GREENBURGH - The Rangers’ newest first-rounder has already done a lot of his growing up against older, stronger competition, which is why Alberts Smits entered the organization with a reputation as the most NHL-ready defenseman in the draft.
Whether that means he’s in New York for training camp this fall is another question. Smits, the No. 5 overall pick on Friday, kept his answer short when that topic came up Monday at the Rangers’ Prospect Development Camp at the team’s Westchester County practice facility.
“We'll see how it goes,’’ he said.
Smits was one of the biggest draws among the 33 players on the ice, alongside Drew Fortescue, winger Liam Greentree and 2024 first-round pick E.J. Emery. Eight of the nine players selected by the Rangers over the weekend were in attendance; Russian defenseman Ivan Patrikhayev was the only one absent.
Emery skated in the first group with Smits and sounded plenty impressed by what he saw.
“He's a big, young kid that's going to be incredible,’’ Emery said of Smits. “He's going to be an awesome player, and I’m super excited to be here with him, and get to know him a little bit.’’
At 6-3 and 205 pounds, Smits already carries the look of a defenseman built for the next level. Last season, he split time between Finland and Germany, playing 38 games for Jukurit in Finland’s Liiga and producing six goals and 13 points. Once Jukurit was out of the playoff race, he was loaned to Munich in the German league, where he logged five regular-season games with one assist and then added 11 playoff games with two goals and four assists.
That stretch gave him a chance to test himself against men far older than he is.
Playing in those pro leagues gave him “a lot of experience,’’ Smits said. He added that it taught him “how to handle situations when you go against much bigger and stronger guys, and also they're [better] than playing against the junior guys.’’
Smits, who speaks three languages, has been on an accelerated path for years. He left home at 13 to play in Finland because he believed it would help his development, and the move kept pushing him upward.
In his second year there, at 14, he jumped from the U-16 level to U-18. The following year he was in U-20 before moving to Jukurit for the 2024-25 season.
He opened there at U-18, advanced to U-20 and finished in the pro league.
“Finland's a great country to develop for young players, and it's also close to Latvia, so we came up, with my family, the idea to go there and try my luck there,’’ he said. “And it turned out great. So I'm happy about that decision.’’
Emery has been on a different track, but his own development curve took a noticeable step forward at North Dakota. After a freshman year that produced just one assist in 31 games, he responded with three goals and 10 assists in 38 games as the Fighting Hawks reached the NCAA Frozen Four. He remains a key defensive piece, often used on the penalty kill and matched against top opposing forwards.
“I think the biggest thing was just… slow the play down,’’ he said of his growth this season. “I don't have to rush anything. I use my skating to my [advantage], and just, really what I just realized, I can hold on to the puck a little bit longer.’’
The 20-year-old British Columbia native, who is a dual citizen and played for the USA at the World Juniors, also said he added 10 pounds over the past year and is now up to 193 on his 6-4 frame.
“I can feel it with the skating… having that extra power, and especially defending against players, boxing out,’’ he said.
Emery is headed back to North Dakota for his junior season, but he wasn’t giving away anything about when he might turn pro.
“Right now, I'm just focused on UND and winning a national championship there,’’ he said. “I’m gonna take it day by day, and when we get to that, we get to that.’’
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