Aku Raty was officially signed to a one-year contract with the Edmonton Oilers on May 25. The signing comes after Raty had an incredible year for Karpat in the Finnish professional league that saw him score 20 goals and 57 points in 51 games.

The 6-foot right-winger was tied for seventh in Liiga scoring. Raty is familiar with the North American game, in 2019 the Finnish forward was selected in the fifth round (151st overall) to the Phoenix Coyotes. In his first AHL season (2023-24) the right-shot forward had a very good year with Tucson, putting up 15 goals and 29 assists for 44 points in 55 games. However, the year after was a massive step back. In 65 games between Tucson and Rockford, Raty was only able to score six goals with 25 points. Now that leads us right back to his 2025-26 season.

Throughout my viewings of the newly signed forward, it was clear to see that he prioritizes possession and the safe play. Below is a clip that can explain what I mean very well.

You can see the outside edge work on display and the ability to keep the defenders off of him. It’s not a highlight reel play, but he is trying to gain some extra time for his teammates to get away from their checks. It eventually works out and once he cycles the puck low to his linemate you can see the space he has to work with. On the next clip it’s almost identical, however Raty makes the pass to the defenceman and skates all the way to the blueline where he finds himself wide open.

There are two things to note on the above clip; first once again we are going back to the topic of prioritizing possession and making the safe play, Raty gets the puck and keeps the defender on his back side then plays a simple pass to the defender. This is where we get to our second point, I liked how he followed his pass all the way to the blue line. The Finnish winger is getting himself in position to attack downhill and he eventually gets a shot from the middle of the ice.

In both the clips linked above you can see how he creates space for himself and his teammates. That will bring us right into our next topic point.

This is a crucial aspect of the NHL game, how can you create space and how can you take away space from your opposition. In the clips above I highlighted how Raty prioritizes the safe play, sticking more to the perimeter and making sure he doesn’t turn the puck over. But something else you can see is the space he is able to create using his outside edges and the video below is a perfect example of this.

The former fifth-rounder shows how he can create space using his outside edges, but another note to make is how he is able to blend that movement in with his shooting mechanics. The forward backchecking looks at Raty load up into his shooting form and completely bites on it sending himself off his feet and past the 190-pound winger. The next clip below is an example of Raty using his edges and skating to create some space for a breakout pass.

His edge work and poise isn’t used for only offensive purposes; Raty is more than okay with taking the play against the grain to make a good pass. You see this play a bit more in the European leagues, but it’s something a lot of the elite wingers in the NHL do and that’s backtrack. A lot of wingers just want to stuff it up the boards, but somebody like Mitch Marner is willing to work back a step to go two-steps forward. The final clip on this section is a good forechecking example and once again using those outside edges.

Excellent forecheck by Raty as he swoops in seamlessly stealing the puck, then using his outside edges he cuts on a dime losing the defender, however the puck ended up bobbling off of his stick. Everything worked perfectly in this clip till the end. The former Phoenix (now Utah) draft pick showed that he is able to create some space when the defenders are on him, gaining another step and continuing to move his feet after the cut would be something to continuously improve on in this area.

In my opinion Raty is much more of a playmaker than a shooter, but he will shoot the puck off the rush a fair amount, I just think his playmaking skills are superior to his shooting mechanics and finishing ability. I’ll start with his shooting and the clip below is a great display of his shooting mechanics.

The mechanics look pretty sound to me. Raty generates leverage with his top hand and his bottom wrist snaps, but unfortunately I see a ton of misses or shots right into the goalie. The accuracy needs some refining. In the final clip regarding the shooting side of his offensive game it shows off his skating ability and getting the shot off in some traffic.

Great job by Raty using his mobility and edge work to get inside the defender to get the shot off, it was an excellent zone entry as well. There weren’t many instances of Raty shooting in stride and the above example was the closest I saw in my viewings. The playmaking part of his game is where he gets most of his offence done.

Although it’s on the powerplay Raty makes an excellent play by looking down low the whole time and then ultimately playing it into the slot for a beautiful assist. The former 2019 draft selection shows off the same type of play on a powerplay in a complete different game, but there is no goal on this one.

It needs to be used more during even strength play, but these aren’t easy plays to make and it shows that he has the ability to deceive the defence. I don’t see Raty having a big offensive game in North America, but I do think he provides value in taking care of the puck, on the cycle, and on the forecheck.

Depth is always good to have and this is a low-risk signing by management, if he ends up in Europe again so be it, but if he can play any significant time in your lineup than its a win. Raty is on a cheap contract, and there is a chance he can see some NHL games on the fourth line for the Oilers.

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