Rangers’ Alberts Smits Top-10 NHL prospect in latest expert ranking
The New York Rangers placed three players in The Athletic’s annual ranking of the top-100 NHL prospects, including two in the top-20. Defenseman Alberts Smits ranked No. 9; forward Gabe Perreault was 19th overall; and forward Liam Greentree came in at No. 91 on the list.
Noted NHL prospect expert Scott Wheeler established a criteria where in order to be considered a prospect must be under the age of 23 and not an established NHL player already. Forwards Gavin McKenna of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Ivar Stenberg of the San Jose Sharks landed 1-2 in Wheeler’s rankings after being selected in the same order at this year’s NHL Draft. Philadelphia Flyers forward Porter Martone, the No. 6 overall pick in 2025 who recorded 10 points in nine NHL games this past spring, ranked third.
Those three were among four players listed in Wheeler’s top tier of prospects. Sharks center Michael Misa was the other. Smits and Perreault were in Tier 2, a group consisting of 24 players, ranked 5-28. Greentree was in Tier 6.
The Rangers selected Smits with the No. 5 overall pick in this year’s draft, and the 18-year-old is expected to compete for a spot on the left side of New York’s defense corps in training camp. Interestingly, Wheeler ranked Chase Reid four spots ahead of Smits here. Each defenseman was available when the Rangers were on the clock early in the first round, and they, of course, picked Smits, upsetting a segment of the Blueshirts Faithful. Reid, a highly-skilled offensive defenseman, went No. 7 overall to the Seattle Kraken.
Still, Wheeler had plenty of good things to say about Smits, a big (6-foot-3, 209 pounds), mature, physical, two-way d-man who spent last season playing against men in two European pro leagues, and representing Latvia in the Milan-Cortina Olympics and 2026 IIHF World Championship.
“He plays with a ton of confidence against his peers and has played with similar boldness even against men at times, while still defending to positive result,” Wheeler wrote.
He added Smits “possesses underrated puck skill for a defender his size. He has legit hands, both pulling pucks laterally and protecting them out wide, often with one hand on his stick,” and complimented his skating ability.
Wheeler conceded that Smits has room for improvement, but “I think he has legitimate first-pairing upside.”
NHL prospects expert believes Rangers’ Gabe Perreault can ‘be a star’
This is likely going to be Perreault’s last time on a prospects list. The 21-year-old forward recorded 27 points (12 goals, 15 assists) in 49 games as an NHL rookie last season, finishing things out on the top line with Mika Zibanejad and Alexis Lafreniere. We’ll see what line he ends up on this season, but it’ll be in New York’s top-six forward group, for sure.
Perreault is the third-ranked left wing on this list, behind McKenna and Tij Inginla of the Utah Mammoth. Wheeler heaped praise on New York’s first-round pick (No. 23 overall) from the 2023 draft, and called out Perreault’s detractors.
“I view him as one of the most talented and offensively intelligent prospects in the game, and when the points pile up as they have, and they happen while making the kinds of plays that he does, I think you downplay his player type at your own risk at that point.”
Wheeler called him “an incredibly clever facilitator and playmaker,” and repeatedly praised his smarts and the way he thinks the game, referring to Perreault as a “highly-intuitive player” and one who “problem-solves his way out of trouble.”
His final comment about Perreault should go over well with the Rangers and their fan-base.
“I still think he has a chance to be a star, and I thought about ranking him higher.”
Greentree cracked the top-100 list, though just barely. The Rangers acquired the 20-year-old from the Los Angeles Kings in the Artemi Panarin trade, and he turns pro this fall, likely ticketed to Hartford.
Wheeler pointed some good traits in Greentree’s game, and likes his “pro-ready size (6-foot-2, 207 pounds).” But he listed a string of concerns, including ability to play with pace, and this Greentree’s skills may have plateaued,
“He finds his way onto pucks inside the offensive zone, can stay on them, can win battles, and when he keeps his feet moving, he plays an opportunistic style with above-average talent in multiple areas (shooting, handling, first touch for a player his size),” Wheeler wrote.
However, “I haven’t seen a dynamic quality, though, and his skating needs work, but he has pro size, a good toolkit offensively, individual skill and a growing statistical profile. He’s not ultra-competitive, but he has played harder over time.”
Some suggest Greentree grew bored at the OHL level, where he totaled more than 300 points, and will kick it into another gear when he turns pro. We’ll soon find out.
