Category: Ice Hockey

The Vegas Golden Knights entered Friday without a first-round pick in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft. They changed that before the San Jose Sharks selected Ivar Stenberg at 2nd overall.

Of course, they had to give something to get something. And the something they gave was

The Golden Knights sent 25-year-old Pavel Dorofeyev, a Restricted Free Agent and their two-time leading goalscorer, to the Big Apple in exchange for a first-round pick in 2026, a third-round pick in 2026, and a first-round pick in 2028.

The New York Rangers quickly signed Dorofeyev to a seven-year, $11 million contract. That’s a deal the Golden Knights were never going to agree to, as they currently have just $4,625,000 in salary cap space and only 13 skaters signed. They’ll gain another $8,800,000 in relief if they put Alex Pietrangelo on Season Ending LTIR, but that’s still a far cry from being able to afford giving Dorofeyev $77 million.

Dorofeyev was a rare home-grown talent, selected 79th overall by the Golden Knights in 2019. He broke into the NHL in 2023 and went on to lead the team in goals for two straight seasons, scoring 35 in 2024-25 and 37 in 2025-26.

In their pursuit of success, the Golden Knights have flipped almost every prospect or draft pick with value for players to help them win now. As a result, they’ve enjoyed unprecedented success over their nine-year history. But now, the cupboard is bare.

Because the Golden Knights weren’t going to write Dorofeyev the check he wanted, trading him was the only option. But did they get enough in return to justify losing their best goalscorer?

On one hand, the Golden Knights turned a third-round pick in 2019 into the 26th overall pick in the 2026 Draft. On paper, that’s an excellent return on investment, especially since just eight players drafted by Vegas went on to play at least 100 NHL games. Only four did so with the Golden Knights, and just one– Kaedan Korczak– is still with the organization.

On the other hand, for all their elite offensive talent, the Golden Knights don’t have many players who want to put the puck in the back of the net.

No Golden Knight has scored more goals over the past two seasons than Dorofeyev, who scored a total of 72. The next closest scorers were Tomáš Hertl with 56 and Jack Eichel with 55. After that, it’s a pretty steep drop-off— Mark Stone with 47, Ivan Barbashev with 46, and Brett Howden with 35. 

The Golden Knights made it all the way to the Stanley Cup Final this year and were just two wins away from winning their second Stanley Cup in four years. And then, an old demon reared its ugly head, and the 2025-26 season ended the exact same way that the 2024-25 season did.

After scoring 13 goals through the first three games of the Stanley Cup Final, the Golden Knights scored just five goals over their final three games.

Dorofeyev scored the Golden Knights’ only two goals in Game 5, and they were shut out in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final. For the second straight year, their season ended because they couldn’t score a single goal.

Can two first-round picks and a third-rounder replace Dorofeyev, who scored 37 regular-season goals and 12 in the postseason? Is the return enough to replace Dorofeyev and his 20 power-play goals during the 2025-26 season?

Only time will tell.

The San Jose Sharks had a night to remember on Friday to say the least. The Sharks entered the first day of the 2026 NHL Draft with three first-round draft picks, and left the event with three highly-touted prospects.

First, the Sharks selected forward Ivar Stenberg with the second overall pick. Stenberg will likely fill the hole left by the departing William Eklund for years to come, at a much lower cap hit for at least the first three seasons of his career.

BREAKING: Sharks Select Ivar Stenberg With Second Overall Pick in 2026 NHL DraftAfter weeks of speculation regarding who Mike Grier and the San Jose Sharks would select with the second overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, we've finally got our answer.

The Sharks then took the stage once again for the ninth overall pick, this time they addressed a massive organizational need when they selected right-handed defenseman Keaton Verhoeff out of the University of North Dakota in the NCAA.

BREAKING: Sharks Select Keaton Verhoeff With the Ninth Overall Pick in the 2026 NHL DraftThe San Jose Sharks had no time to rest, as shortly after they selected Ivar Stenberg with the second overall pick, they were back on the clock with the ninth overall selection.

Finally, the Sharks traded up from the 27th overall pick to the 21st selection to take another right-handed defenseman, Ryan Lin out of the Western Hockey League.

LINSANITY: San Jose Sharks Trade Up to the 21st Overall Pick, Select Ryan LinThe San Jose Sharks have acquired the 21st overall pick from the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for picks 27, 62, and 120 in the 2026 NHL Draft.

Both Stenberg and Verhoeff could be in consideration to play in the NHL as early as next season, although it's more likely that Verhoeff returns to North Dakota for a second collegiate season. As for Lin, he's committed to play under David Carle at the University of Denver during the 2026-27 season.

For many years it seems, the Sharks have been saying that the future is teal. Year after year, they continue adding so much high-end young talent that the statement appears to become more than just a marketing slogan, it's seemingly becoming the truth regarding the future of the NHL.

The Anaheim Ducks made a blockbuster trade during Friday night’s NHL Draft.

When the St. Louis Blues were set to take the podium at the draft, it was announced that they were trading the 15th and 29th picks to the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for Mason McTavish.

The Ducks went ahead and took Nikita Klepov at No. 15 and Marcus Nordmark at No. 28 after they traded the 29th and 117th pick to the Vegas Golden Knights.

McTavish, 23, was taken as a center by the Ducks with the third overall pick in the 2021 NHL Draft.

The departure of McTavish from the Ducks comes a year after the team signed him to a six-year, $42 million contract extension that he signed with the team last summer.

Fresh off his extension, it appeared that the Ducks would consist of a core made up of McTavish, Leo Carlsson, and Cutter Gauthier for years to come. But after a season in which McTavish regressed, it became more apparent that the Ducks and McTavish would soon part ways from one another.

After tallying 52 points, 22 goals, and 30 assists during the 2022-2025 season, McTavish got off to a hot start at the beginning of the year, putting together 11 points in his first 15 games, but after that, he faded away, finishing the season with 41 points, 17 goals, and 24 assists.

McTavish’s departure from the Ducks comes after he lost the second-line center spot to Mikael Granlund and was moved over to left wing, so the Ducks’ third and fourth lines could finish with Ryan Poehlin and rookie Tim Washe.

The writing on the wall for McTavish’s future with the Ducks became more apparent as last season went on, being scratched multiple times during the regular season and sitting out twice during the Ducks’ second-round playoff matchup against the Golden Knights.

Klepov is considered a high-ceiling offensive forward who will play at Michigan State next season. In his first OHL season, he won the league’s scoring title after compiling 37 goals and 60 assists in 67 games.

With the 27th overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, the Philadelphia Flyers have selected massive defenseman Maksim Sokolovskii from the OHL London Knights.

After chatter about moving down in the draft, the Flyers finally did so, acquiring the 27th, 62nd, and 120th overall picks from the Sharks in exchange for their 21st overall pick.

With the 21st overall pick, the Sharks selected defenseman Ryan Lin.

Sokolovskii, 17, is widely regarded as the meanest, most physical player in the entire 2026 draft class, making him a perfect fit for a Flyers organization looking to get bigger, stronger, younger, and better on defense.

The Kazakh defender is a surprisingly strong skater for his 6-foot-7 size and will never hesitate to throw the body as hard as he can, as often as he can.

NHL Mock Draft: Flyers Projected to Make Massive Choice... LiterallyThe Philadelphia Flyers select the 2026 NHL Draft's most aggressive defender in the latest expert mock draft.

Of course, the Flyers have a deep history with the Knights, having drafted Denver Barkey and Oliver Bonk in 2023, and they continue to draft from the OHL.

First-round picks Jett Luchanko (2024) and Jack Nesbitt (2025) also hail from the OHL, and Matvei Michkov is the Flyers' last first-rounder to come from outside one of the CHL's best leagues.

Sokolovskii was ranked 22nd overall by EliteProspects, and his physicality was graded an 8.0 out of 9.

"Undeniably the draft's meanest, most physical player with the potential to become so much more; a high-probability NHLer with top-four upside," their draft profile summary on Sokolovskii read.

Sokolovskii will have to improve his puck handling and passing skills, but he has the size, athleticism, and aggression that just can't be taught.

He is committed to the University of Maine for the 2027-28 season.

The Vancouver Canucks have selected Adam Novotný 24th-overall at the 2026 NHL Entry Draft. 

A 6-foot-1 winger, Novotný spent the 2025-26 season with the Peterborough Petes of the OHL, scoring 34 goals and 31 assists in 58 games played. The Czech winger also represented his country at the 2026 U-20 World Junior Championship, putting up three assists in seven games. 

Novotný has represented Czechia internationally a fair bit, also taking part in the 2025 U-20 World Junior Championship. During this tournament, he scored one goal in seven games played. At the 2025 U-18 World Junior Championship, he averaged over a point-per-game through five games. 

Earlier on in the draft, Vancouver selected Caleb Malhotra with the third-overall pick. This selection came after the Toronto Maple Leafs selected Gavin McKenna first-overall and the San Jose Sharks picked Ivar Stenberg second. Players selected before Novotný include Ryan Lin (21st, San Jose), Liam Ruck (22nd, Pittsburgh Penguins), and JP Hurlbert (23rd, Detroit Red Wings). 

The Hockey News' Ryan Kennedy had Novotný ranked 13th-overall in his final draft rankings, while fellow correspondent Tony Ferrari had him ranked 14th. 

The Canucks currently have eight more picks to make in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft, starting with 33rd-overall in the second-round. 

Follow along with the Canucks’ 2026 NHL Entry Draft picks via our tracker: 

Vancouver Canucks 2026 NHL Entry Draft Selection TrackerA list with articles on all prospects the Vancouver Canucks select at the 2026 NHL Entry Draft, updated throughout the draft.

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Latest From THN’s Vancouver Canucks Site:

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The hockey world is focused on western New York as NHL Draft is taking place this weekend in Buffalo.

Never ones to miss out on a good time, The Hockey Show hosts Roy Bellamy and David Dwork made the trip north to take in all the fun and festivities.

On this week’s show, Roy and Dave got into all the latest NHL happenings, including a plethora of trades, including Bowen Byram going to Chicago, Simon Nemac heading to Calgary, William Eklund being sent to Ottawa and both Jordan Kyrou and Alex Tuch being dealt to Washington.

Of course, a big topic of discussion focused on what the Florida Panthers have been up to.

Earlier this week the Panthers acquired Brady Tkachuk from Ottawa and then on Thursday they traded for gritty forward Garnet Hathaway from Philadelphia while remaining quite active in the goalie markets, including veteran Sergei Bobrovsky and several other netminders.

Roy and Dave also discussed their thoughts on the top prospects going in the first round of the NHL Draft, the hiring of Mike Babcock in Edmonton and the Islanders signing Tony DeAngelo to a two-year extension.

You can check out the full show in the video below:

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With their first overall pick in the 2026 NHL draft, the Pittsburgh Penguins selected forward Liam Ruck out of Medicine Hat of the WHL.

Scott Wheeler wrote of Ruck:

 He’s a right-shot winger who has good touch, a quick release, likes to go short side and can pick his spots in the net — with an eagerness to try as a volume shooter. His skating is below average, but I’d also say it’s the slightly better of the two and that his motor helps him compensate, though it does raise questions about his projectability up levels at his size for some. He finds ways to take pucks to scoring areas, but can also work and score closer to the boards. He keeps his feet moving off the puck and plays with energy on both offense and defense (including the PK), relying on his effort and instincts to consistently make things happen or get open for them.

Dobber Prospects:

Ruck is known as a two-way forward with a high motor and strong offensive instincts; he excels around the net and generates scoring chances with his aggressive style of play, thanks to his strong forecheck and strong positioning. One of his greatest assets is his shot; he has a quick release and is a threat in the slot.

Projected as a reliable, steady middle-six NHL player contributing on the penalty kill, and could develop as an asset on the power play as a net-front presence.

Corey Pronman:

Ruck is a dangerous scoring winger. He’s a very slick and intelligent player who creates a lot with the puck. His pure athletic tools don’t jump out: he’s not that big, and he’s a below-average skater. He does work hard, though, and gets to the hard areas to generate offense, earning his coach’s trust consistently. Ruck has a path to the league due to his great stick and brain.

Ruck is committed to the University of North Dakota for the start of the 2027-28 season.

It was an interesting night, San Jose just happened to trade up to pick 21, one before the Pens to take defenseman Ryan Lin. Did the Sharks know or suspect that Pittsburgh would have taken Lin? We might never know, but the timing of a move happening right before the Pittsburgh pick stands out a little bit.

In the end, the Pens stay on target to their prior tendencies with high picks by taking a productive, skillsy forward out of the WHL with their first pick this year. The big question now looks like whether or not the Penguins will attempt to keep the Ruck twins together by drafting Markus. That could be a target for the 39th overall pick that Pittsburgh has, but they made need to make a trade to move up a few spots in order to ensure they can keep the twin magic together.

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The Sebastian Cossa era with the Detroit Red Wings is officially over. 

The Red Wings traded him to the Utah Mammoth, and in return, are receiving the 23rd overall selection in the 2026 NHL Draft. 

Utah trades pick 23 to Detroit for goalie Sebastian Cossa

— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) June 27, 2026

🔁 pic.twitter.com/ffptm8naCk

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) June 27, 2026

The trade gave the Red Wings a selection in the opening round of the Draft; they'd traded their first-round pick to the St. Louis Blues in March as part of the package to acquire defenseman Justin Faulk.

With the No. 23 pick, they selected forward J.P. Hurlbert, who led the WHL in scoring last season with the Kamloops Blazers and has committed to the University of Michigan. 

Bookmark The Hockey News Detroit Red Wings team site to stay connected to the latest news, game-day coverage, and player features. 

Despite being chosen 15th overall by Detroit in the 2021 NHL Draft, Cossa has appeared in just one NHL game to date, making his lone appearance during the 2024-25 season in December, a 6-5 shootout win over the Buffalo Sabres. 

The young netminder turned in an outstanding 2025-26 campaign with the Grand Rapids Griffins, but as the season progressed, Michal Postava seized the starting role.

By the time the Calder Cup Playoffs arrived, Postava had earned the crease, leaving Cossa to serve as the backup throughout the entire postseason.

Cossa posted a record of 26-8-4 with a 2.33 goals-against average and a .915 save percentage in what would be his final season with the Griffins. A pending restricted free agent, Cossa was no longer waiver-eligible. 

Now, all indications point toward 2023 second round (41st overall) pick Trey Augustine as being Detroit's goaltender of the future. 

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With the abundance of trade rumors that had cropped up this past week, it was only a matter of time before the hammer dropped. On Friday evening, during the first round of the 2026 NHL Draft, the Ducks traded forward Mason McTavish to the St. Louis Blues for the 15th overall pick and the 29th overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft. The Ducks then used the 15th pick to select forward Nikita Klepov. There is zero salary retention in the deal.

2025-26 was a rollercoaster season for McTavish. He missed the start of training camp due to a contract dispute before signing a six-year contract with a $7 million AAV. He did have a good start to the season, putting up 18 points in 25 games, but he was unable to perform consistently in a bigger role while Leo Carlsson was out due to surgery to remove a Morel-Lavallée lesion.

The inconsistency persisted into the second half of the season, with McTavish eventually shifted to the wing and even healthy scratched for a handful of games. He was also a healthy scratch in two of the Ducks' playoff games against the Vegas Golden Knights.

While McTavish is a capable player offensively, his lack of foot speed and below-average defensive work proved to be deficiencies. Without the pace needed to adjust to head coach Joel Quenneville's system, he was a square hole in a round peg. In his 2025-26 exit interview, McTavish said that he wanted to come into next season a bit leaner and work on improving his speed and defensive work. The fruits of his labor will be viewed in St. Louis instead of Anaheim next season.

Related articles:

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Ducks Assistant GM Martin Madden on 2026 NHL Draft, Prospects & More

The Islanders are continuing to build up their blue line. 

After re-signing Tony DeAngelo to a two-year deal Friday, they later used their first-round pick (13th overall) in the NHL draft on Swede Malte Gustafsson.

The pick was introduced by last year’s No. 1 overall pick, Matthew Schaefer, who won the Calder Trophy as the league’s top rookie. 

“Most strong teams that draft well, the strategy is always to take the best player available,” general manager Mathieu Darche said. “Malte is a 6-4-½ if not 6-5, 200-pound defenseman. Very strong skater for his size, moves the puck, likes to play physical, hard to play against. You can never have enough defensemen, good defensemen. “ 

Gustafsson, known for his physicality as a showdown blueliner, comes from HV71 of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL), the country’s top professional league. As a 17-year-old, he spent most of last year in the SHL and notched three assists in 27 regular-season games. He also appeared for the club’s under-20 team and produced 12 points (four goals, eight assists) in 19 games. 

Gustafsson recently signed a one-year extension to remain in Sweden, so he won’t be joining the Islanders next year. He plans to take part in their development camp for prospects. 

“I’m a big two-way defender. I like to contribute all over the ice,” he said. “I like to use my size, my length, play physical and compete. I have a pretty similar style to Victor Hedman.” 

Gustafsson said he is “annoying” on the ice. Asked what that means, he replied: “hitting people.” 

Gustafsson, now 18, earned a gold medal as an alternate captain for Team Sweden at the 2026 IIHF Under-18 World Junior Championship. He was named to the tournament’s All-Star Team after tallying five points (one goal, four assists) in six games.

He also won a silver medal as an alternative captain for Sweden at the 2025 Hlinka Gretzky Cup. He had six points (two goals, four assists) in five games. 

“I debated with a few of our scouts about the big forwards. They’re all saying, Malte is a guy that stops those guys,” Darche said. “We’re all happy with the pick.” 

Darche said he spoke to teams about potentially moving up in the draft, but the right trade didn’t present itself. The Islanders will next pick tomorrow in the fourth round. They don’t have a second- or third-round selection. 

BUFFALO, NY -- With the 13th overall pick in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft, the New York Islanders selected left-shot defenseman Malte Gustafsson from HV71 of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL).

Last year, Gustafsson tallied three assists in 27 games among men with HV71.

Additionally, with HV71 U20, the 6’4”, 203-pound defenseman scored four goals with eight assists for 12 points in 19 games.

Gustafsson is a shutdown defender and a minutes eater.

Slavin-esque, is what I’m told by a scout.

QB’d SWE PP at U18.#Isles

— Stefen Rosner (@stefen_rosner) June 27, 2026

Gustafsson’s game is well-rounded, but his calling card lies in his skating and athleticism. Possessing a long stride and excellent footwork, the big blueliner is effective in all three zones.

He can defend and shut down the rush, bring the puck up the ice in transition, as well as contribute offensively — with an occasional pop of elite skill, though inconsistent.

I think we are looking at a player who can be the next Adam Pelech for the franchise down the road. #Isleshttps://t.co/iAx25X3emp

— Stefen Rosner (@stefen_rosner) June 27, 2026

The Väckelsång, Sweden native filled out his frame this season, and perhaps his most impressive showing occurred at the IIHF U18 tournament, where he ate impressive minutes for his country as a shutdown, do-it-all defenseman.

Gustafsson is slated to play for HV71 in the SHL next season, with no immediate plans to come to North America. He also joins a long list of Islanders left-shot defensive prospects, which includes Matthew Schaefer, Kashawn Aitcheson, Isaiah George, Marshall Warren, Jesse Pulkkinen, Xavier Veilleux, among others.

On Saturday, New York will make four draft selections in the fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh rounds. Day 2 of the NHL Entry Draft will be available to watch on NHL Network, Sportsnet, and ESPN+.

Kai Russell contributed to this story. 

Officially, the Philadelphia Flyers are down one more trade target at the center position to start the 2026 offseason.

On Friday, during the 2026 NHL Draft, we saw a number of surprises, with teams still continuing to wheel and deal draft picks.

That trend continued when the Anaheim Ducks finally traded potential Flyers target Mason McTavish, acquiring the 15th and 29th overall picks from the St. Louis Blues in the first round of the 2026 NHL Draft.

Previously, the Flyers had already missed out on Bowen Byram, which was understandable given the absolutely outrageous price paid for him by Chicago.

At center, Shane Wright could be an option, even with Seattle selecting defenseman Chase Reid at the top of the draft order.

It has also been reported that the Flyers are interested in Ottawa Senators centers Dylan Cozens, Shane Pinto, and Ridly Greig, though that chatter has subsequently died down since.

Flyers Star Winger Makes NHL Insider's New Trade BoardStar Philadelphia Flyers winger Owen Tippett makes his debut on NHL insider Frank Seravalli's trade board ahead of the 2026 NHL Draft.

In any case, with McTavish off to the Blues, the Flyers will not be adding yet another Duck to the reunion party in Philadelphia with Trevor Zegras, Jamie Drysdale, and Simon Benoit.

McTavish, 23, has five years remaining on his contract at a $7 million cap hit, and in St. Louis, he'll join a young nucleus that includes trade acquisition Connor McMichael, Dylan Holloway, Jimmy Snuggerud, Adam Jiricek, Dalibor Dvorsky, Robert Thomas, Philip Broberg, Justin Carbonneau, and more.

At the time of this writing, it is looking increasingly likely the Flyers will stand pat and make their pick at 21st overall, rather than trade it.

The New Jersey Devils selected Alexander Command with the 12th overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft. Command is a center that comes from Örebro in Sweden. 

For Sunny Mehta's first draft as a general manager in the National Hockey League, it is no surprise that he selected an analytical darling. 

Alexander the Great, meet the Garden State. pic.twitter.com/G3s5hv3HGg

— New Jersey Devils (@NJDevils) June 27, 2026

Alex Command led Sweden's U20 in nearly every single offensive stat. Those he didn't lead, he ranked second to Nordmark.

He is an analytical superstar. Not sure about the Hischier comp on the broadcast. I had McCann, Lindholm, Norris in my final ranks.#NJDevilspic.twitter.com/w8GOX66sJ4

— Foley (@NHLFoley) June 27, 2026

The Devils are going to be a team that's analytically driven under Mehta, and Command fits that mold as someone who will impact the game whether the puck is on his stick or not. He is a strong prospect in all three zones, which is the type of player that Mehta will be searching for over the course of his tenure. 

If Command were to reach the NHL and become a full-time player, he could slot in as the third guy behind Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier down the middle. In the long term, the Devils need that. He could also become a winger at the NHL level, which would likely see him in the middle six. 

The scouting report suggests that Command is incredibly fast, has some size as a 6'1", 187 lbs forward, and can play a strong two-way game down the center of the ice. It is an incredibly fitting profile for a player selected by the Devils in 2026. 

When the selection was announced, Command was surprised. The New Jersey Devils may have gone off the board to some people, including Command himself, but Mehta clearly has a system on how he and his scouts make selections. 

Visit The Hockey News New Jersey Devils team site to stay up to date on the latest news, game-day coverage, player features, and more.

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One of the more NHL-ready prospects available in this year’s draft is a Ranger. 

The Blueshirts selected Alberts Šmits with the No. 5 pick in the NHL draft Friday night, adding the left-handed defenseman to a defensive prospect pool that is in need of some shoring up during this retool. 

“It’s kind of a relief that the Rangers took me,” Šmits said on a Zoom call after he heard his name called in Buffalo. “I’m really happy to go to New York.” 

Equipped with two first-round picks as Friday began, the Rangers ended up trading the No. 26 selection to Vegas — as well as one of their four third-rounders (No. 92) plus a top-10 protected first-rounder in 2028 — in exchange for young sharpshooter Pavel Dorofeyev. 

Hanging on to the fifth-overall pick and still landing Dorofeyev certainly was a win for the organization. Signing the 25-year-old Russian to a seven-year, $77 million contract put a bow on the deal. 

That fifth-overall pick was an important asset to utilize and the Rangers came away with a prospect who is believed to be the most NHL-ready defenseman available in this draft class. 

The 18-year-old Šmits spent the last season playing professionally in Finland’s Liiga and for Munich in Germany’s DEL. Going up against grown men in Europe’s top professional leagues, the 6-foot-3 Latvian is said to have the build and defensive prowess to make the jump to the NHL. 

It’s likely that Šmits will sign his entry-level contract sometime soon and report to New York for this upcoming training camp. 

“Alberts is very competitive,” Rangers director of player personnel and director of amateur scouting John Lilley said on Zoom. “He’s a very good two-way defenseman, defends very hard, good shot, offensively moves the puck. He just has a very well-rounded game. In terms of when he’s ready to play, that’ll take care of itself. That’s not up to me. That’s something that Dru and [head coach Mike Sullivan] will figure out as we move forward, but we think he’s an excellent prospect and just thrilled to get him. 

Šmits played a ton of hockey in 2025-26, participating in his first full pro season, the Olympics, World Juniors and World Championship. 

At the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics this past February, Šmits made waves as the youngest player and lone draft-eligible prospect to compete in the tournament. He recorded two assists in four games for Latvia. 

Rangers president and general manager Chris Drury, who served as assistant GM for Team USA at the Olympics, likely had a front-row seat to Šmits’ performance in Italy. 

With Jukirit in the Finnish Liiga last season, Šmits posted 13 points (six goals and seven assists) in 38 games while averaging around 20 minutes per game. 

“I’m a two-way defenseman,” Šmits said when asked to describe his game. “I’m trying to take care of the D-zone first. And then I also can create some offense and help the forwards in the offensive zone and create some offensive plays and try to create some chances for scoring.” 

The maturity in Šmits’ game may put him on a faster track to the NHL level than some of the other prospects taken around him. There’s a hard-nosed edge to his game that the Rangers clearly covet on their back end. 

Šmits, who is inspired by Detroit’s Moritz Seider, said he visited New York City last week. 

“I loved it there,” he said. “It’s a great city.” 

The Rangers selected defenseman Alberts Smits with the No. 5 overall selection in the 2026 NHL Draft on Friday.

Smits, 18, is a 6-foot-4 blue liner out of Latvia, who represented his country at the 2026 Winter Olympics. He played professionally with Jukurit in Finland's Liiga and for Municah in Germany's DEL.

He was the recipient of the E.J. McGuire Award of Excellence ahead of the draft, which is presented annually by the candidate who "best exemplifies commitment to excellence through strength of character, competitiveness, and athleticism."

In 52 professional games over the past two seasons, he has seven goals and nine assists. Smits got a taste of playoff action with Munich and tallied six points (two goals, four assists) in 11 games.

Smits played four games for 10th-placed Latvia at the Olympics with two assists. And he is the highest-drafted player from that country in NHL history.

New York entered the night with another first-round selection, but packaged the No. 26 pick with the No. 92 pick and a 2028 first-round selection, but packaged them in a deal with the Vegas Golden Knights for winger Pavel Dorofeyev.