Brett Seney sidelined, Aku Raty adds depth at forward for the Rockford IceHogs
ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO/WQRF) — The Rockford IceHogs will be without their captain as their head down the stretch of the AHL's regular season. Brett Seney is expected to miss two to three weeks of action with an MCL injury.The injury happened during the IceHogs' game Sunday in Milwaukee when Seney was involved in a collision. Seney is the IceHogs' second-leading scorer this season with 36 points (9 goals, 27 assists). He has played in 54 of their 58 games so far this season.IceHogs' interim head coach Mark Eaton admits that losing Seney is a blow, but the IceHogs are used to losing players through injuries and call-ups.
'Yeah, that's huge. You know, regardless of what point of the season you're in, when you lose your captain, you lose a guy that's, you know, been so good for you again on both sides of the puck, it's definitely going to be a big loss for us. But, you know, the show goes on.'Other IceHogs' forwards will have to step-up as the team tries to nail-down a Calder Cup Playoff berth. One of those forwards is 23-year-old Aku Raty. He was recently acquired in a trade by the Blackhawks with the Utah Hockey Club. The Blackhawks received Raty (Pronounced Rat-too), and defensemen Victor Soderstrom and Shea Weber for a 2026 5th-round draft pick.Raty played in 50 AHL games with the Tucson Roadrunners of the AHL before the trade where he accounted for four goals and 15 assists. He scored his first goal with the IceHogs this past Sunday in Milwaukee.Raty expects to develop chemistry with his new teammates quickly. 'I would say I'm a smart player, so I should be able to build chemistry. That's on me, obviously, with some guys it's harder than with others, but I'VE got to watch my (video) clips, talk with the teammates and just what kind of (understand) what tendencies they have and just be ready at game time.'IceHogs' forward Gavin Hayes is impressed with Raty's work ethic.'Oh, he works hard. I mean, in practice, he's one of the hardest workers. I can take some things from him, too. Yeah, he's got a good shot. A great guy, too.'The IceHogs next game will be Wednesday night when they host the Manitoba Moose.
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