Rangers feel Alberts Smits is physically ready for NHL, but will look at big picture for next step
· Yahoo Sports
With Rangers training camp kicking off this week, head coach Mike Sullivan confirmed that first-round pick Alberts Smits does indeed have a chance at making the team.
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The organization has been impressed with Smits’ game and they feel he is physically ready to take the leap, but will also keep a big picture mindset in deciding his next step
“The path he’s taken to get here has been beneficial,” Sullivan said. “He’s played men’s leagues where guys are bigger, stronger, faster so from that standpoint the path he’s taken has helped him with that development process.
“The sooner Smits becomes part of our roster the better, but we have to make sure we do the right thing for him in the short- and long-term, and in my experience what’s in the players' best interest usually is in the best interest of the team.”
Smits was viewed by many as one of the most NHL-ready prospects in this draft class.
He shined competing in top men’s leagues in Germany and Finland last season, and was the youngest players to skate in the 2026 Olympics, where he recorded a pair of assists.
The Rangers’ new-look defense is a bit crowded, but with a strong showing the youngster could carve out a role for himself alongside Braden Schneider on the third pairing.
“We’ll see where it goes,” Sullivan said. “We’re going to watch him in camp with our veterans and his play will tell us where he fits and what’s best in helping him to continue to grow into the player we’re all pretty confident he will become.”