Alberts Šmits becomes highest drafted Latvian in NHL history

Latvian hockey made history at the 2026 NHL Entry Draft as defenseman Alberts Šmits was chosen fifth overall by the New York Rangers on Friday, June 27. This makes him the highest drafted Latvian player in league history, surpassing Zemgus Girgensons, who was selected 14th by the Buffalo Sabres in 2012.

In the first round, the Toronto Maple Leafs took forward Gavin McKenna first overall, the San Jose Sharks selected Swedish forward Ivar Stenberg second, the Vancouver Canucks picked forward Kaleb Malhotra third, and the Buffalo Sabres chose defenseman Dax Rudolph fourth, after acquiring the pick from the Chicago Blackhawks.

Šmits spent most of the past season in Finland's top league with Mikkeli's Jukurit, recording six goals and seven assists in 38 games (minus-3 plus/minus). He finished the season in Germany's DEL with Munich's Red Bull, scoring seven points (2+5) in 16 games with a plus-2 rating.

The 18-year-old also represented Latvia at the U20 World Junior Championship, the Olympic Games (as the tournament's youngest player), and the World Championship.

Several other Latvian players could be drafted this year, including forwards Olivers Mūrnieks, Rūdolfs Bērzkalns, Bruno Osmanis, goaltender Patriks Plūmiņš, and others. Historically, a maximum of three Latvians have been drafted in a single year, happening five times (1992, 2002, 2015, 2022, 2024). No Latvians were selected in the 2025 draft.