Canucks prospects: Rick Tocchet thinks Aatu Räty has found 'another level'

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Head coach Rick Tocchet insists there are jobs open with the Vancouver Canucks this season, and Aatu Räty’s application appears to be one of those making its way to the top of the pile.

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Räty, 21, was part of the Bo Horvat trade with the New York Islanders. The Finn, who’s a 6-foot-2, 190-pound left-shot centre, got into three games with Vancouver two seasons ago but spent all of last year in the AHL with the Abbotsford Canucks.

He centred a line with Conor Garland and Nils Höglander through training camp and the intrasquad game in Penticton and showed well enough there that he remained with that veteran pairing in the pre-season opener Tuesday against the Seattle Kraken. He excelled versus the Kraken, too, including recording an assist and going 14-of-18 in the faceoff circle in a 3-1 triumph. Tocchet wants to get another look right away, as Räty is slated to play again Wednesday when the Canucks take on the Calgary Flames in Abbotsford to continue their six-game exhibition slate.

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“When we first got him, his skating was just OK,” Tocchet said of Räty prior to Tuesday’s game. “The development guys and the Abbotsford guys did a helluva job with him, because to me he’s a different player than he was last year. He had a good year last year, but I see another level.

“He looks fast out there with his skating. And every drill he does he goes 100 per cent. Even in the morning skate I told him he had to slow down a bit because you want to save it for tonight. I like that attitude from a young kid.”

Tocchet was asked Tuesday how many jobs are up for grabs with the Canucks going into this season and replied with a “it’s hard to say, but there are spots open.”

Teams generally carry 13 forwards. The simple math starts with the fact the Canucks had 12 forwards play at least 11 of their 13 playoff games last spring. Three of them — Elias Lindholm, Sam Lafferty, Ilya Mikheyev — have parted ways with the club. Two more — Dakota Joshua and Teddy Blueger — weren’t in training camp due to off-season surgeries. It’s unknown when they might be ready, although Blueger is back practising with the team this week.

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On the roster addition side, Vancouver brought in four free-agent forwards this summer in Jake DeBrusk, Danton Heinen, Kiefer Sherwood and Daniel Sprong.

There’s also Nils Aman, who saw duty in 43 regular season games and then five post-season matchups.

There are salary cap ramifications. There are issues regarding who needs waivers to be sent down. Vancouver’s roster construction could be play out in many ways, although it does look like there’s at least one forward spot available off the start.

And it does appear like the Canucks are auditioning Räty and winger Jonathan Lekkerimaki, 20, in particular. Lekkerimaki, a right-shot Swede, was Vancouver’s first pick, No. 15 overall, in the 2022 draft, and he lined up Tuesday with veterans Brock Boeser and Pius Suter at 5-on-5.

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Lekkerimaki got first-unit power play time against Seattle. Räty, who was a 2021 second-round pick by the Islanders, was part of the second unit.

Lekkerimaki is also expected to play Wednesday against Calgary.

There’s a scenario where Vancouver send both Räty and Lekkerimaki back to Abbotsford and they wind up anchoring that team’s top line. The duo played together at the Young Stars tournament that preceded training camp in Penticton, with Arshdeep Bains joining the line.

Räty scored 18 times and recorded 52 points in 72 regular season games with Abbotsford last season.

He scored in his NHL regular season debut, adding an insurance marker in a 5-1 Islanders’ win over the Florida Panthers on Dec. 23, 2022. His other NHL goal to date came on Jan. 3, 2023 against the Canucks at Rogers Arena, beating Spencer Martin in the second period in a 6-2 New York win over Vancouver.

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His last NHL game came for Vancouver in Dallas on Feb. 27, 2023. He’s been waiting his turn and working on his craft since then, looking to be become an NHL regular.

“It doesn’t matter if you are 21 or 31 — you just want to make the team,” Räty said Tuesday morning. “As a 21-year-old, I know I have a lot of room to improve and a lot of time to do so. At the same time, I feel like I’ve put in the hours.

“I’ve got to keep working. I think if I do the right things every day, it’s going to happen eventually. I’m not too worried about when it’s going to happen. I just know that if I keep working it’s going to happen.”

The Canucks landed Räty, forward Anthony Beauvillier and a 2023 first-round draft pick from the Islanders for centre Horvat on Jan. 30, 2023. The first round pick was traded to the Detroit Red Wings on March 30, 2023 in the deal that brought defenceman Filip Hronek to Vancouver, and the Red Wings used the choice, which was No. 17 overall, on Swedish defenceman Axel Sandin-Pellika. The 19-year-old is playing this season with Skelleftea of the Swedish Hockey League.

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@SteveEwen

SEwen@postmedia.com

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