Projection: Top 4 Defenceman
Strengths: Strong puck protection skills, Linear skating speed,
Defensive Reliability
Weaknesses: Very basic/telegraphed when it comes to his decision
making, inability to make creative passes, lack of a dangerous shot
Analysis:
Alberts Smits is hands down the best defensive defenceman in this
class. He makes use of his filled-out frame to gain position of
players in his own zone, which helps him break up the cycle and knock
players off the puck. He often uses his size on the rush to force his
way down the wall and deep into the offensive zone, protecting the
puck and waiting for an opportunity to make a play. Additionally, he
has an excellent ability to use his stick to knock the puck loose when
challenged one-on-one on the zone entry while maintaining his body
positioning by locking onto the opponent’s chest. He also has some of
the fastest north-to-south skating I’ve seen from a player his age,
and he uses it to its full potential. He can chase a dump in either
offensively or defensively to beat the opponent to the puck to make a
play.
Where Alberts falls short is his offensive instincts and creativity.
The plays he tries to make are very telegraphed, allowing his
opponents to read his play and attempt to break up the play.
Additionally, he is not a power play threat, as he lacks the ability
to make creative passes through seams and a powerful seeing eye shot
that doesn’t threaten going straight to the back of the net, but
rather threatens making it to the net for a tip/rebound. If he learns
to get more creative and make more unique plays and passes, he’ll
become a very strong two-way defender.