Boston Bruins: Ryan Donato makes the jump to the big club
By Sam Minton
The Boston Bruins announced on Sunday that the highly touted prospect will be making the leap to the NHL.
The Boston Bruins continue to get younger. A team that is already stacked with young talent now has one of the best prospects from the NCAA. On Sunday the Bruins announced that they had signed former Harvard Crimson and 2014 draft pick Ryan Donato to a two-year, entry-level contract.
With the move, Donato may get his first shot at some ice time when the Bruins play the Columbus Blue Jackets tonight.
Donato proved himself at every single level he played at. In his three years at Harvard, Donato scored 60 goals and 44 assists in his 97 games with the Crimson. Donato showed that he is a dominant offensive force.
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Then in the recent Pyeongchang Winter Games, Donato showed he could play with the big boys. In 5 games he scored 5 goals and was the best player on Team USA. With his success in the Olympics, there wasn’t anything else for Donato to prove at Harvard. Donato’s last frontier is the NHL, and launch is scheduled for tonight.
Where will he go?
The Boston Bruins have had a lot of success from a boatload of players this season. So it’s hard to just slide a rookie who hasn’t played any pro hockey in. The good thing (I guess) for the Bruins is that with David Backes and Jake DeBrusk getting injured recently, they can use the extra body.
With DeBrusk out I think the B’s may put Donato on the second line. He could slide into the left wing and with David Krejci and Rick Nash by his side he would have some great role models.
Donato is a rookie, but I’m expecting some big things out of him. It may be because of Charlie McAvoy’s great success late last season, but I think it will be a seamless transition. Donato is filthy in the attacking zone. Alongside guys like Krejci and Nash, he can focus on his game and will probably get some great opportunities thanks to his linemates.
Next: Bruins make a statement against the Lightning
The Ryan Donato project is underway. Hopefully, he will be yet another player to jump to the NHL and have immediate success. If so the Boston Bruins will have yet another dangerous weapon to their already loaded young arsenal.