Alberts Smits
2026 NHL Draft Eligible
Position: D, Shoots: L
H/W: 6’3”, 187 lbs
Date of Birth: 2007-02-12
While the spotlight often shines on traditional hockey powerhouses, Alberts Smits has been making a compelling case for himself as one of the most robust defensive prospects coming out of the Baltic region. Playing within the Jukurit program in Finland, Smits has transitioned from a dominant force in the U20 SM-sarja to a reliable contributor in the Liiga. His development curve has been steep and consistent, culminating in a heavy-usage role for Latvia on the international stage, where he logged upwards of 30 minutes in key matchups against top-tier nations.
Smits is a towering, mobile defensive presence who combines professional-grade size with a high-functioning hockey IQ. Unlike many young defenders of his stature, Smits is not just a stay-at-home type. He possesses the skating fluidity and puck-moving poise to impact the game in all three zones. Throughout the 2025-26 season, he proved that he could handle the pace of professional hockey, looking entirely unphased by the physicality or speed of the men’s game. With his blend of reach, competitive fire, and emerging offensive tools, Smits has established himself as a potential top-4 defenseman who can eat heavy minutes and stabilize a pairing.
Smits is consistently moving up the draft rankings since the beginning of the season, at a point where he is now in contention to be the best defenseman available this year. He can really do it all on the ice and he is exactly the type of defenseman that will fit the North-American style of hockey and he will be a force in the playoffs.
Skating
Smits possesses elite mobility for a player of his 6’3” frame. He is a fluid and agile skater who uses his edgework to close gaps quickly and maintain tight spacing against opposing rushes. His transition from forward to backward skating is seamless, allowing him to defend 1-on-1 situations with high efficiency. Smits is notably poised when carrying the puck, using his skating to evade forecheckers and create exit lanes. While his top-end speed is already impressive, it is his lateral agility and ability to walk the blue line that make him a dual-threat on the power play and in transition. He has the recovery speed to jump deep into the offensive zone and still be the first man back to neutralize counter-attacks.
(#23 Latvia)
In this clip, Smits loses the puck at the offensive blue line but his mobility allows him to stay with his man and deny time and space. We can also see here his ability to pass from forward to backward skating pretty easily.
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Smits likes to carry the puck to the offensive zone. This is a good example of that. Good stick to deflect the pass off the rush and he quickly retrieves the loose puck to start the counterattack. He is able to beat the trackbacker using his skating and his puck protection skills to find some space and attack the net. Nice finish at the end with a little snap top net.
(#23 Latvia)
What stands out in this video is his agility and the way he uses crosses to build momentum and speed. It allows him to attack the zone with speed and it makes him hard to stop.
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Another thing that Smits likes to do is to dump the puck and apply pressure on the forecheck. His above average mobility and speed allows him to do that and to be one of the first to come back on the backcheck. Like we see in this sequence.
(#23 Latvia)
Another example here of how his skating looks effortless. A turnover is made by his teammate at the opposite blue line and Smits transitions immediately in defensive mode to close the middle of the ice.
Grade: 55
Shot
Smits possesses a heavy and dangerous shot from the point that serves as a legitimate offensive weapon. He is particularly effective with his one-timer on the power play and possesses a powerful snapshot that can beat goaltenders cleanly from distance. During his time in the U20 and international levels, he showed his ability to get pucks through traffic, though he occasionally struggles with accuracy, missing the net when trying to maximize power. As he gains more experience at the professional level, refining his shot selection and finding lanes more consistently will be the next step in his evolution. When he attacks the middle of the ice, his wrist shot is precise and heavy, making defenders respect his shooting threat.
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When Smits has time and space with the puck at the blue line, he has a shot that can beat goalies clean. Like in this clip where he receives the puck in a wide open area and he has all the time he needs to place his shot and score.
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Similar play on this sequence. Again he receives the puck at the blue line and he has a lot of space to take a good shot. He is not afraid to attack the slot and take a precise shot to the top net.
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Smits likes to support the rush and also activate from the blue line. Here, he joins the rush and scores a goal with a nice shot.
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When he has no play, Smits likes to put the puck to the net and he rarely misses the target. In this video, he just whips the puck through traffic from the blue line and the puck finds a way to the back of the net.
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This is another example of Smits joining the attack and scoring with a heavy shot. But here, we can see Smits faking a shot at first to freeze the opponent that is trying to block the shooting lane. This deceptive maneuver and the extra patience allowed him to find a better shooting lane.
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Smits' one-timer is also one of his biggest weapons. A hard one-timer that left no chance for the goalie.
Grade: 57.5
Skills
Smits is a highly functional puck-mover who prioritizes efficiency over flash. He excels at making a clean, crisp first pass to jumpstart the transition. His puck protection is a standout trait as he uses his massive frame and reach to shield the puck from forecheckers, often using creative maneuvers to escape pressure. While he isn't a high-end dangler, he has shown soft hands in tight spaces to beat opponents when driving the net. On the defensive side, his stick-handling translates into elite poke-checking and the ability to disrupt passing lanes with his long reach. He is composed under pressure and rarely panics, making him a reliable option for both the power play and penalty kill.
(#23 yellow)
Smits likes to carry the puck through the neutral zone when he has a chance. He has pretty good puck handling skills and his mobility helps him a lot to make this kind of play. Here we see him taking the puck in his end and carrying it through the neutral zone while dangling and beating two opponents. Sometimes it can be too much and risky, but he has the intelligence to dump the puck behind the defensemen when he has no space to enter the zone in control.
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Defensively, his gap control and his active stick are his main skills. Like we see in this clip, he uses his mobility and his stick to close the blue line and to deny the middle of the ice to the opponent.
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This sequence really showcases all the tools that Smits has in his toolbox. It starts with good mobility to walk the blue line and beat a first opponent. Then, he attacks the corner and uses his edges and puck protection skill to change direction and keep the puck. After that, he comes back towards the blue line and shows his puck handling skills to dangle and beat the opponent again which allows him to find space toward the middle of the ice. He finishes the play with a nice shot for the goal.
(#23 Latvia)
His poise with the puck and his ability to beat pressure are also two traits that stand out in Smits’ game. This clip from the World Juniors is a great example of that. We see him retrieve a loose puck in the corner, skate toward the back of his net and spin on him to change direction to beat the pressure of Bjorck so that he has time and space to start the breakout.
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This is another example of Smits calmly protecting the puck by spinning on him to beat the pressure of the forecheck and he makes a D to D pass that lead to the breakout.
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There are flashes of creativity in Smits’ game and this play shows it. He takes the puck at the offensive blue line, makes a spin-o-rama to beat the opponent and activate from the blue line. He goes toward the corner and attracts two players on him but he finds a way to cut back toward the middle and beats the two players.
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There is an offensive upside in Smits’ game because this is the kind of play he often shows. Here, he activates from the blue line, attacks the middle and makes a backhand pass to his teammate. He later receives the puck low in the zone, comes back toward the blue line and uses his puck protection skill to keep the puck and attack the net on the other side. He finishes the play with a nice backhand goal.
Grade: 52.5
Smarts
The hallmark of Smits' game is his advanced hockey IQ and situational awareness. He is a "coach’s dream" in terms of positioning, showing a mature understanding of when to pinch to keep an attack alive and when to retreat. His defensive reads are consistently on point; he anticipates plays before they develop, allowing him to cut off passes and take away time and space from opponents. Smits plays with a high level of discipline and rarely makes "young player" mistakes with the puck. He scans the ice effectively and makes high-percentage decisions that facilitate puck possession. Offensively, his vision allows him to find cross-ice seams that open up the defense, showing a level of creativity that suggests untapped offensive upside.
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Smits saw a lot of powerplay time this season and he has the ability to be a dangerous weapon because he can be a threat with his shot but also because he sees the ice well and he is a good puck distributor.
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Defensively, he often makes good reads to deny scoring chances. In this clip, there is a turnover made by his teammates down low in the defensive zone. The opponent that forced the turnover makes a nice pass to his teammate positioned in front of the net. Smits quickly reads the play and makes a well timed hit to deny the chance.
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In this clip, Smits exits the zone in control and passes the puck to his teammate wide to start the rush. It is a 2 on 2 situation and Smits decides to drive the and bring the defender with him to create confusion which allows his teammates to find space and score a nice goal. This shows Smits’ ability to recognize situations and exploit them to create space or to make plays.
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Smits has a heavy shot but he is also smart to put the puck to the in the best way depending on the situation. Here, he sees that one of his teammates is doing a screen and ready to deflect the puck. Smits simply puts a low shot at the net to make sure that it hit the target and that his teammate can deflect it.
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He is pretty good at anticipating where the puck will go and pinch at the right time. On this play, he sees the play unfolding and he decides to pinch and finish his check. It creates a turnover and his team was able to retrieve the puck in the neutral zone and start the attack again.
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This is another example of Smits applying the pressure on the winger at the right time to deny the breakout and keep the attack alive.
Grade: 57.5
Physicality/Compete
Smits plays a heavy, pro-style game and is intimidated by no one. His compete level is off the charts, maintaining high intensity even during long, 30-minute shifts. He is a "mean" defender to play against, frequently using his 205-lb frame to deliver punishing hits and clear the crease. He is exceptional in board battles, using his strength to pin opponents and his stick to strip pucks. Smits is also a dedicated "team-first" player, willing to block shots on the penalty kill and protect his teammates after the whistle. His aggressiveness is controlled; he uses his body to win position rather than just chasing hits, making him a dominant force in the defensive zone.
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Smits is not shy of the physical game. He can be punishing but he is mostly effective in how he uses his body. His style fits the North-American style of hockey and he is good at killing the cycle by pinning players along the board like we see in this video.
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Another example of Smits using his body effectively to kill the cycle.
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One more example of him pinning the opponent along the board to allow his team to take back the puck and start the breakout.
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Smits likes to dump the puck in the zone and apply the forecheck himself. That’s an example of that here. There is also no doubt that he will finish his checks.
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This is another example of Smits joining the forecheck down low and finishing his check. The pressure he applied, ultimately leads to his team retrieving the puck and extending offensive zone time.
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Smits is hard to play against and he is a competitor that fears nobody. Here we can see him jumping in the play to hit a bigger opponent than him and it leads to his team retrieving the puck.
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Overall, Smits wins most of his puck battles. Here, he dumps the puck and applies the pressure. Even if there are two opponents against him, he is still the one that retrieves the puck and finds a way to make a pass toward the front of the net which leads to a goal.
Grade: 60
OFP: 56.375
A note on the 20-80 scale used above. We look at five attributes (skating, shooting, puck skills, hockey IQ and physicality) for skaters and six for goalies (athleticism/quickness, compete/temperament, vision/play reading, technique/style, rebound control and puck handling). Each individual attribute is graded along the 20-80 scales, which includes half-grades. The idea is that a projection of 50 in a given attribute meant that our observer believed that the player could get to roughly NHL average at that attribute at maturity.