NY Rangers' Alberts Smits Proving That He's Ready to Make an Impact

After a strong game in the preseason, Alberts Smits of the New York Rangers appears ready.

Sep 22, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Rangers defenseman Alberts Smits (63) controls the puck in the first period against the New York Islanders at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The New York Rangers wrapped up their second preseason game against the New York Islanders on Tuesday, and in a loss, there were some mixed results. 

Despite holding a 3-0 lead, the Rangers ended up allowing four straight goals to the Islanders, who stormed back for the victory. One of the reasons for the struggles of New York was them taking some bad penalties and then not being able to kill them off. 

The Islanders scored three straight power play goals in the win, and that will certainly be an area that the Rangers work on in the coming days. However, while the team might not have won, there were some positive takeaways from the game. One of which was their fifth overall pick, Alberts Smits, who took the ice with the Rangers in a game for the first time. 

Smits Showing That He’s Ready

Jun 26, 2026; Buffalo, New York, USA; NHL prospect Alberts Smits before the first round of the 2026 NHL Draft at KeyBank Center. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Before the Rangers selected Smits with the fifth overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, many considered him to be one of the most NHL-ready prospects in the class. 

While that very well may be the case, New York doesn’t need to rush him into the lineup. However, he has looked good in training camp and during his preseason debut against a lot of regulars, and he also performed well. 

In what ended up being a highly competitive game against the Islanders with a lot of the regulars for both teams on the ice, Smits looked like he belonged and totaled his first point of the preseason. 

During the second period, Smits put an absolutely beautiful pass onto the stick of Taylor Raddysh for a goal. 

Smits also played well on the defensive end with a blocked shot and a couple of hits. While on the ice, he had a +1 rating. While it has been fairly clear that he has had the edge for the roster spot and to be starting on the third-pair with Braden Schneider, his performance on Tuesday night only helped improve those chances. 

Furthermore, with the recent decision to place Urho Vaakanainen on waivers, that further supports that Smits will likely be making the team. If it was going to be Matthew Robertson on the left side, Vaakanainen would have made sense as the seventh defenseman. 

With some good play and interesting roster moves as well, it seems that the team believes Smits will be ready to go and start on the left side for Opening Night.