The forward has posted 57 points (29 goals, 28 assists) and 20 penalty minutes in 130 career NHL games with Minnesota and Boston. He was acquired by Minnesota from Boston (with a fourth-round selection in the 2019 NHL Draft) in exchange for former Sharks prospect Charlie Coyle on Feb. 20, 2019. Following the trade, Donato led all NHL rookies in scoring (16 points in 22 games) and ranked second with 64 shots on goal during that span. He has appeared in five career Stanley Cup Playoff games.
Prior to his NHL career, Donato played three seasons at Harvard University (2015-18) and tallied 104 points (60 goals, 44 assists) in 97 games, becoming just the 32nd player in school history to top the 100-point mark. Named one of three finalists for the 2018 Hobey Baker Award (top NCAA player), Donato was named Ivy League and ECAC Player of the Year in 2017-18 as well as First Team All-Ivy and All-ECAC. The year prior (2016-17), he was named Ivy League Player of the Year, First Team All-Ivy, ECAC Second Team and ECAC All-Tournament Team.
Donato has represented the United States in a pair of international tournaments, including the 2018 Olympic Games in PyeongChang, South Korea, where he tied for the tournament lead with five goals in five games, as well as the 2016 IIHF World Junior Championship, tallying four points (three goals) in seven games.
His father, Ted, played in 796 career NHL games with eight teams over 13 seasons, recording 347 points (150 goals, 197 assists), and was Ryan's head coach while with Harvard.
The six-foot, 192-pound native of Boston, MA, was originally selected by Boston in the 2014 NHL Draft (second round, 56th overall).
