Alberts Šmits

Alberts Šmits (born 2 December 2007) is a Latvian professional ice hockey player who is a defenceman for Mikkelin Jukurit of the Liiga as a prospect to the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted fifth overall by the Rangers in the 2026 NHL entry draft. He is the highest-drafted Latvian draft pick in NHL history.

Early life and playing career Šmits was born on 2 December 2007 in Valmiera, Latvia. He grew up in Latvia and was a member of the ice hockey club Baltu Vilki (a youth team of the R. Laviņš Sports Studio academy, founded by former Latvian international Rodrigo Laviņš), appearing in four games for the Vilki under-17 team in 2021. In the fall of 2021, at age 13, he moved to Finland to seek better opportunities to play hockey, with his parents staying behind. He told NHL.com that, "If I wanted to play hockey, I had to leave. In Latvia, it wasn't really possible at that moment. So that's when I made the decision to move abroad and continue my career in Finland. I moved here alone and lived on my own in Helsinki, which took some getting used to. There weren't really any other options, I just had to manage".

In Helsinki, Šmits found it difficult to find an apartment; Ilta-Sanomat noted that, "Many landlords were not willing to accommodate 13-year-old". He appeared in eight games for the Karhu-Kissat U16 team in the 2021–22 season, posting an assist. In the spring of 2025, he was promoted to the senior Jukurit squad.

During the 2025–26 season, Šmits appeared in 38 games for Jukurit, registering six goals and seven assists in that span. In February 2026, he was loaned to Red Bull München of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL). After managing one assist in his five DEL regular season games with München, he had two goals and four assists in 11 playoff games. Šmits was identified as a top prospect eligible for the 2026 NHL entry draft, and received the E. J. McGuire Award of Excellence, the NHL Central Scouting Bureau's award for the draft prospect "who best exemplifies commitment to excellence through strength of character, competitiveness and athleticism." On 15 July 2026, he was signed to a three-year, entry-level contract by the Rangers.

International career Šmits competed for Latvia at the 2024 World U18 Championships, recording three points in five games. In three games, he recorded one assist. and had one goal and four assists in five tournament games. He rejoined the senior team as part of the Latvian delegation to the 2026 Winter Olympics. In his Olympic debut, he had two assists in Latvia's four games. Thereafter, he appeared at the 2026 World Championship, where he had four assists prior to Latvia being ousted by Norway in the quarterfinal.