Rangers Prospect Smits Impresses in Preseason Loss to Islanders

The New York Rangers provided defenseman prospect Alberts Smits with an opportunity to fill a spot on the third defensive pair, and the 18-year-old appears poised to seize the chance.

Smits was a notable performer in the Rangers' 4-3 preseason loss to the New York Islanders on Tuesday at Madison Square Garden. He recorded the primary assist on the team's third goal and demonstrated sound defensive play against an Islanders lineup featuring several NHL regulars. The loss saw the Rangers surrender a 3-0 lead, with the Islanders scoring three unanswered goals on the power play.

"I felt pretty much comfortable at this speed," Smits stated after the game. He has been skating on the left side of the third pairing with Braden Schneider since the start of training camp.

The Rangers, who selected Smits with the fifth overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, are giving him every opportunity to prove his readiness for the NHL. Smits' performance in his first unofficial NHL game was particularly strong, showing a level of stability against a more experienced roster.

Smits' precise pass from the high slot set up Taylor Raddysh for the Rangers' third goal, which came just under 7 ½ minutes into the second period. Despite a physical and often chaotic game, Smits held his own, displaying strength in puck battles and confidence with the puck. He logged 15:29 of ice time and also contributed 3:33 on the penalty kill.

Head coach Mike Sullivan commented on Smits' performance, noting his physical readiness for the professional level. "One of the biggest challenges for young players is just the physical size and strength of the guys in this league, and I mean you guys can see it, he’s a man as an 18-year-old. His physical stature. He’s big and strong. He has the ability to battle on pucks. He’s big enough and strong enough to compete in this league, that’s one challenge I think he’s already met," Sullivan said. "He makes a really nice play on Taylor Raddysh’s goal, just looking for that stick in the high slot, just getting his head up and just the awareness to make that play. I thought his gaps were really good. He’s a mobile guy. He’s got a long reach. He’s got a long stick. So he’s hard to play against. I thought he had a strong game tonight. We’re real encouraged to this point with what we’ve seen."

Regarding the team's power play, Sullivan indicated that while players like Sean Durzi, Oliver Bjorkstrand, Eeli Tolvanen, Gabe Perreault, and Liam Greentree skated on the second unit in the recent game, the established top unit is likely to retain its status. "I think our second power-play unit is more of a threat with some of the people that are on it, and I think as far as how the time is distributed, I think that will play itself out," Sullivan said. "I do believe strongly that the top power-play unit is really good, and I think they showed last year — certainly the core of that group is still back. And those guys were certainly a bright spot of the team with how they performed on the power play, and so I would anticipate them getting a long look. I think they deserve it. I also think it gives us the best chance to win."

Coach Sullivan provided no update on forward Adam Sykora or defenseman Vincent Iorio, who both sustained lower-body injuries in a prior game against the Devils and did not skate Tuesday. Both players are still undergoing evaluation.

Of the 20 Rangers players in Tuesday's lineup, seven were acquired in the offseason, and six of them registered at least one point in the game.