Aatu Räty says Abbotsford playoff injuries didn’t affect proper preparation for Canucks camp

Penticton, BC – As much as he would have loved to have been a key cog in the Abbotsford Canucks final push to the Calder Cup last spring, Aatu Räty had no choice but to apply long-term thinking to his recovery from a pair of charley horse injuries suffered during the American Hockey League post-season.

The 22-year-old Finn was initially hurt in Game 2 of the second round against Coachella Valley and worked diligently to get back in the line-up four weeks later. His return, however, lasted less than a period, as Räty re-aggravated the initial injury in a May 31st game against Texas. He wasn’t seen again on the ice until he joined his teammates for their championship celebration in Charlotte on June 23rd.

Even though Räty was nearing full health for a second time, he knew he was never really an option for Manny Malhotra. 

“I think I was just getting back on the ice, but I knew I wasn’t going to play again just because of the fact that if I re-injured it for a third time, obviously, I was going to miss a big part of the summer,” Räty explained after Thursday’s opening day of training camp. “I had a four week injury and I couldn’t have it be four more. So I knew when I reinjured it, I wasn’t going to play.”

While his teammates battled for the AHL title, Räty was busy putting in hours with the team’s medical staff and in the gym. As much as he wanted to suit up, the young centre’s focus and mindset shifted to the summer months to ensure that he was fully healthy and able to train like he wanted to.

Certainly the off-season was brief for everybody associated with Abbotsford because the team played into the third week of June, however Räty insists that he was able to do the work necessary to be ready to push for a job with the big league team. 

“With every injury, most of your body is healthy, so I was able to do everything and I think it was five days after I got back (home to Finland) that I started my workouts, so it was done quickly,” he said. “I got a lot of training time. Missing as much time as I did, I was ready to start the off-season and get to work right away. Even though we went all the way, I still had a lot of time to get better and I definitely know I did.”

Through the first two days of camp, Räty has skated on a line with Vitali Kravtsov and Linus Karlsson. All three should be highly motivated to prove they belong on the big league roster when the team breaks camp and opens its six-game preseason on Sunday in Seattle.

Räty was one of the best news stories at training camp last season and his hard work was rewarded with a spot in the Canucks opening night line-up. So he returned to the South Okanagan armed with a blueprint that worked for him a year ago. He’s hoping to apply that strategy again this week. 

“Yeah, oo the things that I did well last year and try to do them as I did,” he said. “And then, think about a couple of things I could have done better and obviously do that. Overall, I think I’m a notch better at everything, too. So that’s going to help. And it’s a big confidence boost knowing that doing my thing, I can make the team.”

With a big body and face-off acumen, Räty possesses many of the traits the Canucks can use down the middle. While injuries cost him a chance to contribute to a championship last spring, Aatu Räty did everything in his power to ensure those same injuries wouldn’t hamper his efforts to show the coaching staff he belongs in the NHL on a full-time basis. It truly was a case of short term pain for long-term gain.