After an NHL career that spanned 13 seasons and 796 games, Ted Donato '91 was hired at his alma mater - Harvard University - in 2004. He has guided the Crimson to five NCAA Tournament appearances, three ECAC Hockey tournament titles, one ECAC Hockey regular season title, and the program's first Frozen Four appearance in 23 years in 2016-17.
The George Percy Award winner as Harvard's top freshman in 2015-16, Ryan Donato continued his progression as one of the nation's top players as a sophomore in 2016-17. Last season, Donato recorded 40 points (21 goals, 19 assists) in 36 games, helping the Crimson reach the Frozen Four for the first time since 1994. The Ivy League Player of the Year, and a First Team ECAC Hockey and All-Ivy selection a year ago, Donato's 2016-17 campaign was a sign of things to come.
To say that it's been a great year for Ryan Donato would be an understatement.
It started with a career high 14-game point streak (14 goals, eight assists) to open the season. Donato was the first player in Division 1 college hockey to reach 20 goals this year, taking just 19 games to do it.
Ryan's banner year continued when he was officially named to the 2018 U.S. Olympic men's ice hockey team on Jan. 1. In Feburary, Donato made waves in Pyeongchang, and became a household name in the United States, leading the team with six points (five goals, assist) before returning to complete the 2017-18 season with Harvard.
Donato finished 2017-18 with a career best 43 points (26 goals, 17 assists) in 29 games played. The accolades were plentiful:
- ECAC Hockey Player of the Year
- All-ECAC Hockey First Team
- All-Ivy First Team
- Led nation in goal scoring (average) - .90 goals per game.
- Walter Brown Award Finalist
- HCA National Player of the Month (December)
- ECAC Hockey Player of the Month (December)
To top it all off, Donato, a 2014 NHL Draft pick of the Boston Bruins, signed with his hometown team on March 18, and made his NHL debut on March 19. He scored his first NHL goal as part of a three point night (goal, two assists) - all while continuing his studies at Harvard and maintaining his residence in Winthrop House.