Player Discussion Aatu Raty

[LemonSauceD]

Agree on Liiga. 100% Disagree on SHL.

The volume of players that go through the CHL is so much bigger that the top products are better on average but there is no better place to develop than the SHL. As long as you are good enough to warrant icetime.

My main gripe on the SHL is the way they handle younger players in general. Unless you’re Sandin Pelikka who’s playing 22 minutes a night right now and leading his team in ice time at 18, you’ll be hard pressed to find quality minutes. ASP is one of the best defensive prospects out there.

The amount of defenseman for example that I’ve seen over the years that come out of the SHL with poor defensive habits and lacklustre skating, it’s not what it once was.

 

[tradervik]

Agree on Liiga. 100% Disagree on SHL.

The volume of players that go through the CHL is so much bigger that the top products are better on average but there is no better place to develop than the SHL. As long as you are good enough to warrant icetime.

Isn’t this a bit of a circular argument? If you aren’t good enough to get ice time, you won’t develop. If you are good enough to get ice time, you don’t need much development.

 

[F A N]

I really like how this management group is prioritizing development and not rushing anyone and are making all of the right moves and I really feel Cole and Blueger are the right stop cap players while we let the kids develop

It’s not like management has a choice. They want to win. Last year they didn’t have a choice and basically gifted Aman a spot. They watched Raty play last season and he wasn’t ready. This year they had a chance to sign Blueger and Suter and they did so.

It’s not like they can bring over Lekerimaki this season after the season he had. The true test would be what they do with someone like Willander if he is to have a strong season.

 

[PuckMunchkin]

Isn’t this a bit of a circular argument? If you aren’t good enough to get ice time, you won’t develop. If you are good enough to get ice time, you don’t need much development.

The same argument can be made for any league.

Im just brining it up because I think people are bummed about EP-2 not getting ice time.

 

[Bgav]

Aatu Raty is HIM

 

[VanJack]

My main gripe on the SHL is the way they handle younger players in general. Unless you’re Sandin Pelikka who’s playing 22 minutes a night right now and leading his team in ice time at 18, you’ll be hard pressed to find quality minutes. ASP is one of the best defensive prospects out there.

The amount of defenseman for example that I’ve seen over the years that come out of the SHL with poor defensive habits and lacklustre skating, it’s not what it once was.

The SHL is no different than the KHIL. At the end of the day, these are pro leagues. Coaches and players face the constant pressure to win and keep their buildings full, much like any pro league.

They're not really into 'rookie development', particularly if they perceive that it could compromise their ability to win 'today'. These leagues just don't prioritize player development, particularly when a lot of their young guys are probably headed to the NHL anyway.

That's what makes the performance of kids like Lekerimakki, Wilander and before them Karlsson and Pettersson so impressive. You have to be exceptionally talented to win the confidence of the coach and gain ice time on an SHL team. And in the KHL, forget about it.

 

[PuckMunchkin]

The SHL is no different than the KHIL. At the end of the day, these are pro leagues. Coaches and players face the constant pressure to win and keep their buildings full, much like any pro league.

They're not really into 'rookie development', particularly if they perceive that it could compromise their ability to win 'today'. These leagues just don't prioritize player development, particularly when a lot of their young guys are probably headed to the NHL anyway.

This isn't necessarily true. KHL is and was always weird. They had a fake salary cap and they forced trades with in the league to the bigger teams so I really cant comment on what the hell that league was...

There are teams in the SHL that have built their development system so that they draw players from all over because the players know that if they go to say Frölunda, they will become better and this will help them rest of their careers.

Also there are teams like Kalpa in the Finnish League who just cant compete in salaries with the bigger teams in Finland so they are forced to develop their own talent.

That's what makes the performance of kids like Lekerimakki, Wilander and before them Karlsson and Pettersson so impressive. You have to be exceptionally talented to win the confidence of the coach and gain ice time on an SHL team. And in the KHL, forget about it.

This is still true. Maybe not Willander. He didnt do much in the SHL.

 

[vadim sharifijanov]

i havent watched this guy play a game this year but cup winning teams always seem to have some random kid come up at the end of the season and provide clutch secondary scoring

guentzel, toffoli, saad, and so on. could he be ours?

 

[TruGr1t]

He's been playing LW? We certainly have room for one of those in the top six.

 

[AlainVigneaultsGum]

For the love of god get him up here.

 

[CanuckleBerry]

This isn't necessarily true. KHL is and was always weird. They had a fake salary cap and they forced trades with in the league to the bigger teams so I really cant comment on what the hell that league was...

There are teams in the SHL that have built their development system so that they draw players from all over because the players know that if they go to say Frölunda, they will become better and this will help them rest of their careers.

Also there are teams like Kalpa in the Finnish League who just cant compete in salaries with the bigger teams in Finland so they are forced to develop their own talent.

It's stuff like this that really makes me think that there is a ton of latent potential for some sort of European Elite League. I know that's not how sports are done in Europe, but having that extra tier with bigger clubs sprinkled around Sweden, Finland, Germany, Switzerland, etc would certainly concentrate resources and garner attention.

 

[F A N]

The amount of defenseman for example that I’ve seen over the years that come out of the SHL with poor defensive habits and lacklustre skating, it’s not what it once was.

That’s an interesting discussion and I am not sure if it’s relatively different based on trends. Sweden has been producing more ASP types compared to a decade ago where you have Larsson, Brodin, Lindholm. I am not sure if that’s a function of the type of Dmen that end up making it to the NHL though since skilled undersized Dmen had a harder time making it to the NHL a decade ago and even more so two decades ago.

 

[ohnoeszz]

 

[ohnoeszz]

^15 minutes of Raty highlights. I rather like this player. He seems to always have a plan for the puck before he has it - quick decision making.

 

[RobertKron]

Obviously a talented kid, but man is it tough to watch him skate sometimes.

 

[F A N]

Obviously a talented kid, but man is it tough to watch him skate sometimes.

He needs to stay with @PuckMunchkin for a summer and learn the ways.

 

[VanJack]

I think a lot posters have to remember that Raty is still only 21, basically one year past being able to play in junior hockey as a over-ager. It's a fact that he was one of the top scoring players under the age of 22 in the entire AHL last season.

Having charted him for most of his games on the AHL Network, I'd say his skating, decision-making and shot selection improved dramatically in the last half of the season. This is precisely what you're looking for in a player who's basically completed just two years of pro hockey.

He probably doesn't make the team out of training camp; but could easily see him getting some injury callups as the season progresses. To me, he seems to be right on track; and could really tip the scales on the overall assessment of the Horvat trade.

 

[F A N]

I think a lot posters have to remember that Raty is still only 21, basically one year past being able to play in junior hockey as a over-ager. It's a fact that he was one of the top scoring players under the age of 22 in the entire AHL last season.

Having charted him for most of his games on the AHL Network, I'd say his skating, decision-making and shot selection improved dramatically in the last half of the season. This is precisely what you're looking for in a player who's basically completed just two years of pro hockey.

He probably doesn't make the team out of training camp; but could easily see him getting some injury callups as the season progresses. To me, he seems to be right on track; and could really tip the scales on the overall assessment of the Horvat trade.

Well effectively he'll be 22 this season. There is still some room for improvement. Gadjovich improved enough in his aged 22 year to land a spot on an NHL roster the past 3 years (and has a one-way contract for 2 more). BUT Raty "lacks the education to do things properly."

 

[Coffees]

The next Derek Roy

 

[MarkMM]

I think a lot posters have to remember that Raty is still only 21, basically one year past being able to play in junior hockey as a over-ager. It's a fact that he was one of the top scoring players under the age of 22 in the entire AHL last season.

Having charted him for most of his games on the AHL Network, I'd say his skating, decision-making and shot selection improved dramatically in the last half of the season. This is precisely what you're looking for in a player who's basically completed just two years of pro hockey.

He probably doesn't make the team out of training camp; but could easily see him getting some injury callups as the season progresses. To me, he seems to be right on track; and could really tip the scales on the overall assessment of the Horvat trade.

What're you thinking his upside / projection is going to be? Any hope he's a centre or is he destined for the wing?

 

[MS]

He’s a weird player. Kind of the exact opposite of Podkolzin/Hoglander in the AHL in that those guys would be noticeable game-to-game with some loud individual skills that never really translated to production whereas Raty is a very high-IQ positionally intelligent player who will have a stretch of games where he felt ‘quiet’ and then you look at the stats and he’s picked up a point or two every night.

He’s just a boring, bland, reliable player. Wish he used his size more – he competes but there’s no mean streak there at all. Generally does the right things defensively although footspeed is an issue in all aspects of his game.

What're you thinking his upside / projection is going to be? Any hope he's a centre or is he destined for the wing?

He's an incredibly similar player to Brendan Gaunce. Big, slow, reliable bottom-6 body. Started out as a C but skating looks like he'll probably be a wing in pro. Maybe a little more skilled than Gaunce and a bit more PP2 upside but also a bit worse skater.

 

[RobertKron]

I feel like I've probably said this in the last preseason, but watching that video reminded me of a kid with the Giants back in the day - probably Pierro-Zabotel - where you look at the stat line and you're like "oh good for this kid, he might do something" and then you watch him skate and it's just like "aw man, poor kid."

Watching him try to join the play from a standstill in that last clip is genuinely painful, especially compared to the player at the bottom of the screen who was also starting from the blueline at roughly the same time.

 

[arttk]

but also a bit worse skater.

Yikes
It always amazes me how hard it is to improve on skating.

 

[MS]

Yikes
It always amazes me how hard it is to improve on skating.

Gaunce was a legitimately fast AHL player by the time he was 23 or so. Like, could get the puck in the neutral zone and beat defenders wide pretty regularly.

Huge difference between AHL and NHL, though.

But also peoples' evaluations of skating are funny. Brendan Gaunce was a better skater than Markus Granlund but because big guys with bigger levers look funny he was OMG WORST SKATER EVER whereas a smallish slug like Granlund never heard a peep about his skating in 4 years here.

 

[tantalum]

I think Raty recognized the thing he really needed to work on in the summer was his skating. That gives me hope when the player fully recognizes what is holding him back because some players just don't get that understanding. That should translate to a program of skating over the off season and we should immediately see strides (pun intended) once camp opens. If we do then there is a good chance he has a NHL future. If we don't see those improvements then he'll likely just be an AHL forward getting 0.9 pt/game because either he's not working on it or his deficiencies aren't ones that can be coached out.