BUFFALO, N.Y. —Despite the movement and uncertainty in front of them, the outcome for the New York Rangers’ No. 5 selection in Friday’s 2026 NHL Draft turned out precisely how many thought it would.

They used the pick on Alberts Šmits, a 6-foot-3 Latvian many consider the most pro-ready defenseman in this year’s class. He’ll immediately jump to the top of a prospect pool that’s been depleted over the years by a series of win-now moves and a spotty developmental track record.

Šmits is expected to sign his entry-level contract this summer, according to a league source who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the deal isn’t finalized. There’s a chance he’ll begin the season by getting his feet wet with AHL Hartford, but making the NHL club out of training camp isn’t out of the question.

“All I feel is excitement, so I’m not thinking too much about it,” Šmits said when asked if he feels he’s ready for the NHL. “I’m not rushing anything right now. I’m living in this moment and just happy that I ended up taken by a good organization. So, we’ll see how things are going to turn out in the future.”

Rangers take Albert Smits, one of the most complete players in the draft

The Athletic Hockey Show

The Rangers passed on fellow defenseman Chase Reid, who was the top-rated defenseman according to The Athletic’s Corey Pronman and Scott Wheeler, as well as Carson Carels and Keaton Verhoeff. They had clearly zeroed in on Šmits as their guy.

The 18-year-old separated himself by displaying a mature game while playing against higher competition than his draft-eligible peers. The hard-shooting lefty spent the season playing at Finland’s top level, Liiga, where he posted 13 points (six goals and seven assists) in 38 games while averaging around 20 minutes per game for Jukurit. He was then loaned to EHC München in Germany, where he registered another six points (two goals and four assists) in 11 playoff games.

“His future is as bright as it can possibly be,” EHC München coach Oliver David said. “He has a very good ability to get out of the defensive corner. He’s got a great defensive stick to kill plays. He can go back, get first touch on a puck and get out of a corner in many different ways. He likes to use his skating as sort of the default and get the puck up the ice that way. Skating is really, really good. … He’s also capable of contributing on both special teams.”

Šmits put those skills on display at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, where he grabbed scouts’ attention while representing Latvia. His crunching hit on U.S. captain Auston Matthews was a signature moment, but his length, mobility and steadiness were apparent throughout the tournament. Šmits later cemented his status as a high pick at the World Championships.

“He was able to handle those responsibilities on very big stages,” David said.

Those performances against many established NHLers removed some of the projection that would have come with other defensemen in this range. The margin between Carels and Šmits, in particular, was viewed as razor-thin. But Carels’ late-season concussion and resulting neck injury may have factored into the final decision.

There are fewer concerns over Šmits, who may not skate quite as well as Carels and Reid and hasn’t produced the same volume of offense, but is still considered adept in both areas, with a shot that grades out better than both. There aren’t any glaring holes in a game that’s defined by its well-roundedness, with Pronman ranking him as the second-best prospect in the draft while Wheeler aptly had him at No. 5.

Both notably had Reid higher, who was surprisingly there for the taking after the host Buffalo Sabres stunned the KeyBank Center by selecting defenseman Daxon Ruldoph at No. 4. But the Rangers are deeper on Reid’s right-handed side with Adam Fox, Will Borgen and Braden Schneider on the NHL roster and 2024 first-round pick E.J. Emery in the pipeline. They also already have an established power-play quarterback in Fox, which would have blocked Reid from ascending to that role.

Those aren’t reasons to pass on the best player available, but Šmits was viewed as that by certain scouts — including at least some from the Rangers, clearly — while filling a bigger need and playing the rangy, rugged style New York prefers.

“He’s very, very impressive,” an Eastern Conference scout told The Athletic, speaking anonymously to offer candid thoughts on this year’s prospect class. “He’s a moose.”

Šmits may have had an inkling he was heading to the Rangers. Following the NHL Draft Combine in Buffalo earlier this month, he headed downstate and visited New York City.

It was his first time in Manhattan, and when asked if he went to see the sights or because he thought he’d be drafted by the Rangers, he flashed a smile and responded, “Both.”

“It’s a city you have to go to if you’re close,” he said. “It’s a good place, it’s a big city, a lot of things to see, and I loved it.”