Ryan Donato

Ryan Donato (born April 9, 1996) is an American professional ice hockey player who is a forward for the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected by the Boston Bruins in the second round, 56th overall, in the 2014 NHL entry draft. He has previously played for the Boston Bruins, Minnesota Wild, San Jose Sharks, and Seattle Kraken. On October 12, 2021, Donato scored the first goal in Kraken franchise history in a 4–3 loss against the Vegas Golden Knights.

Professional Boston Bruins Having led the Crimson as a junior in scoring through the 2017–18 season with 26 goals and 17 assists for 43 points in just 29 games, Donato opted to leave the college early and turn professional. He signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Bruins on March 18, 2018. Despite leaving college hockey, Donato was still enrolled in Harvard classes and was aiming to finish the semester while playing in the NHL. He made his NHL debut the next day where he recorded his first NHL goal and added two assists in a 5–4 overtime loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets. Donato made his playoff debut during Game 2 of the 2018 Stanley Cup playoffs in a 7–3 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Donato began the 2018–19 season with the Bruins. On November 1, he was assigned to the Bruins' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Providence Bruins after playing in 11 games. He was recalled by Boston on November 28 after recording nine points in 10 games for Providence. Donato was reassigned to Providence on January 28, 2019.

Minnesota Wild On February 20, 2019, Donato and a 2019 conditional fifth-round pick were traded to the Minnesota Wild in exchange for Charlie Coyle. He made his debut for the Wild on February 21, recording two assists in a 4–1 win over the New York Rangers.

On July 16, 2019, the Wild re-signed Donato to a two-year, $3.8 million contract extension.

San Jose Sharks On October 5, 2020, Donato was traded by the Wild to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for Pittsburgh's 2021 third-round pick. His debut came on January 14, 2021, in a 4–3 shootout win over the Arizona Coyotes.

Seattle Kraken

On September 12, 2021, the expansion team Seattle Kraken signed Donato as a free agent to a one-year, $750,000 contract for the 2021–22 season.

Donato scored the opening goal in the franchise's first preseason game against the Vancouver Canucks on September 26, 2021. He followed that up with the first official goal in Seattle Kraken franchise history, scoring on opening night in a 4–3 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights on October 12, 2021. Donato scored a career-high 16 goals and added 15 assists for 31 points in 74 games, as Seattle missed the playoffs in their inaugural season.

As an impending restricted free agent, Donato was not tendered a qualifying offer by the Kraken and was released as a free agent. On July 27, 2022, after testing the market he was re-signed by the Kraken to a one-year, $1.2 million contract. In the 2022–23 season, Donato built upon his first season with the Kraken by continuing to contribute in various forward roles in posting 13 goals and 27 points through 71 regular season games. In helping the Kraken qualify for the post-season, he added 2 assists through 14 games.

Chicago Blackhawks After two seasons with the Kraken, Donato left the club as a free agent and was signed on the opening day of free agency to a two-year, $4 million contract with the rebuilding Chicago Blackhawks on July 1, 2023. On March 28, 2025, Donato scored his first career hat-trick in a 5–3 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights.

On June 18, 2025, Donato signed a four-year, $16 million contract extension with the Blackhawks.

International play

Donato made his first appearance at the international level as a junior when he was selected by the United States to participate in the 2016 World Junior Championships. He finished the tournament with 3 goals and 4 points in 7 games, resulting in a bronze medal.

Donato was selected for the United States men's national ice hockey team, to compete in the men's tournament at the 2018 Winter Olympics. Donato led the United States in scoring, with six points; additionally, his five goals place him in a tie for the most goals scored – alongside Ilya Kovalchuk and Kirill Kaprizov. However, the team's overall performance was a disappointment as team USA skated to a seventh-place finish.

Personal life Donato is the son of former Bruin and longtime NHL player Ted Donato, a former player for the Boston Bruins and the current head coach of the Harvard Crimson. On July 30, 2023, Donato married his wife Bradley Donato.

Career statistics Regular season and playoffs Regular season Playoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 2011–12 Dexter School USHS 26 14 22 36 8 — — — — — 2012–13 Dexter School USHS 28 29 31 60 14 — — — — — 2013–14 Dexter School USHS 30 37 41 78 16 — — — — — 2014–15 Dexter School USHS 31 18 35 53 16 — — — — — 2014–15 South Shore Kings USPHL 13 5 5 10 4 — — — — — 2014–15 Omaha Lancers USHL 8 5 5 10 4 3 1 0 1 15 2015–16 Harvard University ECAC 32 13 8 21 26 — — — — — 2016–17 Harvard University ECAC 36 21 19 40 25 — — — — — 2017–18 Harvard University ECAC 29 26 17 43 10 — — — — — 2017–18 Boston Bruins NHL 12 5 4 9 2 3 0 0 0 0 2018–19 Boston Bruins NHL 34 6 3 9 2 — — — — — 2018–19 Providence Bruins AHL 18 7 5 12 7 — — — — — 2018–19 Minnesota Wild NHL 22 4 12 16 4 — — — — — 2018–19 Iowa Wild AHL 3 2 3 5 4 11 2 4 6 4 2019–20 Minnesota Wild NHL 62 14 9 23 12 2 0 0 0 2 2020–21 San Jose Sharks NHL 50 6 14 20 10 — — — — — 2021–22 Seattle Kraken NHL 74 16 15 31 40 — — — — — 2022–23 Seattle Kraken NHL 71 14 13 27 46 14 0 2 2 12 2023–24 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 78 12 18 30 26 — — — — — 2024–25 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 80 31 31 62 41 — — — — — 2025–26 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 82 15 15 30 46 — — — — — NHL totals 565 123 134 257 229 19 0 2 2 14

International Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM 2016 United States WJC 7 3 1 4 2 2018 United States OG 7th 5 5 1 6 2 2021 United States WC 10 1 3 4 6 Junior totals 7 3 1 4 2 Senior totals 15 6 4 10 8

Awards and honors