the ushl was an option for him, i think he had the oppurtunity to go to omaha to play. unfortunately since he has yet to be accepted at harvard where he is commited to play I think the fear for him was that transfering to a school in the midwest would hurt his chances at being accepted. Also it would force him to probably live with a billet and I wouldn't be surprised if his Dad had his hesitations about sending his son so far away to essentially live on his own heading into his senior year of HS, without an acceptance letter to one of the most difficult schools to be accepted into. The question then becomes, what is more important for a 2nd round draft pick into the NHL? Spending your senior season playing HS prep hockey so you can then play in the Ivy League and get an A+ education, or risk the education, play against better competition in the most competitive junior league in the country, and worst case scenario have to play at a school with less prestige (but just as much if not more so in terms of hockey) like a BC or BU, as they can actually give out athletic scholarships.
To be honest I tend to agree with the philosophy that ryan is going to make his money as a hockey player, he has to think that way as well. so why risk hindering your development playing in a league you have already dominated two years in a row just for an education. Not to jump sports (but I'm about to) jurgen klinsman (spelling wrong, head coach of USA Soccer) said in an interview that the problem with american raised soccer players is that they destroy their development by playing in prep HS and D1 college in the late teens, early 20s. His belief is that if you want to be the greatest, you have to forgo education and commit to a youth development team overseas and put 100% of your focus on the sport you intend to play. He cited it as the downfall of american soccer players, their inability to take the leap, and forgo education.
I'm not saying that donato should skip college, I think harvard can generate good hockey players and they have, as have many many other D1 programs. D1 hockey is much better competiton then D1 soccer obviously, but this isn't so much about me being upset that he is playing at harvard. It's that I think he is playing at dexter because he wants to play at harvard, and he needs his diploma from dexter in order to attend. Thats the fault I see. He shouldn't cost himself a year of development skating circles around freshman in the prep circuit when he could easily have played in the USHL and worst case scenario, suit up for any hockey east school the following year and come out of this a more prepared hockey player. He's risking his growth as a player to try to maintain a family legacy. Thats the way I interpret all this. I could be way off, I just think that I'm not..
The South Shore Kings are a good team, I have a several friends that played in the EJHL, and they turned into very productive players in college and some have recently turned pro (ECHL, AHL). But none of them were drafted, all of them had to play until 20 before getting scholarships, and all of them played all 4 years in college. Donato doesn't profile as a kid who should play all 4 years, he was drafted, and he will be attending college as a true freshman I think. He shouldn't be playing in the EJHL, thats a draft year league to play in, not a post draft year team, and the fact he isn't playing the full year so he can go back to dexter, where he won't be challenged as a player, is going to be a lost year of sorts.
For a frame of reference take Zach Sanford, a 2013 draft pick from NH. He spent a year in the EJHL with the islanders his draft year, was drafted, then spent the following year in waterloo of the USHL, and will be attending BC in the fall. That is a more traditional route to take for draft picks taken in the first 3 rounds who are local products. I still am going to route for donato, but I have to say for me, this is a red flag. Not a major one, but something I'll look back on years down the road if he doesn't pan out as the first mistake he makes as a player.
) between Boston and Södertälje preventing him from playing - or he is just rusty.
