Aatu Räty | #27 | C

[JamesB]

On 7/19/2023 at 11:23 AM, Fred65 said:

I keep hearing Raty this Raty that but my question is why does a 2nd round pick earn or warrant so much attention. What's special about this kid. It sounds mostly like people jumping on the band wagon but who started it and if he's that good why would the NYI trade him. I'm curious 

 

21 hours ago, Putgolzin said:

He was considered a possibility for first overall by some prior to his draft year.

I guess questions about his skating etc put him way back, but there's hype around him from way back when.

Let's hope whatever is actually there can get developed into a real hockey player.

I'll bite on this.

 

1. When evaluating a young player current performance is important but the career trajectory is also important. Sometimes a player will look really good for a year, hit a plateau for a year, but then later have a resurgence. All three of those years are relevant in assessing potential.

 

2. When he was in his mid-teens Raty was regarded as a serious contender to go first overall when he entered the draft. His draft year (2020-21) was a bit disappointing but it was still a surprise that he fell into the mid-2nd round (52 overall). But he had a bounce-back in 2021-22 as a point-a-game player in Liiga and at the World Juniors and was strong defensively.

 

3.. Going into 2022-23 he was regarded as the Islanders top prospect. (See Top prospects for New York Islanders (nhl.com)_.

 

4. Despite being one of the  youngest players in the AHL in 2022-23 and playing center, he did well in the AHL, with a total of 27 points 53 games and a solid +5 in plus/minus.  He did well enough to be called up to the NHL by the Islanders until he was traded to Vancouver. In his time in the NHL in 2022-23 he showed that he was already a legitimate defensively oriented 4th liner at the NHL level in his draft+2 season. That puts him way above the expected value for a mid-range 2nd round pick--more like a mid-range 1st rounder. And he is expected to have a significant offensive upside.

 

5. As for skills, there have been mixed scouting reports on his skating, with some people saying that is a concern. Faber has a good piece on Raty at Canucks Army and spent a lot of time watching him. Faber says his speed is good but that either his agility might be a bit slow or his reads might be slow.  But lots of scouts have said that he is a good skater, with excellent balance and good speed.  (And he has been getting a lot of one-on-one time with Henrik and the skating coach at Abby).

 

6. As for the rest of his skills, he a strong all-around 200 ft player. He has decent size and is not soft, with at least a bit of "bite" in his game. He is regarded as having very good puck skills, including a very good wrist shot good passing skills.  He is aslo good in his own zone and a good forechecker.

 

7. Many people, including me, think that Raty was the key piece in the Horvat trade. The Islanders gave him up because the Canucks insisted on him. . 

 

8. There are no guarantees, but Raty looks very likely to fill the 3C role soon, maybe as soon as this year (although he will likely start in Abby), but probably in the following year.

 

He was a great pick-up in the Horvat trade. I think that trade was a steal for Vancouver (even though I did not like giving up the 1st round pick they obtained to get Hronek).

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited July 20, 2023 by JamesB

[Fred65]

My responce is Raty = Fan Speculation.

How soon we forget earlier high first round picks that frankly S*cked I repeat earlier 1st round picks. Raty was a 2nd round pick. ie a lot of teams passed on Raty, some teams passed on him twice! I'm content to let him cook in the AHL for a couple of years before making wild speculation. I'm betting many posters have never actually seen him play ( I haven't )

 

I posted again and again about Juolevi inadequencies ( he couldn't pivot left ) and posters told me I was full of it, well don't make the same mistake with Raty. The best we can do is keep our fingers crossed. He'll be given better chnaces than may prospect because managemnt chose him in a trade, it's to their benefit