The Arizona Coyotes and forward prospect Aku Räty agreed to terms on a three-year, entry-level contract today, the team announced. PuckPedia reports the structure of the deal is as follows:
2023-24: $775,000 base salary, $92,500 signing bonus, $57,500 games played bonus, $70,000 minors salary
2024-25: $832,500 base salary, $92,500 signing bonus, $70,000 minors salary
The deal carries a cap hit of $896,000.
Räty, the older brother of Vancouver Canucks prospect Aatu Räty, was selected in the fifth round of the 2019 NHL Draft by the Coyotes. The 21-year-old winger has produced above his weight in terms of his draft position the past two years in Finland, though, and is one of the more underrated prospects in the Arizona system.
After multiple seasons with the Kärpät organization in Finland, a transfer to Ilves for 2022-23 made all the difference for Räty’s development. In 53 Liiga games, Räty set professional career highs with 18 goals, 24 assists, 42 points, and a +26 rating.
Räty was set to become an unrestricted free agent on June 1 if the Coyotes did not sign him. Arizona has four other prospects from the 2019 and 2021 draft classes that will become UFAs if they’re not signed within the next month, which PHNX Sports’ Craig Morgan expects will head to market.
The Oulo-born winger has good size at 6 feet and 187 pounds, and the first thing you’ll notice upon viewing is his tenacious forecheck. Räty has one of the best work ethics among young players in the Liiga.
It makes him a bit of a unique prospect in the Coyotes system, and the team does have recent success in developing Finnish talents, especially from Ilves (see Matias Maccelli). It’s unclear whether Räty will report to North America next season, however, or stay in Finland on loan.
Arizona returned Maccelli to Ilves on loan for the first year of his entry-level contract, however, it was during the COVID-affected 2020-21 campaign.