doublechili
For all intensive purposes, your nuts
- Apr 11, 2006
- 18,606
- 14,962
Player Discussion: Aatu Raty (2021 52nd OA)
- Thread starter LastWordArmy
- Start date
Respectfully disagree. You can draft and develop them or you can scramble and overpay at the most important position like many teams are right now. Just my 2 cents.
Too thin at that position for my liking. Bibeau quitting, Ishakov still a question mark, Koivala stalled after a good year at C and Pivonka as maybe a tweener. Raty looks promising and should fill in soon but I would like another player or 2 at that important position. 2023 should be a strong draft and deep draft. Some quality centers at the top. If we are picking at the top of the draft something went terribly wrong though.
blinkman360
Loyal Players Only
Shouldn't need to pick at the top to land a high-end center though. That said I'd be surprised if we still have that pick a year from now; especially after just missing out on Gaudreau.
As far as Raty goes, any chance we see a Holmstrom-Raty-Dufour line in Bridgeport?
The Real JT
No diving allowed
That line would generate a lot of interest and I think most fans would love to see it. That team should have a good mix of vets and youth and hopefully change the culture to consistent success.
I'd love to see Raty-Holmstrom, for sure, but with a more experience player like Terry or (if not) Durandeau.
He's been dynamite ao far this current WJC, very impressive development in a year.
JRD76
Registered User
- Aug 11, 2013
- 511
- 497
Has a goal so far today. What I really like about his game is he is so patient with the puck. Makes smart plays. Most young plays have that go go go attitude and rush plays.
Really good skating too, crispy passer on the PP, like's to do quick cross ice passes and is accurate.
All this time I've been watching him as a top 10-pick that somehow happened to be available at #52. He does well in many areas and has really no clear weaknesses. If things go smoothly enough he'll be a player that any NHL team could really use. Also versatile as he can be a great player in the bottom 6 if he happens to have a rougher time producing.
I still don't understand how he fell to 52nd. I get he had a really poor draft season, but even then it still looked like his low end potential was a very good #3C, which to me is a late first/early 2nd. I could get him falling if his game only was all offense and people question his work ethic or defensive work, but all reports said he works hard in both ends.
I watched closely how my dear FEL team made it almost impossible to succeed. I'm just surprised scouts weren't aware of how much that affected. Even at the time of draft Räty should've been seen as a player that might possibly disappoint, but who could be back on track to being a top-10 quality pick with just a change of team.
Räty now has 8 points (3+5) in three games, a good but in his case a pretty expected start. His plus minus is +6.
I definitely put more stock in what he did with Jukurit this year than these international tournaments. But 28 points in 14 games with the Finland u20 squad this year is certainly something
danteipp
Registered User
- Aug 3, 2005
- 6,749
- 3,750
Just wondering, can you offer any additional insight as to why it didn't seem to work out with Kärpät and Raty improved significantly after changing teams?
I remember hearing that Kärpät was a veteran team looking to win and Raty didn't necessarily impress enough to win more ice time and a bigger role.
But is there anything more that you can point to?
Could it even be that it was better for his development to simply be separated from his brother?
I am not saying that his brother held him back intentionally or anything, but could it be that he was less tentative or deferential by not having his older brother around?
Did the move maybe allow him to simply play his game and, while the word distraction is not exactly what I mean, sometimes it is a relief to not necessarily be under the watchful eye of an older sibling?
You didn't ask me, but here's my thoughts quickly before going to bed:
The way Kärpät used him was ridiculous. He played mainly in the bottom 6 with often the worst and ever changing linemates. Very low TOI, no PP usage and the usually good team was a mess.
Before being traded to Jukurit Kärpät had a bad coach who got the position for all the wrong reasons and obviously he didn't like something in Räty or his game. Maybe wanted to give him rough love or something, but IMO he did all the moves perfectly if the idea was to kill a young players joy and confidence. One example is Räty scoring two goals in one game and being healthy sctrached in the next one. Lack of consistency and trust from the coaches affected the way Räty played so it became a cycle that was very hard to break. Also hard to get it going when you sit every 2nd game and barely play in the ones you get.
danteipp
Registered User
- Aug 3, 2005
- 6,749
- 3,750
Thanks for the information, it is much appreciated!
I was definitely hoping you would also give us your thoughts as well, I am just bad at using the multi-quote option to try and reference you.
Please continue to gives us your insight as you see fit, always great to get a local view on players and International hockey in general.
One more thing. Before the season started he had good preseason games, but he started the season with very low TOI. I can't remember the timing but there was an article that some felt Räty said a comment that wasn't modest enough. I can't remember the details, but IMO it was nothing and mainly a misunderstanding (like the headline made from nothing), but I had a feeling maybe the coach didn't like the comment and this affected the way Räty was handled. Remember that here in Finland some people always take it badly if you're not 100% humble. You can be the president, but you're expected to be very down-to-earth at all times. It's fortunately changed slowly, but a coach with possibly self confidence issues (which I thought he did) might feel he needs to teach the kid that he's nothing yet. I personally think Räty has just the right amount of self confidence as he's closer to NA players than many other young Finns in that area.
SI
Registered User
- Feb 16, 2013
- 7,695
- 3,966
What is Isles top 10? What does the picture look like after - Raty, Dufour, and Salo?
That coach also had some nasty comments about his play and not warranting any more playing time. Seemed like the relationship just reached a point of no return where he couldn't prove anything to them. I've always thought Räty was quite humble and had a good work ethic, he frequently brought up there being more experienced centers ahead of him but would also point out the difficulties of playing very few minutes. I do remember that specific interview though, it must be frustrating to perform with the national team and in NHL pre-season and then go back to zero trust in Liiga. I wonder how early the relationship turned sour, maybe he would've had a great draft year if they loaned him back then instead.
ML19
Registered User
Raty has to be the #5 center at this point. I expect to see him up after 20 games or so, or once someone gets injured
I'd put Holmstrom ahead of Dufour because he's got a higher floor. But of the rest, I doubt that there's more than one NHL regular player in there, along with a couple of depth pieces. Bleak. At least the 2022 class has some interesting athletes in there.
1. Raty (middle-6)
2. Salo (bottom pair likely)
3. Holmstrom (bottom-6 likely)
4. Dufour (probably bottom-6)
...
5. Odelius (too early to tell)
6. Durandeau (depth)
7. Liukus (4th line)
After that, who knows? There's a bunch of stagnating prospects (Bolduc, Wotherspoon, Wilde), some long shot prospects (Skarek, Tikkanen, Jefferies, Rajaniemi, Ljungkrantz), and a bunch of players we really have no idea about yet (the 2022 class, Berg, Lennox). I don't know what the point would be of ranking these guys.
3 years in a row without a first rounder + 1 without a 2nd rounder will do that.
TheWhiteWhale30
Registered User
- Dec 3, 2007
- 3,876
- 230
Watched Lane Lamberts interview today. In it he said what he is most impressed with is Rätys positioning. I don’t believe he will make the team but you never know. If he impresses more than Bellows he could take his spot, or at the very least be the first one to take his spot if Bellows underperforms to start the year.
That being said it is encouraging to hear the praise from Lane. We have heard his hockey IQ is off the charts which usually refers to things like positioning/ability to read plays etc. That and getting used to the speed of the game are usually what tend to hold most guys back from being productive at this level. At the very least if this kid just misses and lights the AHL up I think Bellows will have a very short leash.
A line of Räty, Pageau and Beauvillier is enticing. Räty and Pageau never take a shift off and I think that would even help Beau to keep his game where it needs to be. Time will tell, either way it sounds and looks like he is not far off.
That being said it is encouraging to hear the praise from Lane. We have heard his hockey IQ is off the charts which usually refers to things like positioning/ability to read plays etc. That and getting used to the speed of the game are usually what tend to hold most guys back from being productive at this level. At the very least if this kid just misses and lights the AHL up I think Bellows will have a very short leash.
A line of Räty, Pageau and Beauvillier is enticing. Räty and Pageau never take a shift off and I think that would even help Beau to keep his game where it needs to be. Time will tell, either way it sounds and looks like he is not far off.
