Aku Räty

Aku Räty (born 5 July 2001) is a Finnish professional ice hockey right winger who is currently playing with the Tucson Roadrunners in the American Hockey League (AHL) as a prospect for the Utah Hockey Club of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Coyotes selected Räty 151st overall in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft.

Playing career
Räty developed in the Kärpät alongside his brother, Aatu Räty, with both being considered top prospects in the Finnish ranks in their respective NHL Draft years. Although Aatu was briefly in the running to be the top pick in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft (he eventually went 52nd to the New York Islanders), Aku remained on the board through the first four rounds of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft before the Arizona Coyotes selected him in the fifth round with the 151st overall pick.

After marking marginal impacts in the top-ranked Finnish Liiga with Kärpät in his first three post-draft seasons, Räty transferred to Ilves in 2022 and subsequently enjoyed a breakout year. Räty finished second on the team with 18 goals and fifth with 42 points in 53 games during the 2022–23 Liiga season, helping Ilves qualify for the playoffs as the No. 2 seed. He added one goal in 10 playoff games as Ilves were eliminated by the Lahti Pelicans in the Liiga semifinals.

On 3 May 2023, the Coyotes signed Räty to a two-year, entry-level contract to take effect in the 2023–24 NHL season. Räty's exclusive NHL draft signing rights with the Coyotes had been set to expire on 1 June 2023. He made his NHL debut on 17 April 2024 in the Coyotes' final game in Arizona, a 5–2 win over the Edmonton Oilers, during which he recorded a point.

Personal life
Räty's brother, Aatu, plays for the Abbotsford Canucks in the American Hockey League and was drafted in the second round of the 2021 NHL Entry Draft by the New York Islanders. The Islanders traded Aatu to the Vancouver Canucks on January 30, 2023, as part of a deal to acquire centre Bo Horvat.