Blackhawks forward Ryan Donato has ascended from a healthy scratch in the home opener to a first-line winger within just a few weeks.
Ice-time fluctuations are nothing new for Donato, who has been a utility forward throughout his career. But the 28-year-old journeyman has never before experienced a heater like this, racking up eight points — including six goals — in his last seven games. He has thoroughly earned the big role he’s currently enjoying.
“He’s a guy that you can always move around, and that’s probably going to be his career,” coach Luke Richardson said. “Moving him up right now, he’s our top goal-scorer, so why not put him with creative players and put him on the power play?”
Donato tallied at least one point in all five games on the Hawks’ 3-2-0 road trip and tied a career high with three points last Monday against the Avalanche. He also accumulated 17 shots on goal during the trip after recording only six shots in his first six games.
“The guys pull for him because he tries so hard and tries to do the right things all the time,” Richardson said in Colorado. “I’m glad to see him get rewarded…because he goes to those hard areas. He’s bleeding out of the nose and the lip, and he’s coming to the bench smiling because he’s got a goal.”
Against the Kings, Donato set up Tyler Bertuzzi for the dramatic equalizer with 30 seconds left, then pulled off a fall-out-of-your-chair move on Darcy Kuemper to bury the shootout winner.
Then on Sunday against the Ducks, he won a power-play faceoff to create the possession on which Seth Jones scored (although he didn’t officially get an assist) and then banged in the Hawks’ game-sealing fourth goal with 2:17 left.
Heading home, Donato surprisingly leads the team in goals by a sizable margin. He has seven — and they’re all at even strength — while Teuvo Teravainen, Nick Foligno, Tyler Bertuzzi and Craig Smith are tied with four each.
Donato probably won’t finish the season in that spot, and he definitely won’t be able to maintain this 30.4% shooting percentage, but his early-season efficiency has nonetheless helped the Hawks cover up quieter starts from some higher-profile players.
His offensive rates, moreover, suggest he easily could blow past his previous single-season career high of 31 points. He’s averaging 19.9 shot attempts per 60 minutes during five-on-five play, up from 13.2 last season — as well as 1.07 expected goals per 60, up from 0.77 last season.
Entering training camp, when Donato’s place in the 12-forward lineup looked uncertain, it would’ve been hard to see this coming — at least for anyone but Donato himself.
“It’s validating, but for me, [my role has] never been a question,” Donato said. “I always knew. It’s not an arrogance; I’ve just always [felt] I had more to give. I really put in some work this summer. I knew that if you put in the work, usually the results are going to follow. I still think there’s a lot more for me to give.”
His aforementioned summer work focused on his skating technique, a former weakness that Richardson had no qualms bringing up last season.
He adjusted his foot and knee positions to generate more explosiveness, and that has paid off. His fastest recorded skating speed this season (21.95 mph) already exceeds last season’s maximum (21.79 mph).
“It may not look like it at times, but it definitely feels a lot better for me,” he said. “Balance-wise, [I’m] stronger on pucks. And having that extra step is definitely giving me extra confidence. Whether it’s being half-a-step faster on a two-on-one or a breakaway, it gives you an extra chance every couple games.”