Wings Draft: Three Player’s That Could Be This Year’s Moritz Seider

Aatu Raty

A few years ago, projecting Aatu Raty as the 6th overall pick would’ve been considered unrealistic, as most projected him in at least the top three after impressing with Finland’s U-20 team at a young age. Fast forward to now, and Raty at 6th overall is still unrealistic – just for a completely different reason.

After excelling in the Finnish Juniors and even the Finish U-18 and U-20 teams, Raty took a disappointing step back in 2021.  Last year, he finally made the transition to Finnish pro hockey, playing with Karpat in Liiga. Raty looked a bit lost in the 12 games he played in the pros, as he only nabbed two goals and two assists.

The offseason didn’t treat him any better. After a slow start in 2020 in Liiga, Raty was demoted back to juniors to begin 2021. Eventually, he found his way back to Liiga, where he spent most of his season. But again, he seemed to struggle to produce at the pro level, managing only three goals and three assists in 35 games.

Raty is a tough, tough player to analyze. It’s not a great sign that he’s struggled so hard transition his game from the minors to the pros in Finland; the gap between the Finnish Liiga and the NHL is much larger. However, scouts still get glimpses of that elite player they saw a few years back. The tools are there, he just seems to have lost confidence. Once billed as an elite level playmaking center, Raty just seems to have lost all confidence in his ability to distribute and drive. His question marks could send him all the way to the end of the first round, and worst case-scenario, into the second round.

Even for a gm that likes projects, Aatu Raty needs some major work. But he’s athletic, highly skilled and has the possibility of playing center in the NHL as a playmaker. Again, center is a pressing need in the Red Wing’s organization, and a highly skilled player that can drive the offense down the middle might be the perfect option. It’s probably one of the craziest potential pick at six, but Raty has already proved his ceiling a few years back. He might just be that Seider-type player that needs just a few more years of solid development to become a high-end player. If Yzerman is looked to not just swing for the fences, but crush a home run, Aatu Raty might be the high risk option to go for.