Smits immediately. It’s possible for Smits to force the organization’s hand with a strong preseason, but president and general manager Chris Drury asserted there would be no rush.
“Well, there’s not too many kids his age drafted who have played in two different men’s pro leagues, Olympics, World Championships,” Drury said recently. “Certainly isn’t getting in bigger stages than those events he participated in. We’re excited where we got him. We think he’s obviously a terrific prospect, but with that said, we’re going to do right by him and the long-term health and well-being of him as a Ranger.
“This is not a sprint for him. We hope he’s a rock-solid defenseman for the Rangers for the next 15 years. We’re not going to put him in positions or situations that he can’t handle.”
There seems to be a higher chance of Smits starting the season in Hartford and eventually earning a recall should the team need one, whether it be due to injury or performance.
Smits said he has multiple areas of his game he plans to focus on during his offseason, but didn’t get specific. It was clear he didn’t want to get into expectations for himself or any predictions for the future.
The plan is for Smits to return to New York later this summer to continue his training.
“Some of the detail to his game is certainly impressive and probably beyond his years,” Rangers director of player development Tanner Glass said during development camp. “He’s got some habits that you see in people that are much more mature. The way he surrounds the puck, the way he moves the puck, the way he kind of commands the ice. He’s confident in his ability and he has a commanding presence on the ice, which is really nice to see at that age.”
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