Position: Defenseman
Height: 6'0"Weight: 190
Birthdate: May 2nd, 1990 (21 years old)
Birthplace: Edmond, Oklahoma, USA
Acquired: Draft, Round 4, 96th overall, 2008 NHL Entry Draft
2010-2011 Teams: University of Denver Pioneers/Bridgeport Sound Tigers
2010-2011 Stats (UD): 42 GP - 9 G - 23 A - 32 P - 64 PIM
2010-2011 Stats (BPT): 6 GP - 1 G - 4 A - 5 P - 10 PIM
2011-2012 Team: Bridgeport Sound Tigers
Team Role: Top 4 D-man
Last year: Last year was easily Mr. Donovan's most impressive by far. Outstanding stats output in his season with UDenver as well as an offensive explosion in his 6 game stand with Bridgeport, vastly improved skills in every aspect of his game, and a generally better hockey player. Pretty much everything you can possibly hope for out of a 4th round pick. Although the Pioneers didn't make it very far in the NCAA Ice Hockey tournament, Donovan's season in general was phenomenal. His defensive ability was highly touted and after proving himself to the Islanders, he was provided with an ATO with the Sound Tigers and eventually signed his ELC with the team.
Expectations: Donovan should find himself on the top D-line this year with Calvin De Haan if both are sent back down to Bridgeport as is expected, which would be fine. Both the offensive and defensive capabilities of De Haan and Donovan are off the charts, and having them paired together would make for an absolutely, for lack of a better word, nasty first D pairing. Donovan is smaller, but he is filling into his frame exceptionally and with the shot that he carries - which notably won the fastest shot at the Isles' Blue and White scrimmage earlier in the Summer - as well as his fantastic skating ability, he should be helming this D corps.
Projections: GP 76 - 10 G - 33 A - 43 P
Thoughts:
AT: Next to Travis Hamonic (who probably isn't even considered a prospect by most anymore due to his progression), Matt Donovan is my favorite D-man in the system. The skillset he possesses leaves him with the ability to be a fantastic #2 or #3 d-man in this league for a very long time to come. He and Hamonic on a line together in the next year or so once he finally makes the jump to the big club is going to be an absolutely punishing force for opponents, and could end up being one of the best shutdown d-lines in the league if it happens that way. Just another example of smart drafting by Garth Snow and crew being able to pluck out the raw potential in someone like Donovan out of the USHL and develop him properly so that he can eventually become a staple on the Islanders' defense. I can not wait to see how far Donovan progresses this season.
CH: This is another guy who really blossomed out of nowhere. A hockey player from Oklahoma? Seems crazy, but not in this case. Donovan has really developed, progressing each year from his days in the USHL to last season at Denver. He made the United States U-20 team two years back, originally a long-shot candidate to make the team. For the most part Donovan has beaten the odds: hockey player from Oklahoma, fourth-round pick, WJC-20 participant, etc. Now, he gets the chance to play professionally for the Sound Tigers. I'm really excited about this player and while it's still somewhat of a project, his NHL potential is there. If he fulfills it, a core of Travis Hamonic, Andrew MacDonald, Calvin de Haan, and Donovan would be outstanding. But we have a long way to go for that - looking at the present, this is just a big first step.
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