Oilers sign new forward from Finland for $850,000 contract

Aku Raty has only played in one NHL game, and that was against the Edmonton Oilers.

He'll now be hoping his next NHL game comes for the Oilers themselves.

Edmonton signed Raty to a one-year, two-way contract on Monday for $850,000, which the team announced in an official press release.

Raty was originally a fifth-round pick in the 2019 NHL Draft by the Arizona Coyotes.

He played one NHL game, on April 17, 2024, against the Oilers. He had an assist that day.

Raty most recently played in Finland for Karpat. He led his team with 57 points in 51 games, broken down as 20 goals and 37 assists.

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Raty is listed at 6-feet tall and 190 pounds, and he's originally from Oulu, Finland.

He has been a quality player at the AHL level prior to going to Finland. Across 120 games in the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons at that level, he had 69 points between 21 goals and 48 assists.

The Oilers have a top-heavy lineup with a bunch of expensive contracts, so signing a player with lots of pro experience to a cheap deal is a logical move.

Raty may never actually make it back to the NHL ice, but he's got a chance, and that's about the best the Oilers can hope for a contract this cheap. If he just ends up being AHL depth, that's not a bad outcome, and if Raty can be more, even better.

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