From Pronmon, who I hate and find is wrong a lot (Kabanov got an A from him)
2021 Draft Grade: C
I’m a holdout Aatu Räty fan, even if I continued to come down on him as the season went along. I realize how bad his season was and why he fell to the second round, but I think he will be a good player. I think Eetu Liukas and Tristan Lennox both have chances to play, but how good Räty is will likely determine how good his Islanders class was.
Draft class
Aatu Räty, C (No. 52): Räty is one of the biggest mysteries I can recall of the last few years watching prospects. He was a go-to player for Finland coming up, as the No. 1 center for a solid U18 age group last season and making Finland’s U20 team a year before his draft, while also playing well versus men. He looked like a high-skill playmaking center with good athletic tools. Then this season came and the offense disappeared. Räty’s game looked so simple between the junior and Liiga levels and he was cut from the U20 team. Various scouts have varying theories. Some think he lacks speed. Some think he lacks hockey sense. I’ve seen enough over the years to still believe in the player, but it’s fair to say I approach him with a large degree of caution. He has skill in his game. He has quick-twitch hands and is great at handling the puck in small areas. He’s a fine, albeit awkward, skater who makes skilled plays on the move but needs to add more pace to his game. His playmaking and shot are both solid quality, but neither are spectacular. He has some physicality to his game and brings energy to shifts. That’s the Räty I think is there, and may show up in future years, but he didn’t this season. Räty projects as an NHL second-line center after being one of my top-ranked prospects coming into the draft season.
Tristan Lennox, G (No. 93):Lennox had no season other than Canada’s U20 camp. While his pure numbers may not excite on a quick search (3.63 goals-against average and .876 save percentage in 33 games in 2019-20), he has an NHL toolkit and has shown he can raise his game over the years. Lennox is a goalie with NHL size and sense. He tracks plays well, anticipating passes and generally being in the right position at a high level. He does lack true top-level quickness, and though he shows good flashes of being able to make the tough save, it’s questionable if he will be able to do that in the NHL. The skill set is still good enough to be a backup goalie, but he will need to cut down on the long-distance goals that go in on him. Lennox has a chance to make it due to his size and sense but he needs to prove he can stop enough pucks to be an NHL goalie.
Cameron Berg, C (No. 125): Cam Berg is a very smart offensive player who can make tough plays and has good puck skills. His best offensive asset is his great shot. His compete level also earns praise from some scouts. He’s not that big or quick which raises questions on his pro projection.
Eetu Liukas, LW (No. 157): Liukas played limited minutes on a top Liiga team this season. His high ranking is more a reflection of his tools and what I’ve seen of him versus juniors and his age group, where I thought he was good. Liukas is a big-body winger who can score goals. He has good hands to beat defenders one-on-one and make plays in tight. He competes hard off the puck and has some physicality, but like a lot of goal scorers, can drift to the perimeter looking to get his shot off. His game lacks pace and he doesn’t make a ton of plays. Liukas projects as a bottom-six NHL winger.
Aleksi Malinen, D (No. 189):Malinen’s toolkit intrigued due to his skating and skill. He has good straightaway speed to go with excellent edges and elusiveness. His skating allows him to gap up forwards well and kill rushes. He generates offense with his one-on-one play and ability to play in tight areas, but his decision-making/reads with the puck can be questionable.
Tomas Machu, D (No. 221): Machu split his season between the Czech pro and junior levels this season. In total, he had 9 points in 23 games.
