Alberts Šmits
Alberts Šmits is a Latvian ice hockey defenceman for Mikkelin Jukurit of the Finnish Liiga. He is regarded as a top prospect eligible for the 2026 NHL entry draft.
Early life and playing career
Šmits was born on 2 December 2007 in Valmiera, Latvia. He grew up in Latvia and was a member of the ice hockey club Baltu Vilki, appearing in four games for the Vilki U17 team in 2021. In the fall of 2021, at age 13, he moved to Finland to seek better opportunities to play hockey, with his parents staying behind. He told NHL.com that, "If I wanted to play hockey, I had to leave. In Latvia, it wasn’t really possible at that moment. So that’s when I made the decision to move abroad and continue my career in Finland. I moved here alone and lived on my own in Helsinki, which took some getting used to. There weren’t really any other options, I just had to manage".In Helsinki, Šmits found it difficult to find an apartment; Ilta-Sanomat noted that, "Many landlords were not willing to accommodate 13-year-old". Eventually, he was able to move in with an elderly woman who lived in northwest Helsinki, nearby the rink of the club Karhu-Kissat, which he joined. Initially, he was frequently visited by his parents in Helsinki, but eventually he began living completely independent. He appeared in eight games for the Karhu-Kissat U16 team in the 2021–22 season, posting an assist. He posted four points in five games for the U16 team, two goals in eight games for the U18 team, and one point in one game for the U19 team in 2022–23 season. He also spent time with HIFK on loan. In 28 games for the HIFK U16 team, he posted seven points.
Šmits reached Karhu-Kissat's U20 team in the 2023–24 season, despite being only 15 years old at the start. He posted 18 points in 13 games with the U18 team and 10 points in 25 games for Karhu-Kissat's U20 team. Upon the suggestion of his coach, he tried out for Mikkelin Jukurit in April 2024 and made the junior team. Playing with the U18 team, Šmits totaled 20 points in 20 games in the 2024–25 season, while he also had nine points in 21 games with the U20 team. In the spring of 2025, he was promoted to the senior Jukurit squad. He played in nine games for them in the Finnish Liiga, scoring two points. He signed a contract extension with Jukurit in November 2025, to keep him with the club through 2028.
Šmits is considered a top prospect eligible for the 2026 NHL entry draft.