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Aku Raty

Blackhawks RFA Aku Raty Signs In Finland

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Blackhawks pending restricted free agent forward Aku Raty won’t be returning to the club next season. He’s inked a two-year contract with Karpat of his native Finland’s Liiga, the club announced today.

Chicago acquired Raty from the Mammoth in a minor trade-deadline deal, headlined by retired defenseman Shea Weber’s contract changing hands from Utah to the Hawks. The 23-year-old was a fifth-round pick by the Coyotes in 2019 and made his NHL debut in the franchise’s final game in 2023-24, recording an assist. That stands as his only NHL appearance to date. While he made the trip to Utah with all of his former Arizona teammates, he was assigned back to AHL Tucson at the beginning of the season and never got a call-up.

Raty’s minor-league showing in 2024-25 was also a steep regression from the prior year, which was his first in North America. The 6’0″ winger was among Tucson’s top scorers in his first taste of AHL hockey with a 15-29–44 scoring line in 55 games, more than earning a brief look in the Coyotes’ lineup. But Raty posted just four goals and 15 assists for 19 points in 50 games for Tucson this year, combined with a -12 rating, before being dealt to the Blackhawks. A change of scenery with Chicago’s affiliate in Rockford helped somewhat, posting six points in 15 outings down the stretch, but that evidently wasn’t enough for him to consider remaining in the Chicago organization.

Raty will return to Karpat, where he played most of his youth hockey and spent three Liiga seasons from 2019-20 to 2021-22. His breakout campaign overseas in 2022-23 came after he transferred to Ilves. The Blackhawks can still retain his signing rights through 2029 if they opt to issue him a qualifying offer.

Utah Trades Shea Weber’s Contract To Blackhawks

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The Utah Hockey Club is trading the contract of retired defenseman Shea Weber to the Blackhawks, per Brogan Houston of Deseret News Sports. Chicago has also acquired the signing rights to defenseman Victor Söderström and right-wing prospect Aku Räty for taking on the final year-plus of Weber’s deal. Houston later reported that Utah is sending a 2026 fifth-round pick to Chicago.

From Utah’s perspective, the deal is simply salary cap management for next season. Weber has effectively been retired since skating in the 2021 Stanley Cup Final. It’s the third time his contract has been traded since becoming dead weight in 2021-22. Although his $7.857MM salary wasn’t a hurdle for Utah this year, it would have been next year as the team looks to make significant additions to the roster.

On the other side of the trade, the Blackhawks essentially purchased a pair of younger players from Utah. Söderström is the most notable of the two, being the former 11th overall pick of the 2019 NHL Draft. Still, he has yet to pan out at the NHL level.

Söderström debuted in the NHL with the Arizona Coyotes during the 2020-21 campaign. Since then, he’s scored one goal and 11 points in 53 contests, averaging 16:10 of ice time per game. Chicago is likely interested in Söderström’s past performance in the AHL and his current production in the SHL with Brynäs IF. The Skutskär, Sweden native has recorded nine goals and 36 points in 47 SHL contests this year, tying for third in scoring on the team.

It’ll be a solid acquisition for the Blackhawks should Söderström replicate that performance with Chicago. However, it’s important to note that although the Blackhawks now own Söderström’s contractual rights, he’s under no commitment to return to the NHL.

Meanwhile, Räty is another prospect who has yet to break out meaningfully. He scored 15 goals and 44 points in 55 games for the AHL’s Tucson Roadrunners last season but has followed it up disappointingly with four goals and 19 points in 50 games this year. Räty will now have a fresh start in AHL Rockford with the IceHogs, where he can help the team compete for a berth in the 2025 Calder Cup playoffs.

PHR’s Brennan McClain contributed to this article. 

AHL Shuffle: 4/19/24

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Half the league has played their last games for the 2023-24 campaign, while the other half is gearing up for postseason action starting tomorrow. Either way, squads are making roster adjustments today, whether it’s assigning players back to the minors after their NHL seasons came to a close or recalling reinforcements for their playoff runs. We’ll keep track of all of today’s moves here:

  • The Bruins have recalled center John Beecher and defenseman Mason Lohrei from AHL Providence. Both will be available for tomorrow’s Game 1 of Boston’s first-round series against the Maple Leafs. The pair of youngsters were assigned to the minors throughout the last week for playing time down the stretch after spending most of the campaign on the NHL roster. They’ll likely be scratches for tomorrow’s contest, but after combining for 93 games played in the regular season, head coach Jim Montgomery won’t hesitate to plug them into the playoff lineup.
  • The Flames have assigned forwards Matthew Coronato and Adam Klapka, defenseman Ilya Solovyov, and goaltender Dustin Wolf to AHL Calgary. The NHL club’s regular season came to an end last night in a 5-1 win over the Sharks, a game all four players involved in today’s transaction played in. Wolf, one of the league’s top goaltending prospects, ended his season on a high note with 16 saves on 17 shots after putting up underwhelming numbers down the stretch for the Flames. All four will play major roles for the Wranglers over the next couple of weeks, at the very least, as they’ve clinched a spot in the Calder Cup Playoffs.
  • The Capitals have recalled goaltender Mitchell Gibson from ECHL South Carolina. The 24-year-old, who has no NHL experience, is in his first full season of pro hockey after spending the last four seasons in collegiate hockey at Harvard. He’ll serve as a Black Ace and emergency backup as their first-round matchup against the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Rangers gets underway. A fourth-round pick of the Caps back in 2018, he has a .899 SV%, 2.56 GAA, three shutouts, and a 22-14-3 record in 42 appearances with South Carolina this year, as well as a .915 SV% and a perfect record in two showings with AHL Hershey.
  • In a similar move, the Predators have brought up netminder Gustavs Grigals from ECHL Atlanta. Undrafted, the Latvian had spent the season in the Nashville organization on a minor-league contract before receiving a two-way deal from the Preds on deadline day. The 25-year-old was excellent last year for UMass-Lowell after transferring from the University of Alaska-Fairbanks, posting a .924 SV% in 24 games and earning Hockey East Third All-Star Team honors. He’s adjusted decently well to the pro ranks, posting a .900 SV% and three shutouts behind a defensively challenged Atlanta squad in 34 appearances with an 11-19-0 record.
  • The Blackhawks have assigned forward prospect Lukas Reichel to AHL Rockford to finish his season. Chicago expected the 21-year-old to take a major step forward in his development this season and supplant himself as a top-six fixture for the future along with Connor Bedard, but it didn’t work out that way. The 2020 first-round pick was arguably among the worst players in the league this season, limited to five goals and 16 points in 65 games with a -29 rating despite seeing second-line looks for much of the season. His average ice time dipped to almost 14 minutes per game by the end of the campaign, however.
  • The Jets have assigned forwards Nikita Chibrikov, Parker Ford, Brad Lambert, and goaltender Collin Delia to AHL Manitoba. Winnipeg recalled the foursome yesterday to provide reinforcements for yesterday’s regular-season finale against the Canucks. Chibrikov and Lambert made their NHL debuts, with the former notching his first NHL goal in the process. Delia backed up Laurent Brossoit while Jennings Trophy winner Connor Hellebuyck was given the night off entirely, while Ford was a healthy scratch. Delia was again recalled under emergency conditions later Friday, suggesting he’ll be available as a Black Ace/emergency backup for Game 1 against the Avalanche on Sunday.
  • The Coyotes have made likely the final group of transactions in franchise history, returning forwards Dylan Guenther, Josh Doan, Aku Raty, and defensemen Michael Kesselring and Vladislav Kolyachonok to AHL Tucson. The sale of the team’s hockey operations to Salt Lake City-based Smith Entertainment Group was approved by the NHL’s Board of Governors yesterday, rendering the Coyotes franchise inactive and establishing a new franchise in Utah. The five youngsters will finish the season in the Calder Cup Playoffs with the Roadrunners. Some of these players, likely Guenther and Doan at a minimum, will travel to Salt Lake City and will be a part of that team’s opening-night squad next season. The others may remain in Tucson, which is expected to serve as the Utah franchise’s minor-league affiliate.
  • The Oilers have assigned defenseman Philip Broberg and winger Adam Erne to AHL Bakersfield. The pair were recalled earlier in the week to allow the Oilers to rest stars like Connor McDavid and Evan Bouchard before kicking off their first-round playoff series against the Kings in a few days. They’ll return to playoff-bound Bakersfield for now but will be among the first in line for recalls if necessary.
  • The Kings have assigned forward Alex Turcotte to AHL Ontario. He’d spent most of the last week in the minors on an LTI conditioning loan, but was activated off LTIR and reinstated to the NHL roster on Tuesday. He didn’t play in the Kings’ final game of the regular season last night, though. The 23-year-old presumably won’t be in their Game 1 lineup against the Oilers and will report for playoff action with the Reign.
  • The Islanders have summoned goaltender Jakub Skarek from AHL Bridgeport, per the league’s media site. The 23-year-old comes up to serve as the extra/reserve netminder as the Islanders begin their first-round series with Bridgeport eliminated from playoff contention. The 2018 third-round pick has again struggled in the third-string spot, posting a .888 SV% and 7-22-6 record in 36 appearances for the AHL Isles this year. He was passed over for recalls earlier in the regular season in favor of veteran Kenneth Appleby.

This page will be updated throughout the day.

Coyotes Notes: Sale Vote, Raty, Jenik

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In an article from Barry Bloom of Sportico, the NHL Executive Committee has approved the relocation of the Arizona Coyotes to Salt Lake City. Although this reaffirms the momentum of relocation from the desert, the NHL Board of Governors, which comprises all 32 teams, still has to vote on the matter.

There is still plenty of work to be done on the rumored sale, as recent reporting from Saturday illustrated that the relocation would become much more complicated. Coming from John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports, Arizona’s current owner, Alex Meruelo, will retain the intellectual property rights to the Coyotes franchise, and will be given a five-year window to build an arena and bring an NHL franchise back to the state.

Nevertheless, although the league has yet to make an official statement on the matter, the sale process will now go to the desk of the Board of Governors. With earlier reporting suggesting that the sale could become official as soon as April 18th, the finality of the Coyotes-saga is in sight.

Other Coyotes notes:

  • After being recalled on an emergency basis on April 9th, the Coyotes have reassigned forward Jan Jenik to their AHL affiliate, the Tucson Roadrunners. Over his current stint at the NHL level, Jenik suited up in four games for Arizona, tallying one assist in total while averaging 8:23 of ice time per night. Headed back to Tucson, Jenik has scored 16 goals and 36 points in 54 games for the Roadrunners this season, as he will now assist them on their 2024 Calder Cup playoff run.
  • Likely making his NHL debut tonight, the Coyotes have recalled forward Aku Raty from the AHL. In what appears to be a reward for the former 151st overall pick, Raty has become a solid performer in his first season in North America. Playing the entire year with the Roadrunners up to this point, Raty has scored 14 goals and 43 points in 54 games and is currently leading the team after Josh Doan was recalled to the NHL level.

Arizona Coyotes Sign Aku Räty To Entry-Level Contract

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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.

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