On a night filled with anticipation, the first round of the 2026 NHL Draft certainly delivered. Highlighted by Leafs’ celebrity fan Justin Bieber making the first overall selection of Gavin McKenna to chuckles in Buffalo, it didn’t disappoint.

In fact, it was a roller-coaster for both ESPN and the fans. After the Sharks followed suit by taking Ivar Stenberg, it was a proud father-son moment for the Canucks with new head coach Manny Malhotra congratulating son Caleb Malhotra on being taken third by Vancouver. Nearly three decades earlier, it was the elder Malhotra who had his name called by the Rangers with the seventh pick in 1998.

Following the first three going in expected order, some dominoes began to fall. In a surprise, the hometown Sabres passed on Chase Reid to select Daxon Rudolph. They still went for a good defenseman who will be part of their blue line for years to come. With Buffalo deciding to go for Rudolph, the Rangers had the chance to scoop up the highly rated Reid. However, they had other ideas instead.

ESPN’s Meghan Chayka noted how much the organization loved Alberts Smits. When NHL commissioner Gary Bettman stepped up to the microphone, he made it official by announcing the Rangers’ fifth overall pick of Smits.

They went for possibly the most NHL-ready player. Listed at six-foot-three, 209 pounds, Smits combines a strong physical two-way game with superb skating. A big player who is a left-handed defenseman with a good shot, it’s possible that the 18-year-old from Latvia could make the roster out of training camp.

Smits was the youngest player that competed in the Milan Olympics. He was impressive by picking up two assists in four games while averaging 18:44 of ice time for Latvia. That followed up a good showing at the World Junior Championships. He posted a goal and four assists while leading all Latvian skaters in ice time with 23:40. He also had four assists representing his country at the World Championships while averaging 21:47 of ice time.

Smits has played for Jukurit in Finland. He was loaned to Munchen in Germany. A mature player who’s lived on his own since 13, he doesn’t sound like most prospects his age.

It’s obvious that the Rangers feel that Smits can fill a void. There’s no question that the left side of the back end is lacking after Vladislav Gavrikov. If he proves that he’s ready, then they should find out about him sooner than later. Some players can make the quick transition to the NHL. The only concern would be if he struggles. The organization must learn from its past mistakes when it comes to development. They must do what’s best for Smits.

Smits has been favorably compared to Moritz Seider. If that actually happens, then this pick is a home run. Others view him similarly to former Ranger K’Andre Miller. The only thing I’ll say regarding that is let’s hope Smits becomes the player he’s supposed to be in the Big Apple.

Of course, some of the reaction from was negative due to taking Smits over Reid. However, I’ve seen tape of both. While it’s true that I believe that Reid has the highest ceiling in this draft, Smits should become a good player. He is good at finding gaps and plays with an edge.

Reid actually fell to the Kraken who grabbed him at number seven. Carson Carels was taken by the Flames at the sixth spot. In assessing the defensemen in this class, they’re all going to be good players. Keaton Verhoeff was taken ninth by the Sharks. Malte Gustafsson went number 13 to the Islanders.

Of the 32 players selected in the first round, 10 were defensemen. Half went in the top 10. That speaks to how deep the position is. A player who’s still available when the draft resumes on Saturday at 11 AM is Xavier Villeneuve. A left-handed offensive defenseman with a lot of skill, he’s only listed at five-foot-eleven, 164 pounds.

Having watched some video on Villeneuve, he has a lot of similarities to Lane Hutson. He’s an extremely fast skater who can beat guys one-on-one and create offense. Villeneuve must improve defensively and get stronger. He could be the steal of the draft.

The Devils have two early picks in the second round. It wouldn’t be surprising to see them scoop Villeneuve up. That could depend on what the Canucks and Blackhawks do to start the day.

The Rangers don’t pick until the final spot of Round 2 at number 64. That’s the other pick they got last year from Carolina for Miller. They wound up using the first round pick (26) from Dallas to acquire Pavel Dorofeyev. That now makes that trade much better than it was. Especially with Miller helping the Hurricanes win the Stanley Cup.

The third round promises to be fun. The Rangers own picks 67, 77, and 81.