Aatu Räty | #27 | C

[DSVII]

Don't think I saw one posted yet. Let's take a look at our new #1 Prospect. His stock was high prior to the 2021 draft, originally projected 1st overall  But had his draft stock fall to the point he became a steal for the Isles in the second round. We passed on him in that draft but I'm glad to get him in our system. Seems like the high upside we need in the pipeline.

 

 

 

 

Fantasy Summary

A play-driving offensive center who plays a solid 200-foot game. A dual-threat because he can make plays and finish them. Great skating ability combined with high-end puck-skills makes him a threat all over the ice. Needs to work on his consistency and discipline. Projects to become a very good top-six center.

 

https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/467384/aatu-raty

 

 

 

Attributes
Fantasy Upside	8.0
NHL Certainty	8.5
Country	FIN
Position	C
Roster Type	Minors
Shoot/Glove	Left
Date of Birth	November 14, 2002
Height	6‘2”
Weight	187 lbs
Drafted	2021 Round 2; Overall: 52

 

Timeline

https://dobberprospects.com/player/aatu-raty/

 

December 2022- Raty seems to have an on again off again relationship with his hockey career. He started off as a highly touted prospect in his draft minus one season, then fell quite famously to the Islanders at 52nd overall in 2021. Last season was a big rebound for him as he scored at just under a point per game in the Liga, but he has yet to find his stride on North American ice. He is currently 13th on Bridgeport in scoring with just four goals and four assists through 18 games. Graham Montgomery

 

June 2022 – Although Bridgeport fell to Charlotte in the AHL’s semi-finals after eliminating Providence in the opening round, the 19-year-old had a goal and three assists in six post-season outings. That’s encouraging. Mark Allan

 

May 2022 – When he seemed lost in six Liiga games on loan to Karpat, Räty opened eyes in Finland’s top men’s league with 13 goals and 40 points in 41 outings with Jukurit. Easily the Isles’ top prospect, albeit in a shallow pool, he parlayed size, vision and playmaking ability to earn a three-year, entry-level deal. Getting into two late-season games with Bridgeport, the 19-year-old then posted a goal and two assists in his first three AHL playoff appearances. His first full pro campaign will be revealing. Mark Allan

 

March 2022 – Forced to miss the WJC due to COVID, the 19-year-old had a respectable six points in 35 games last season against the hardened men of Finland’s top league. Räty began 2021-22 with only one assist in six appearances, again on loan to Karpat, before switching to Jukurit in the Liiga and regaining his mojo with 12 goals and 20 assists in 35 games so far. Twenty points in just 11 junior outings helps the second-rounder’s reputation as possibly the steal of the 2021 NHL draft. Mark Allan

 

October 2021 – Before he was loaned to Liiga powerhouse Oulun Kärpät in his Finnish homeland, Räty impressed the coaching staff and fellow players alike at the Islanders’ training camp. Just 18, the second-round draft pick this year displayed competitiveness, hockey IQ, maturity, poise and skill. His talented hands certainly helped with faceoffs. Although he didn’t register a point in either of the Isles’ first two pre-season outings, he held his own in puck battles. Mark Allan

 

August 2021 – The Isles moved quickly to sign their second-round pick to a three-year, entry-level contract with an affordable AAV of $925,000. The 18-year-old center was highly regarded after a promising 2019-20 campaign with Finland’s Karpat organization. His stock fell when he mustered just six points in 35 appearances, although that was against the men of his country’s best league. The Isles clearly believe in his package of skating, hands, size and hockey IQ. Mark Allan

 

July 2021 – Räty was selected in the second round, 52nd overall by the New York Islanders in the 2021 NHL Draft. Nick Richard

 

February 2021 – Räty was left of the Finnish World Junior roster and as Michael Jordan would say, he took that personally. His play in the Liiga since January has been much stronger and more resemblant of the player that we all thought he was coming into the year. He may not be in contention for number one but should he keep up this improved play, he should be able to stay in the conversation in the top 10. There is still a solid two-way center with a wicked wrister that can be had by whoever drafts Räty. It’s going to be interesting to see how the up-and-down Finn finishes the year. Tony Ferrari 

 

November 2020 – It has been something of an auspicious start to the Finnish forward’s draft-eligible campaign. Expected to take a leap forward against Liiga competition, Räty has struggled to maintain his spot in the Kärpät lineup. The result has been a demotion to the U20 circuit where he’s looked more like his old self, producing seven points in eight contests. Räty remains an explosive, two-way center in a class void of elite forward talent. Don’t let the slow start fool you, he is a projectable player with a high upside. Cam Robinson

 

August 2020 – Räty is the projected first overall pick for the 2021 NHL Draft at the start of his draft season but he’ll need to work hard to maintain that top spot throughout the season because he’s definitely not a lock to go first. Räty has all the tools to become a very good number one center in the NHL but consistency has been the main problem in his career so far. He had an excellent draft minus-two season in the Finnish junior league but couldn’t build on it in his draft minus-one season. He seemed to be trying to do too much and being in his head a bit too much. He did, however, get to play some games against men at the Liiga level, and he played an important role at the World Juniors as well. Räty is on the older side for his draft class but considering how long he’s been on the radar and where his game is at right now, it’s not a concern.

Räty’s most noticeable skill is his great skating ability. He utilizes his speed to enter the offensive zone with possession. Having great hands is obviously a big help in that as well. He’s good off the rush and he’s also good at the cycle game. Even though it doesn’t appear that way based on his numbers, he also owns a great wrist shot. But he is more of a playmaker who controls the pace of the game and drives the play up the ice. He is also a very solid 200-foot player as shown by his great performance in a defensive role at the World Juniors.

In his draft season, Räty is expected to be a full-time Liiga player. Because Kärpät is a very deep organization, he will likely play just a middle-six role all season long. Finding consistency in his level of play throughout the season will be key for him. Assuming the World Juniors are played this year, Räty is a lock for the Finnish roster and should play a big role there. On both teams, he’ll get to play with his older brother Aku who was drafted by Arizona in 2019.  Jokke Nevalainen

 

2021 Scouting Breakdown

 

https://lastwordonsports.com/hockey/2021/05/18/aatu-raty-scouting-report/

 

Offensive Game

Raty is much more of a playmaker than a scorer. His hands are outstanding. He can stickhandle in a phone booth and uses that ability to beat defenders on the rush as well as to create opportunities in the offensive zone. He is also able to protect the puck in the cycle game, extending plays and giving his teammates the opportunity to get open. When they do, he has the vision and passing skills to pass the puck through tight areas and create scoring chances. Raty also has a powerful shot and a quick release.

 

Raty needs to be better at getting to the middle of the ice though. He plays a bit too much of a perimeter game and this hurts his scoring potential. While his shot is powerful, it often comes from the outside, making it easier for goalies to stop. If he can get those shots off from between the faceoff dots, he will create more offence. While he does this well against other teenagers, he needs to do it more often when playing against men. Raty should be better at battling through those dirty areas as he becomes stronger and more confident.

Defensive Game

Raty shows that he is willing to play a more physical game in the defensive zone. He works hard to support the defence down low and keep opponents to the outside. His positioning is strong, keeping his body between his man and the net and using his stick to cut down passing lanes. A smart player, Raty reads the play well and anticipates the plays opponents will try. This helps him to create turnovers. When he does get control of the puck, he is able to quickly transition the puck up the ice. Raty is willing to battle for loose pucks in the defensive and neutral zones. He also does a decent job in the faceoff circle.

Projection and Comparison

The questions about Raty’s offensive game have made it more likely that he will become a second-line centre than carry a franchise. However, this is still valuable. This is even more true when one considers that Raty’s strong defensive game can continue to grow and he could be used against the other team’s best players and on the penalty kill. The franchise that drafts him will need to have patience and need to work with Raty in taking the puck to the middle of the ice. He should be back in Finland next year and on the Finnish World Junior team, looking for redemption after being left off this year’s squad. When he’s at his best, Raty is comparable to Nazem Kadri, but this is a stylistic comparison only and not one based on skill and ability.

 

Record thus far

Season	Team	League	GP	G	A	TP	PIM		Playoffs	GP	G	A	TP	PIM
2014-2015	Finland Selects U13	WSI U13	9	4	10	14	6	|
2015-2016	Finland Selects U14	WSI U14	9	1	7	8	4	|
2016-2017	Kärpät U16	U16 SM-sarja Q	22	13	18	31	12	|
	Kärpät U16	U16 SM-sarja	18	5	21	26	10	|	Playoffs	5	3	1	4	4
2017-2018	Kärpät U16	U16 SM-sarja Q	21	35	30	65	16	|
	Kärpät U16	U16 SM-sarja	18	10	21	31	14	|	Playoffs	4	3	1	4	0
	Kärpät U18	U18 SM-sarja	6	1	8	9	2	|	Playoffs	1	0	1	1	0
	Finland U16 (all)	International-Jr	11	7	10	17	6	|
2018-2019	Kärpät U18	U18 SM-sarja	6	10	8	18	8	|
	Kärpät U20	U20 SM-sarja	41	17	14	31	26	|	Playoffs	10	4	8	12	0
	Finland U17	WHC-17	6	3	0	3	0	|
	Finland U17 (all)	International-Jr	13	6	3	9	4	|
	Finland U18	WJC-18	5	0	1	1	4	|
	Finland U18 (all)	International-Jr	16	8	5	13	10	|
2019-2020	Kärpät U20	U20 SM-sarja	30	2	19	21	28	|	Playoffs	1	0	0	0	0
	Kärpät U20	JCWC	5	3	1	4	8	|
	Kärpät	Liiga	12	2	2	4	2	|
	Finland U18	Hlinka Gretzky Cup	3	2	2	4	2	|
	Finland U18 (all)	International-Jr	9	4	5	9	10	|
	Finland U20	WJC-20	7	2	1	3	2	|
	Finland U20 (all)	International-Jr	12	3	1	4	4	|
2020-2021	Kärpät U20	U20 SM-sarja	8	3	4	7	2	|
	Kärpät	Liiga	35	3	3	6	18	|	Playoffs	3	0	0	0	0
2021-2022	Kärpät	Liiga	6	0	1	1	2	|
	Jukurit	Liiga	41	13	27	40	32	|	Playoffs	7	0	2	2	34
	Bridgeport Islanders	AHL	2	0	0	0	0	|	Playoffs	6	1	3	4	6
	Finland U20	WJC-20	7	3	7	10	2	|
	Finland U20 (all)	International-Jr	11	7	13	20	4	|
2022-2023	New York Islanders	NHL	12	2	0	2	4	|
	Bridgeport Islanders	AHL	27	7	8	15	12	|
	Vancouver Canucks	NHL	-	-	-	-	-	|

 

 

PNHLe is a value that projects a prospect's point potential at the NHL level.
It takes into consideration point production (i.e., points-per-game), the league a prospect plays in, their age and the position they play.
You can read more about the methodology behind PNHLe here.

 

 

 

 

 

[TeamTurmoil]

Is his last name pronounced Rat-Tee or Rat-Too?

[204CanucksFan]

 

 

[Angry Goose]

Welcome!

[Coconuts]

A2R2

 

I hope they stuff him in Abbotsford and ride out the tank for the rest of the season, they have a good thing going over there and it'd be good for him to be a part of it 

[Diamonds]

Definitely a good prospect and excited to see him develop. Hopefully they send him to Abbotsford to center Podkolzin and Hoglander for the rest of the season. 

 

He seems to have struggled slightly this season adjusting to North America, but if all goes well I think he will be a similar player to Bo in his prime.

[Nucker 67]

I'm excited to have Raty developing in the Canucks system. I wanted him at the Draft, a real good, gritty C. Abbotsford just got better too, so I'm going to try and get out to see another one of those games this season.

[Kootenay Gold]

8 minutes ago, Coconuts said:

A2R2

 

I hope they stuff him in Abbotsford and ride out the tank for the rest of the season, they have a good thing going over there and it'd be good for him to be a part of it 

I hope so too. With the Sedin's assisting in coaching him he could be a real steal. He is only 20 so lots of time to fully develop him IMO.

 

[Nuxfanabroad]

Hope he excels.

 

Nice to add another from the 2021 class, where we only had 6 picks.

[EternalCanuckFan]

Skilled forward with size and willingness to play physically, and who could reasonably play C at the NHL level? Solid acquisition. The Canucks have basically no one in the pipeline with Raty's profile. The only question I have is whether Raty will really pan out as a C - if he can and if he can do it at a level that comes close to his potential, then he should be able to contribute positively to the NHL Canucks soon.

[J-23]

If Hogz - Raty - Podz becomes a thing in Abby, I will have to go check out a few games.

[Coconuts]

9 minutes ago, Kootenay Gold said:

I hope so too. With the Sedin's assisting in coaching him he could be a real steal. He is only 20 so lots of time to fully develop him IMO.

 

He's a very good center prospect and there's certainly lots of time for him to develop into something 

 

He's no slam dunk though, time will tell 

[Canuck You]

22 minutes ago, TeamTurmoil said:

Is his last name pronounced Rat-Tee or Rat-Too?

RaTa Ta Ta.

[Fanuck]

Well, they really can't afford to botch this kids development - we have little to no center depth in the organization.  No pressure, but it will be interesting how management/coaching approach this.

[Phil_314]

Hopefully him and Podkolzin could develop chemistry and maybe come up together; if both pan out they could be a tough two-way duo to play against.

[Phil_314]

38 minutes ago, TeamTurmoil said:

Is his last name pronounced Rat-Tee or Rat-Too?

Ratatouille, Raty Aatu -- same same.

[-Vintage Canuck-]

 

[fanfor42]

R2D2

[DrJockitch]

Easily our best centre prospect. There really isn’t a second best. 

[R3aL]

Hes coming in to a good Ahl group thats really vibing.

 

He will get to play a big role and maybe build some chemistry with Podkolzin and or Hoglander. Maybe even Karlsson.

 

Excited to see him there and he will start getting familiar with the fans, market and city here. 

 

Really happy they aren't rushing them/him and are committing to the development of them the proper way to give them the best chance aaa becoming the best player they could be.