Alberts Smits finished a heavy check on Erik Cernak in front of the benches Thursday night, and the New York Rangers rookie caught a linesman in it too.
Gino Hard posted the clip from the MSG broadcast, with the Rangers hosting Tampa Bay.
In it, the Lightning player gets driven back toward the Tampa Bay bench while the linesman ends up pinned behind him, a row of white sweaters watching from inches away.
Smits is 18, wears No. 63 for the Rangers and went fifth overall in the 2026 draft.
Good for him. A teenager finishing his check right in front of the other team's bench is exactly how you introduce yourself to this league.
It's the new guy at the office who shows up on day two and parks in the boss's spot. Bold, a little reckless, and impossible to ignore.
The linesman got the worst of it, according to Gino Hard. The clip doesn't show what happened to him afterward.
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Rangers teenager delivers massive hit and takes out linesman
Smits came into the night with no points and a -1 rating after the opener.
The Rangers opened Tuesday with a 3-0 loss in Boston, where Igor Shesterkin finished with a .909 save percentage.
Tuesday was also the day the Rangers put defenseman Vincent Iorio on waivers, which makes a teenager's early push on the blue line even more interesting.
Smits carries a $1,075,000 cap hit, a bargain for a player willing to do that in front of a full bench.
The Rangers are also without Joonas Korpisalo, listed day-to-day with a lower-body injury and expected out until at least October 9.
Jon Cooper's Lightning are playing their season opener tonight, after a 2-1-1 preseason that closed with a 3-2 win in Florida last Saturday.
The Rangers turn around and play in Detroit on Friday, while the Lightning host Washington on Saturday.
One heavy check doesn't make a career. But a rookie doing it in his second NHL game will have opposing benches paying closer attention from here on out.
Will Alberts Smits become the Rangers' most physical defenseman this season?
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