You don’t have to go to Harvard to know that playing with Connor Bedard is a good idea.
Funny enough, Chicago Blackhawks’ forward Ryan Donato did go to Harvard, playing three years for the Crimson after being drafted by the Boston Bruins in the second round of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft. Even after he left school to sign a professional contract with the Bruins, Donato took online classes so he could finish his degree.
Smart guy. But whether you went to an Ivy League school or the School of Hard Knocks, it’s not a hard decision to play with a generational phenom like Bedard. Now the 27-year-old Donato finds himself on a line with the rookie, and two games into the 2023-24 NHL regular season, so far so good.
Let’s take a look at how we got here.
Blackhawks Sign Donato on July 1
After the Blackhawks secured the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NHL Draft Lottery and selected the 18-year-old Bedard, Chicago became a more attractive destination for free agents and established veterans. Maybe some would take the Windy City off their no-trade list. Maybe some will turn down a better contract elsewhere in free agency.
Whatever reason led to Donato signing a two-year contract worth $4 million with the Blackhawks, his fifth NHL team in six years, there’s little doubt Bedard factored into the decision. He scored 14 goals and 13 assists in 71 games with the Seattle Kraken last season, and recorded career highs across the board in 2021-22 with 16 goals and 15 assists for 31 points.
Averaging 12:33 of ice time during his two years with the Kraken, Donato was able to solidify himself as a serviceable bottom-six forward in the league, providing moderate offensive production with a physical edge.
Related: Blackhawks Roundtable: Standout Players, Bedard & Reichel, More
When he signed with the Blackhawks, general manager Kyle Davidson raised some eyebrows saying they liked Donato’s ability to play all three forward positions, and that he’ll be able to “bounce around and fill different roles,” wherever he’s needed in the lineup.
Few would expect the winger to end up on Chicago’s top line with Bedard, but from the beginning of training camp, head coach Luke Richardson put Donato, Bedard and Taylor Hall on a line together. So far, the results have been promising.
In the Blackhawks’ first preseason game against the St. Louis Blues on Sept. 28, Donato recorded 19:12 of ice time, leading the team in hits and earning a few minutes on the power play. Considering his career average ice time before joining Chicago was 12:28, this was a massive step.
His next appearance was on Oct. 5 vs. the Minnesota Wild, getting an assist on a Hall goal and recording six shots of his own in 20:06 of ice time. With over five minutes of power play time, second only to Bedard that night, Richardson and his coaching staff were telling fans and observers of the team that this was no fluke: they had full trust in Donato.
Once the regular season began on Oct. 10 vs. the Pittsburgh Penguins, things really started kicking into gear for the gritty winger.
Donato Starts 2023-24 Regular Season With a Bang
From the opening faceoff, all eyes were on Bedard and Penguins’ forward Sidney Crosby, two former No. 1 picks considered perennial All-Stars. Already down 2-0 with less than five minutes in the second period, Bedard found defenseman Alex Vlasic, whose shot was stopped before Donato took the rebound, went forehand-to-backhand and buried the puck past Penguins’ goaltender Tristan Jarry, cutting the deficit to one and scoring the Blackhawks’ first goal of 2023-24.
On opening night two years earlier, Donato scored the first goal in the Kraken’s franchise history vs. the Vegas Golden Knights. In 2023, he scored a goal that produced Bedard’s first career NHL point. I wonder who kept the puck in both instances…
The Blackhawks scored three unanswered goals in the third period, winning 4-2, and started the season with a bang. The Hall-Bedard-Donato line recorded an even strength Corsi percentage of 53.8%, according to MoneyPuck. Considering they faced Crosby’s line for a good chunk of the night, that’s very impressive.
Related: Penguins Crosby Vs. Blackhawks Bedard: Passing the Torch
After the game, the Blackhawks flew from Pittsburgh to Boston to face the Bruins the following night. Five minutes into the first, Bedard carried the puck into the zone, then after a give-and-go with Donato, took a shot and picked up his own rebound, then skated behind the Bruins’ net and tucked in a wraparound, scoring his first career NHL goal. The moment was Bedard’s, but for the second consecutive night, Donato was part of history.
It was the only goal the Blackhawks scored as the Bruins took it 3-1, but at no point through the night did Chicago feel “out of it.” There may be a lot of losses through 2023-24, but this young squad looks like they’ll produce a playoff-effort every night.
With Early Injuries, Donato Remains on Top Line
Hall left the game after taking a blindside hit from Brandon Carlo, and is expected to be out week-to-week with an upper-body injury. Andreas Athanasiou saw some shifts with Bedard and Donato once Hall left the game. In the third period, so did Lukas Reichel, creating some opportunities on the top line. Whoever ends up on Bedard’s left wing, they’ll have Donato lining up on his right.
It’s only two games, but for a player who spent nearly his entire NHL career on third and fourth lines, Donato finds himself with one hell of an opportunity. He’s averaged 18:34 of ice time in two games, and has looked every bit comfortable sharing the ice with skilled players like Bedard and Hall, finishing checks, getting in dirty areas and creating space for his talented linemates.
However long Donato skates on the top line and the first power play unit, he has to make the most out of this chance. Over 1,000 players skate in an NHL game over the course of a full season; you could probably count on one hand the amount who get to play on a line with a generational No. 1 pick on both the top line and the power play. At this very moment, Donato finds himself in that group.
It’s up to him to stay there.
