7 fun facts about newest Canucks prospect Aatu Räty

Feb 2 2023, 4:29 pm

The Vancouver Canucks lost their captain, but their prospect pipeline got a boost.

One of three pieces in the Canucks return for Bo Horvat was 20-year-old Finnish prospect Aatu Räty (pronounced Ah-too, Rah-too). The lanky centre has played 12 NHL games this year, but will begin his Canucks career down in the AHL with Abbotsford.

Here are seven things to know about newest prospect in the Canucks system.

1. Early front-runner as No. 1 pick in the 2021 NHL Draft

Despite the fact that Räty just turned 20 in November, he’s already been through a lot in his young career.

Back when he was just 15 years old in 2018, scouts were hyping him up as the front-runner for being the first overall pick in the 2021 NHL Draft.

At the time, Räty was dominating in Finland’s U18 league, where he was mainly skating alongside players who were two years older than him.

He then continued to perform well in Finland’s U20 circuit, but the pressure of being the potential first-overall pick started to affect Räty’s performance back in 2019.

I think it was too early for media to start this talk about how he should go first overall,” Räty’s agent Mika Backman said to The Athletic back in 2021.

2. He “lost” his love for hockey

Räty’s stock quickly dropped after being one of the youngest players named to Finland’s 2019-20 World Junior team.

He continued to struggle, and then the COVID shutdown in March 2020 did his development no favours.

Räty then entered his draft plus-one season playing on a stacked Karpat team in Finland’s top hockey league, SM-Liiga. He continued to struggle, and was perhaps unsurprisingly left off of Finland’s 2020-21 World Junior team.

Although the omission wasn’t a shock based on his play, it was a surprise considering that he was once thought of to be a first-overall pick in the NHL draft.

“He tried to work harder and harder, and I think he even practiced too hard,” Backman said.

“I think he pushed too hard. The joy, he lost it.”

3. Had a massive resurgence after being drafted

Räty had just three goals and six points in 35 games at the end of the 2020-21 Liiga season. Despite that, he was still widely considered to go in the first round of the 2021 NHL Entry Draft.

Instead, Räty slipped down draft boards. He was eventually picked late in the second round, 52nd overall by the New York Islanders.

From there, his career trajectory went back upwards.

He was loaned from Karpat to Jukerit in his draft-plus-one season. With Jukerit, he posted 40 points in 41 games, a massive improvement over his six points in 35 games the year prior.

Now, Räty is one of only 12 draft picks from 2021 to play in NHL games, despite being selected 52nd overall.

“He’ll be a top two-line NHL center,” Backman said. “I’d put my name on it. Mark my words.”

4. First AHL goal was a series-clinching overtime winner

That’s one way to make your North American hockey debut.

After the conclusion of the 2021-22 season in Finland, Räty flew across the Atlantic Ocean, making his North American professional hockey debut with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers of the AHL.

He played in two pointless regular-season games before joining the team for the playoffs. It was there where he scored this series-clinching goal against the Providence Bruins.

Räty scored the game-winning goal in a 2-1 overtime win for Bridgeport.

The goal catapulted them to the second round of the AHL playoffs for the first time since 2003. Räty finished his AHL playoff debut with a goal and four points in six games.

5. Scored a beauty in his first NHL game

That’s one way to make your NHL debut.

Even though it was his first NHL game, his 11:25 of ice time actually stands as a career-high through 12 games.

6. Already scored against the Canucks last month

Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin and president Jim Rutherford were in the house when Räty scored his second-career NHL goal.

Räty played a career-low 6:15 that night while centering a fourth line with rugged wingers Matt Martin and Ross Johnston.

The Islanders went on to wallop the Canucks 6-2 in that contest from January 3rd, 2023.

7. Was at a spa when he found out about the trade

There’s never really a good time to find out that you’ve been traded.

However, having your spa day interrupted by news that you now have to live on the other side of the continent has to be suboptimal.

Räty said during his media availability that she was at a hotel spa in downtown New York when the trade news broke. He didn’t have his phone on him, but his girlfriend did.

“My girlfriend, she had some texts on her phone like ‘what are you going to do in Vancouver?’

“And I’m like… ‘wait, what?'”

“I was definitely shocked but after that, really excited for the future.”

Trevor BeggsTrevor Beggs

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