Aatu Raty knows anything worth having doesn't come easy.
Like some of his 2023 Young Stars teammates, he’s in his third city this week: Penticton, back to Vancouver, and Victoria for camp.
He’s been putting in two, sometimes three workouts a day over the summer, as the 20-year-old prepared for his third Training Camp, and he's filled with excitement.
“It feels great to start. Summer is great, getting that work in and being home with my family, but I hate the last few weeks waiting, I’m so anxious to get it all started,” he enthused after a practice skate in Penticton.
In the first game at Young Stars against Calgary, Raty had an assist on a goal from Karel Plasek and thought his linemates created good scoring opportunities.
“Obviously there’s always room to improve and especially on the first game of the year, but I felt good. It was good to wear the jersey again and get out there and compete.”
He finished the weekend with four points (1-3-4), and by the end of the tournament Canucks Head Coach Jeremy Colliton said Raty’s improvement showed.
“He had jump today [Monday]. He was zipping the puck too, which I like to see. Once you decide you’re going to make a play, zip it with conviction. That was a good pass to McWard and it shows he’s got a little confidence,” Colliton said.
Raty’s confidence is rooted in his preparation and his love for the game, which he’s had since he can remember.
His first memories of playing hockey were between the pipes.
“I remember playing on our road playing floorboard hockey with just shoes on. I remember I always wanted to be the goalie.”
His father played and coached hockey, so it was natural that he picked up the sport, but he started playing because he wanted to be just like his older brother Aku.
“I loved it the first time I tried it. I remember looking at my baby books and I’m wearing my hometown team’s jerseys and holding a hockey stick in my hand,” Raty recalled.
Raty and his brother are only a year apart, but to this day he looks up to Aku, a forward for the Arizona Coyotes; Aku’s success is motivating for him.
He and his brother both came up through the ranks of the Finnish hockey system, from skating school to U20, and then to the Finnish Elite League (Liiga). He spent three years in Liiga with Oulun Karpat and Mikkelin Jukurit, which he feels accelerated his development.
He looks back on his time in Liiga with gratitude that he learned early in his career that nothing is free, no matter how talented you are.
“I had really good coaches that pushed me a lot. Here the competition is even harder, so I think it’s good to have faced adversity at a young age – like playing pro at 16 and being scratched for games, only playing five, 10 minutes a game – and really having to earn everything.”
He’s been deliberate about his improvements over the last five years and pushing himself to get better.
After his 2021-2022 season ended in Finland, he hopped on a plane and played two regular season games with the Bridgeport Islanders before the Calder Playoffs where he had four points (1-3-4) through six playoff games.
“I did the training camp that year too, even though I knew I was going to play in Finland. Lou still wanted me to go there for training camp, but I think that was great too.”
Raty has a lot of experience and has played a lot of games. He played on the international stage with Finland as well, winning silver at the World U-17 Hockey Challenge and collecting three points (2-1-3) at the 2020 IIHF World Junior Championships.
His training schedule over the summer has been rigorous, but every now and again he gets out to work on his golf swing.
His girlfriend, Kia Sormunen, is a +3 handicap, and back-to-back winner of the U21 Finish championship. Raty caddied for her in last year’s tournament.
“If you want to win a tournament, just call me,” he laughed, admitting that Sormunen’s a good coach and has helped him with his golf game.
“It’s easy to improve when you have a pro teaching you, I think I’ve made some fast improvements. I haven’t played in two weeks, but mentally preparing for my next round.”
He’s not sure when he’ll be out on the golf course next, but for now, he’s focusing on Training Camp and hockey season.
