Player Discussion: Aatu Raty (2021 52nd OA)

[Stoat]

Yeah sorry for the OT. I'll write quickly as it's a busy day. I'll let anyone decide whatever they feel is the best way to treat a young super prospect, but IMO Kärpät did everything wrong at the start of the season after Räty having a pretty promising preseason. I don't have the time to dig further, but this is the situation at the end of November 2020 after his first six games (things continued rough until much later, but this is the quickest way to provide some info):

- 5 different combinations around him in 6 played games: 9 different linamates in the 6 games (theoretical maximum 12)
- average TOI 10 minutes per game
- the team had played 13 games, of which Räty was in the popcorn section in 7 games
-no PP usage

Then they sent him to the juniors and Räty's confidence was already shattered. Some media guys were critical towards Kärpät at the time, this is one example from one of the main magazines:

https://www.is.fi/sm-liiga/art-2000007654947.html

Some quick quotes:
- Räty has given a mature impression of himself. However, it's enourmously much to demand a barely 18-year-old young player to understand why he is treated in a totally different way from other Finnish super prospects. It may be destructive to the cofidence to watch how for example 16-year-old Brad Lambert plays at the crucial moments of the games in the JYP (FEL) team and is accelerating his career in a speed lane even though his game is also far from ready.

- Now it unfortunately seems Räty has lost his confidence in the most important season of his short career and his game in the U20 hasn't been scoring points at the expected rate either. Why would Räty then need to be given more chances? It's clear the Finnish player production shows young players have taken huge steps in their development if they are, despite the early difficulties, pushed even with some force to important (responsible) roles. At the critical age a small spike in self confidence can be crucial for the player to see that he can use his strengths at the FEL level. Then the steps forward can be very clear.

Sorry for typos and language mistakes, I really have to go now and can't check what I wrote. I hope it opens the situation a bit more.

I understand some of the criticism towards how he was handled. However, I'm 90% sure that he wasn't playing that much because he just hadn't recovered from Covid. It makes no sense in any other way. Last season was tough for Kärpät and mostly it's to blame head coach. But if I'm correct about Räty having hard time recovering from Covid, he might have made just the right decision not to play him so much and move him down to juniors for easier matches. If I'm wrong and he just had bad year, some of the blame goes for the head coach as he was not played as much and rest goes to Aatu himself. But I wouldn't say that Kärpät, as an organization, failed badly with him.

I don't even bother to read those "journalist" critiques. Just speculation and trying to get the clicks. If you check out his other hockey related articles, you see what I mean. There are a few Finnish hockey journalists that have some inside info. Teemu Suvinen is not one of them. I mean I could write that kind of story but it wouldn't make it true.

 

[Whyme]

I understand some of the criticism towards how he was handled. However, I'm 90% sure that he wasn't playing that much because he just hadn't recovered from Covid. It makes no sense in any other way. Last season was tough for Kärpät and mostly it's to blame head coach. But if I'm correct about Räty having hard time recovering from Covid, he might have made just the right decision not to play him so much and move him down to juniors for easier matches. If I'm wrong and he just had bad year, some of the blame goes for the head coach as he was not played as much and rest goes to Aatu himself. But I wouldn't say that Kärpät, as an organization, failed badly with him.

I don't even bother to read those "journalist" critiques. Just speculation and trying to get the clicks. If you check out his other hockey related articles, you see what I mean. There are a few Finnish hockey journalists that have some inside info. Teemu Suvinen is not one of them. I mean I could write that kind of story but it wouldn't make it true.

I wasn't going to get back to this but one more msg. Yeah I respect your thoughts but I firmly think Kärpät failed badly. I didn't follow the 2nd part of the season too closely so I can't talk about that, only how the season started and where I felt the damage was done.

I think Räty had corona later on in the season, at the beginning there was no excuses to have him jump between the 4th line and the popcorn section. Or to keep him from PP and changing wingers (or even his position) around him from game to game. At the time I was apalled by the way he was handled and felt very strongly it just has to ruin Räty's game in a short term. But it's just my view.

 

[Osakahaus]

Two primary assists for Raty today

 

[Whyme]

Two primary assists for Raty today

3 shots on goal, which was the 2nd highest number of the Finnish team. Still a few more games to go so it'll be interesting to see if he can keep this production rate.

It's now 4+2 in 3 games, which makes him the best scorer in this tournament so far. He's got 8 shots on goal, which is the highest of the team along with Roni Hirvonen.

At some point some scouts will start to have bad feelings about skipping Räty as e.g. the three Finns drafted before him have 0-1 points in this tournament.

 

[Osakahaus]

3 shots on goal, which was the 2nd highest number of the Finnish team. Still a few more games to go so it'll be interesting to see if he can keep this production rate.

It's now 4+2 in 3 games, which makes him the best scorer in this tournament so far. He's got 8 shots on goal, which is the highest of the team along with Roni Hirvonen.

At some point some scouts will start to have bad feelings about skipping Räty as e.g. the three Finns drafted before him have 0-1 points in this tournament.

That's also from Raty having this insane chip on his shoulder.

 

[JJTT]

Räty had 0+2 yesterday





Somehow didn't get the assist for this goal:

 

[Whyme]

Another game going on, this time against USA White. Half of the game played and one PP goal for Räty so far (the game is 2-2 at the moment).

E: What a timing, slightly late...

 

[JJTT]

His goal today, with replays

 

[scott99]

Raty has an excellent shot, just beautiful to see.

 

[The Winter Soldier]

His goal today, with replays

I have already sensed the jealousy in the tone of some posts on the mainboard that Lou got him in the 2nd rd.

Boy, he looks like he is on a mission to prove some scouts and Gm's that they were wrong.

Being picked 52 when you were supposed to be a first rounder can be a great motivator for one's career.

 

[Osakahaus]

I actually hope this kid tears it up now

 

[Whyme]

Assist (primary) to the empty netter so it's now 5+3 in four games (+6). Should do wonders to his confidence and hopefully makes the guys in Kärpät realize they really need to give him a big enough role in the team this year.

 

[Osakahaus]

Assist (primary) to the empty netter so it's now 5+3 in four games (+6). Should do wonders to his confidence and hopefully makes the guys in Kärpät realize they really need to give him a big enough role in the team this year.

It also is gonna give him a chance to play on the WJ's team this year

 

[BelovedIsles]

I'm more excited about AR than Free Agency, at the current moment. What timing for such a performance. Looks to have a dynamic wrister.

Also, perhaps AR compensates for not having a first rounder the past two years?

 

[CREW99AW]

Assist (primary) to the empty netter so it's now 5+3 in four games (+6). Should do wonders to his confidence and hopefully makes the guys in Kärpät realize they really need to give him a big enough role in the team this year.

He's only under contract for one more season,so if they hope to keep him beyond 2021-2022, I think they will need to offer him a bigger role.

 

[Whyme]

He's only under contract for one more season,so if they hope to keep him beyond 2021-2022, I think they will need to offer him a bigger role.

That's right. I do think it's likely Räty will come to NA after this season, but you never know. I'm pretty sure the team isn't happy about the way they handled Räty especially at the beginning of the season, which started the snowball effect, so this would be their chance to show they can do much better in that regard. In general it's one of the best organisations even in all of Europe, so it's not like they should suck at developing prospects.

 

[Whyme]

I'll write this here too as I think it's quite interesting. There's some this year's top-20 picks playing in the U20 summer tournament, I think all of them have one game less played than Räty (in one case two I think), but here are their stats:

4th pick defender Luke Hughes 0+0=0 (-1)
10th pick Tyler Boucher 1+1=2 (0)
13th pick Matthew Coronato 0+2=2 (+1)
14th pick Isak Rosen 1+0=1 (-2)
18th pick Chaz Lucius 2+0=2 (-1)
52th pick Aatu Räty 5+3=8 (+6)

 

[Whyme]

Almost two periods gone in today's game, 2 assists so far so it's now 5+5=10. I wonder when Räty would be picked if the draft was now, might be pretty high.

 

[Islesfan22]

Almost two periods gone in today's game, 2 assists so far so it's now 5+5=10. I wonder when Räty would be picked if the draft was now, might be pretty high.

Probably first round at least.

 

[Whyme]

Probably first round at least.

Yeah it's impossible to know, but I think a surprisingly high position is possible. That's because not too long ago Räty was seen even as the favourite to be #1, but last year made everyone insecure. Now he's been producing like a top-5 pick should so it's possible someone that wanted to use their first rounder to pick a forward feels Räty has now shown enough to feel like a safer choice.

If Räty continues like this for the rest of these games I'd even think there's a decent chance he'd be picked in top-10 or top-15. Someone like Isak Rosen's 1+0 (-2), though in almost two less games, may not look that tempting against Räty's 5+5. Of course the picture is bigger than these games, but right now Räty seems to be back in doing what once made him the highest evaluated prospect in the draft.

 

[PK Cronin]

Is he untouchable yet?

 

[Islesfan22]

Is he untouchable yet?

Unless it’s for Eichel.

 

[doublechili]

Is he untouchable yet?

Beauviliraty.

 

[Wanderson]

11 points in 5 games. Who needs first round picks when you can find players like Räty in the second round?

 

[Whyme]

11 points in 5 games. Who needs first round picks when you can find players like Räty in the second round?

Well I guess quite a few of the other teams do as they didn't realize to pick Räty earlier.