’I’ve been playing horrible’: Aatu Räty speaks about his slow start with the Abbotsford Canucks

It’s been a tough start as a Canuck for 20-year-old centre Aatu Räty.

He has just one point over his first eight games with the Abbotsford Canucks in the AHL after tallying 15 points in 27 games with the Bridgeport Islanders before he was traded.

We caught up with Räty just minutes after his line was on the ice for three goals against in a 7-2 loss to the San Jose Barracuda on Monday afternoon.

Our first question was about how he believes his first eight games as a Canuck have gone.

“Not great so far,” said Räty. “I’ve been playing horrible. I hope it’s going to get better. I mean, I’m trying my best every game and trying to work hard.”

We followed up by asking him if it’s been tough going through the whirlwind of being traded and getting used to a new organization, new city, and new teammates.

He simply said, “yes”. And the interview was over.

Räty has struggled through his time as an Abbotsford Canuck but we thought he had a great game in his debut at the Abbotsford Centre. In that game, he had six shots on net and was dangerous on both the power play and at even-strength.

Räty hasn’t had consistent wingers yet this season but we are hoping that his line from Monday is something we can see again in the future. Räty had Nils Höglander on his left wing and Will Lockwood on his right wing. This line has the skill to be a very productive AHL trio and we will have to see if head coach Jeremy Colliton keeps them together after being on the ice for three goals against in their debut as a line.

Typically full of long and insightful answers about development, Colliton was a bit shorter than usual when asked what he is or isn’t seeing in Räty.

“It’s gonna take time,” said Colliton. “All those things apply to him just as they do to other players.”

One thing we learned on Monday was that Räty can be very honest about himself. This is still just a kid who has a lot of developing to do before he is ready to be an everyday NHLer. He’s willing to work but sometimes a whirlwind of circumstances doesn’t immediately produce success.

Räty has some very exciting skills. He’s got good hands with the puck and a pretty good release on his shot. He just hasn’t been able to showcase his strengths in the first eight games with the Abbotsford Canucks. It’s a work in progress and just as they do with Danila Klimovich, pressure is on the Canucks’ development team to get these young players to reach their potential.

Jim Rutherford and one of the Sedin brothers were in attendance for Abbotsford’s 2:00 pm game on the holiday Monday. They likely didn’t like what they saw in the 7-2 loss but neither did head coach Jeremy Colliton. This Abbotsford team will get back to work and they will work hard.

Be patient with Räty. This kid has a lot of skills but just needs to find out how to bring it all together and be effective on a shift-by-shift basis.

The Abbotsford Canucks will have critical practice time throughout the week before they head off on a long road trip through Colorado, Ontario, and Henderson. Their next game is Friday against the Colorado Eagles and their next home game is Tuesday, March 7th, when they host the Manitoba Moose in a game that kicks off a six-game homestand.