He’s falling in the draft and then there’s what happened to Aatu Ratty a year ago.
The players projected, at any point, to be the No. 1 pick break out of the Top 10, perhaps falling late in the first round. They are not yet available at No. 52 when the Islanders were first on the Board in 2021.
At one point seen as a consensus top 3 pick and the No. 1 European prospect by the NHL’s director of European scouting, goran stubbRaty was the 18th international prospect selected in the 2021 draft. The drop followed what can be mildly described as a difficult season playing for Oulun Karpatone of the perennial best teams in the Finnish league.
NHL European scouting director Goran Stubb on Aatu Raty in the final class of the NHL Draft: “The talent is still there, he just had a rough season.” Stubb also talked about Jesper Wallstedt, Simon Edvinsson, and more. https://t.co/BEYX38pjg4 pic.twitter.com/SAtLqmCvFJ
— Adam Kimelman (@NHLAdamK) May 14, 2021
He scored just six points (3G, 3A) in 35 games averaging just 11:38 playing as an 18-year-old for a Karpat team that surprisingly struggled. Raty’s game had taken such a step backwards that he missed the cut at World Juniors a year after making the team at 17.
“He’s unbelievable with the puck, he’s got great hands… his play is unbelievable. I think last year he didn’t really get a chance. But really, he should have been in the top 10 of this draft. I mean, he’s a player. unbelievable that he just didn’t get a chance last year.
– Finnish prospect Brad Lambert in 2021
Abilities that make him a top consensus pick don’t go down, but can go dormant. Whether due to the pressure of expectations, the lack of opportunities or missing the joy of playing that’s what happened to Raty. The same projections that lifted Raty up the draft boards sent him into a free fall after scouts observed a player suffering a crisis of confidence amid his first brush with adversity.
The expectations associated with being a first-round pick dwindled, but Raty now carried the “steal” moniker for an Islanders organization that didn’t have a first-round pick in 2021 and had a prospect pool that lacked top-level offensive talent. .
At the training camp in September, Raty created a buzz with his ability to play the North American style, showing poise, positioning and the ability to win puck battles. Raty’s week-long cameo in the United States left a positive impression on teammates and the coaching staff.
“I am extremely impressed with the player up to this point. [He’s] pretty mature. Has a lot of game, high hockey IQ, reminds me of a Zach Parise type of player. He has a very good engine, always around the net, very smart, he wins his puck battles, he has very good hands. What a great pick from our scouts. Personally, there are certain kids that you get really excited about when they show up at camp. A lot of times we have a kid at camp, we get excited, but we say, ‘He’s got this hole and he’s got this hole. We’re going to have to work on this. But there really aren’t that many holes in his game.”
– Former Isles HC Barry Trotz
The start of the Finnish Liiga season looked similar to the previous one. Raty saw little playing time in the first six games, earning just one assist. But then in October a new team offered the opportunity for a fresh start when Raty switched from Karpat to Jukuritwhere he was coached by former Islanders forward Olli Jokinen.
Jokinen referred to Raty as a “super talented” player who would fill a need through the middle of his team. In 41 games with Jukurit, Raty has scored 13 goals and added 27 assists, rediscovering the form that had him shooting draft boards in 2019.
His performance secured his position as the Islanders’ most intriguing prospect as he prepared for a brief stint in the AHL before the year’s shipment.
A TASTE OF BRIDGEPORT
Shortly after the conclusion of the Liiga playoffs, Raty returned to North America and played in the Bridgeport Islanders the final two games of the regular season as the AHL affiliate geared up for the playoffs. In those two games, despite having no points, he displayed a confident attacking game that created scoring opportunities for his line.
Both games of the first round playoff matchup against Providence went to overtime and Raty played a part in each game-winning goal. In Game 1, he racked up his first AHL point, earning a tie on offense that led to Arnaud Durandeau’s GWG. Then in Game Two, Raty scored his first goal in the AHL sending Bridgeport to the next round.
“He had a really good training camp. And I think the beginning of, you know, meeting him and feeling good about where he was as a young player, and I think his experience this year in Finland really Jukurit in what they did with that team, get into the playoffs. He was another one who was in position to play playoff hockey before the regular season was over.”
– Chris Lamoriello, general manager of Bridgeport
Expectations for Raty have changed but remain high in a different way after the twists and turns of the 2021-22 season. He is widely considered the Islanders’ top prospect with William Dufour not far behind. Both are expected to be with Bridgeport to start the year with Raty getting a chance to push for a spot on the NHL roster at some point, depending on the Islanders’ health, their performance and the needs of the team.
For an Islanders organization with an aging forward group, an influx of profitable young offensive talent will be, if not already, necessary for the roster to change for years to come. Raty’s downfall provided the islanders with an opportunity to be the beneficiaries of his rise.