The Rangers gave Alberts Smits an unobstructed runway to fill a vacancy on the third pair, and the 18-year-old is preparing for takeoff.
Smits was a standout in an otherwise frustrating 4-3 loss to the Islanders in their second exhibition game of the preseason Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden. Not only did he register the primary assist on the Blueshirts’ third goal, but the Latvian defenseman was sound defensively against an NHL-heavy Isles lineup.
“I felt pretty much comfortable at this speed,” Smits said after the loss, in which the Rangers blew a 3-0 lead as the Islanders scored three unanswered power-play goals.
Since the start of training camp, Smits has skated on the left side of the third pair alongside Braden Schneider.
The Rangers are giving their 2026 fifth overall pick every chance to show he’s ready to make the jump to the NHL. It’s one thing not to look out of place in training camp, but it’s an entirely different feat to look as sturdy as Smits did in his first unofficial NHL game.
Taylor Raddysh got a stick on a perfectly placed puck from Smits at the high slot to give the Rangers a 3-0 lead just under 7 ¹/₂ minutes into the second period.
Smits more than held his own in a physical, scrum-heavy environment. He was strong in the corners and unfazed with the puck on his stick. Logging 15:29 of ice time, Smits also saw 3:33 on the penalty kill.
“I thought he played well,” head coach Mike Sullivan said. “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. 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.”
The Rangers deepened their pool of players who could upgrade the second power-play unit, but don’t expect to see more balanced ice time between the two groups.
“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.”
Sean Durzi, Oliver Bjorkstrand, Eeli Tolvanen, Gabe Perreault and Liam Greentree skated on the second unit in the loss Tuesday night.
Sullivan did not have an update on forward Adam Sykora or defenseman Vincent Iorio, who both left Monday’s game against the Devils with lower-body injuries.
The two did not skate Tuesday and were still being evaluated.
Seven of the 20 Rangers in the lineup Tuesday were acquired in the offseason. Six of them registered at least one point in the loss.
