Weaknesses
With aggressiveness sometimes comes recklessness, and we've seen that from Smits over the past few years, and while it pays off plenty, when he makes mistakes, they can be incredibly costly to a team.
On top of that, he needs to find patience with the puck in the offensive zone, and while his game is one that will mature as he comes to North America permanently, the hockey sense needs to improve before he can become a significant asset at the NHL level.
NHL Comparison
Coming into the draft, Smits is known as a two-way, physical, mobile defender, and while there's no guarantee he lives up to the potential, on the high end, he's been compared to players such as Moritz Seider.
On the much lower end, he profiles more like an Ivan Provorov, and while that may not be worthy of the No. 6 overall draft pick, there's certainly potential for him as one of the more NHL ready prospects in the draft.
Fit with the Flames
Most fans would love to see the Flames take another high end centre with their No. 6 overall pick in the draft, but with a distinct lack of LHD in the pipeline, it's safe to say that this would be the second biggest priority for the Flames.
Right now, the Flames have a very big, physical defenseman in Kevin Bahl, and while the Flames are likely to take a shot on a player with more upside, if they were to take Smits, it would be a very safe selection that fills a need in Calgary.
Will he be available for the Flames at No. 6?
It's clear how the first few selections in the 2026 NHL Draft are going to play out, but beyond that, absolutely anything could happen, and with the high floor of Smits at the NHL level, there's a team in the top-five that could take a chance on him.
Through most mock drafts, Smits is available at No. 6, and while some teams have him being selected by the Rangers at No. 5 or the Blackhawks at No. 4, if the Flames are going to prioritize size and physicality at the LHD spot, then Smits could be the pick for them.
Verdict
On paper, Smits is a very good pick for the Flames, but with the team in desperate need of high end talent up front, the only way the team should take the Latvian star is if they end up trading back in the first-round for some significant future assets.
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