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The Seattle Times
7 minutes
Heat advisory ahead for Western WA
A three-day heat wave kicks off Monday, with temperatures expected to climb to nearly 90 degrees on Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service.
Davy Jones Locker Room
21 minutes
Draft Profiles 2k26: Alberts Šmits is Latvia’s ferocious hope
The Draft Profiles are back! And we start with a defender! Defenseman Alberts Šmits has one of the more unique paths as a defenseman in this draft; being a Latvian playing in Finland as one of the younger players in the top finnish league, and having a serious chance of being the highest drafted player from his home country. And he’s done it in a simple, easy to understand way; bowling over the competition. Who is he? Alberts Šmits is a Valmiera, Latvian-born, 6’3, 209-pound defenseman who shoots Left. He plays for Jukurit in the Finnish Liiga; the highest level of Finnish hockey. At the conclusion of their season, Jukurit loaned Šmits to EHC Red Bull München in the highest level of German hockey; the DEL. He also had a pretty active career this year with the Latvian National Team; playing at the World Juniors, the World Championships, and the Olympics. What’s he good at? AGGRESSION. European players have largely broken this through the last two decades, but there is a low level stigma around the European game of not being especially physical. This is largely because you need to actually commit to being physical overseas; their commitment to larger, Olympic sized rinks means if you whiff on a hit, you’re going to be extremely out of a play and looking ridiculous. As such, players develop more of an understanding of the defensive game from a less physical side of things. It appears nobody really told Šmits any of that, because he loooooooves gettin’ involved physically. Šmits combines a lot of the best aspects of your modern defenseman; good skating, solid instincts on how to clog up a lane and when, and strong stickwork, and marries it to a ferocious work ethic that makes him a nightmare to forecheck against. Alberts Šmits will move heaven and earth to get after you. His aggression regularly forces forecheckers to get rid of the puck in a hurry with the fear of a large Latvian sitting on top of them whacking away at the puck or at them, and his strong stickwork allows for a major advantage in winning board battles (the NHL-sized frame helps there a lot), then can allow him to either get a clean breakout through a pass, or he’ll get himself involved in the play as a first line of attack; using solid skating to get as close to a zone entry and then dump it, or even just go and see if he can create some offense. And yet, when in high danger situations, it always appears as though Šmits is right in his element. He closes shooting lanes with ease both on the cycle and in transition, he will casually maneuver players at speed away from the middle of the ice, and towards his Indeed, when he’s on his game, Šmits is a shift-warping defender who can be a major force of danger for his team. What’s he not so good at? Harnessing said aggression responsibly. It’s only natural that a player this aggressive will sometimes put himself in hot water, especially in a more stringent european league. This sometimes means whiffed hits, undisciplined play, or taking himself out of the play in order to tie up one player or go impose himself on the other team. It’s especially prominent in net-front defense, where he can be caught focusing down on one player and ignoring others; pulling himself out of position. Further, Šmits aggression didn’t come from nowhere; Jukurit would’ve been on the relegation chopping block had Liiga still operated as of the Finnish ice hockey relegation/promotion pyramid. Further, his national team is Latvia; an eternal underdog that is continually hard up for offense. His minute munching tendencies for both of these squads meant he wasn’t just being asked to do a lot defensively, he was often asked to be the instigating force for the offense. This has created a very shoot-first mentality in the young man that is prone to taking any old shot to see if it can get to the dangerous area of the ice, no matter if there’s a shooting lane or not. This can also end up creating bad bounces that have him on the back foot or making passes to seemingly nowhere in the desperate hope of creating something, anything, for his team. More than anything, honing Šmits’ aggression so that it compliments his skillset rather than giving it the chance to undermine his abilities will be critical to his development; allowing him the space to not feel like he needs to be the hero all the time. Prospect Rankings Ranked 2nd by NHL Central Scouting among European Skaters. Ranked 11th by EliteProspects.com Ranked 8th by TSN’s Craig Button Ranked 7th by DailyFaceoff.com Ranked 7th by Smaht Scouting Ranked 11th by DobberProspects Should the Kraken take him? If Šmits ends up in Seattle, it’s hard not to think of a scenario in which he doesn’t become a fan favorite as Šmits has a game that your average NHL fan can just wrap themselves in like a big, angry hug. It helps that other than Chase Reid, the rest of the defensive prospects in this draft will probably need at least a couple of years to find themselves in the pro level whereas Smits will almost certainly have a major leg up from having played in pro leagues already. I’m not saying he’ll play immediately, but if he gets to wear Deep Blue? It will be difficult taking him out of it if he brings that game to the NHL.
The Urbanist
about 1 hour
Everett Transit Annexation Would Level Up City's Transit System, Mayor Says
In remarks to a transportation advisory committee, Everett Mayor Cassie Franklin painted a clear picture of the need to increase bus frequencies in the city as Sound Transit advances plans for light rail and the city accommodates significant population growth in the coming years.
The Seattle Times
about 1 hour
2026 World Cup: What’s next for Seattle and possible return of Team USA
Here's what's up next for the World Cup action in Seattle this week and looking ahead to a possible return of the U.S. team in the round of 16.
The Seattle Times
about 1 hour
WA Democrats chart path to more power in 2026 at Spokane convention
Washington Democrats gathered in Spokane to target 2026 midterm election gains, focusing on House control, state Supreme Court races and expanding legislative power.
The Seattle Times
about 1 hour
Questions swirl over graduation requirements at Why Not You Academy
The Russell Wilson-backed charter school faced a state inquiry into whether its final graduating class, including special education students, met state standards.
The Seattle Times
about 1 hour
This secret door at Mariners games delivers drinks — who’s behind it?
Take a look behind the scenes at the newest ballpark beverage attraction at T-Mobile Park: the secret little door that dishes surprise drinks to Mariners fans.
The Seattle Times
about 1 hour
What Seattle learned from Qatar about hosting the World Cup
Much has changed since Qatar hosted the FIFA Men's World Cup four years ago. Now, host cities must consider potential human rights impacts.
The Seattle Times
about 1 hour
What a ‘very strong’ El Niño could mean for WA
Meteorologists fear this year's El Niño will further heat the planet and lead to billions of dollars in damages from heat waves, floods and droughts.
The Seattle Times
about 7 hours
Confirmed Ebola cases in Congo outbreak top 1,000 with 254 deaths, authorities say
Authorities say confirmed cases of the Ebola outbreak in eastern Congo have reached 1,003, including 254 deaths.
The Seattle Times
about 11 hours
Salah scores and Egypt downs New Zealand 3-1 for a first World Cup victory
Mohamed Salah scored the go-ahead goal and Egypt went on to defeat New Zealand 3-1 on Sunday night and secure its first-ever World Cup win.
The Seattle Times
about 12 hours
Seattle solstice kicks off summer with warm high note, peak daylight
The 15 hours, 59 minutes of sunshine bathing Seattle on Sunday marked the longest day of the year. Now we start to tick down, minute by minute.