Canucks' Räty explains how he became the best young faceoff ace in NHL
Here’s hoping you find something you love as much as Aatu Räty loves faceoffs.
“I just love, love working on them,” Räty told Daily Hive.
There’s something you don’t hear enough of in this Vancouver Canucks season: the word love.
One nugget that’s been lost in this miserable season for the Canucks is the fact that Räty has achieved something remarkable.
The 23-year-old’s passion for faceoffs has been evident since last season, when he finished with a 57.4 per cent success rate at the dot, good for top-20 in the league.
This season, he’s taken that to another level, as his 61.3 per cent win rate is third in the NHL among regular NHL centres, behind only Claude Giroux and Jonathan Toews.
Since the league started tracking faceoffs nearly 30 years ago, Räty’s faceoff prowess is tracking to be a top-25 season all-time. It’s also the best season ever by a player under the age of 25.
Aatu Räty has quickly become the NHL’s youngest faceoff ace. (Bob Frid/Imagn Images)
In a league where veteran players who usually dominate in the faceoff circle, Räty has emerged as the NHL’s youngest ace on the dot.
“Yeah, I’ve noticed that it’s a lot of guys kind of in their thirties,” Räty said.
Simply put, winning faceoffs consistently is hard, especially as a young NHLer.
So, how has Räty done it?
“It’s always really intrigued me,” he said. “Looking at what everyone else does, and just scouting the opponents.”
Call it a homework assignment, but scouting oppositions at the dot is something Räty is passionate about.
“I look at the [faceoff] rankings,” he said. “I want to see where everyone is. That also goes into my planning against everyone. Obviously, you want to try and win every draw, whether the guy is at 65 [per cent] or 35 [per cent], but you want to have a good idea how everyone is doing that season.”
Practice makes perfect
Because of how well Räty has fared in the faceoff circle as a young NHLer, it’s easy to assume that he’s been good at this for most of his life.
But that’s not the case.
“The way the practice worked in Finland, you just have 60 minutes with the team, so you didn’t have any time to work on them,” he explained. “At least at that time, no one on the team was working on it or even really putting any attention to it.”
“But then I remember the first time with the junior national team, our coach saying to me, ‘You should work on your draws.’ I probably wasn’t doing that well.”
“From maybe [age] 17 to now, I’ve been putting in a lot of work on them.”
One of the tricks that has benefited Räty in the dot has been switching to his backhand for faceoffs on his weak side.
“My last year in Finland, I had a coach who wanted all the centres to try it,” Räty said. “He had done that in his career, and it worked well for him.”
“It feels so unnatural at first, but it just takes time.”
The 23-year-old Finn also points out that, aside from lacking NHL experience, there’s another factor that makes it hard for young centres to consistently win draws.
“In this league too, for a young guy, the refs are pretty strict on me,” he said. “So, I have to stay beyond the limit of what’s legal and what’s not, or I feel like they’re gonna kick me out.
“Maybe in 10 years, I’ll have some leeway.”
Earning the coach’s trust
“He’s got a great attitude.” Adam Foote said. “He’s very coachable. “We’re putting him on the PK, putting him in shift against top lines in his end, so there’s lots of trust there.”
Räty has yo-yoed between the lineup and the press box for the Canucks. At first, his lineup omission was puzzling. Recently, however, his production has plummeted. After a three-point night against the Minnesota Wild back on Dec. 6, Räty has just one goal and two points in his last 24 games.
He scored his first goal since Dec. 6 on Tuesday night against the Florida Panthers.
Nice Finnish from 54. 😮💨 pic.twitter.com/Bp3ykWHBC6
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) March 18, 2026
“Obviously, you always want to produce, but I think I’ve learned a bunch,” he said.
“You try to kind of soak everything in and be a sponge,” he said. “I feel like there’s so many little details that I’ve just been doing a lot better, like box outs. Little stuff like that that doesn’t show up on the stat sheet, but I’m doing them so much better.”
That hasn’t gone unnoticed by his teammates.
“It’s his details,” Jake DeBrusk said. “Obviously, we start with the puck when he’s on the ice, but I think that he just makes the right play at the right time. He doesn’t look for the perfect one. That’s something that I’ve noticed as the year’s gone on.”
Although the points haven’t been there, Räty is clearly a student of the game, and he’s shown a willingness to do whatever it takes to improve.
“I’m really proud of a lot of stuff I’ve been doing,” Räty said. “I know those things, once you stack them up and you play a long time, that’s just gonna make you a much better player.”