Matt Donovan 2010-11 SEASON REVIEW:

Matt Donovan
Date of birth: May 09, 1990 (2010-11 Season Age: 20)

Place of birth: Edmond, OK, USA
Height: 6-0
Weight: 195
Shooting Hand: Left
AHL Season: ROOKIE
Drafted: NY Islanders In the 4th Round (96th Overall) of the 2008 NHL Draft 
Acquired: Originally Drafted By The NY Islanders


2010-11 Season Stats:

University Of Denver       WCHA:  GP: 42 G: 9  A: 23  P: 32   PIM: 64

Bridgeport Sound Tigers   AHL:  GP:  6  G: 1  A:  4   P: 5     PIM: 10

Short-Term Status: 

Next season he will spend the entire year with the Sound Tigers, and I highly doubt he gets a call-up unless there is an emergency situation. The reason I see that being the case is that in his six-game try-out with Bridgeport he may have put up a lot of points, but his defensive game was lacking. He had a little bit of trouble adjusting to the speed of the game which really leads me to believe that it would be better for the Isles to let him adjust with out being rushed.

Long-Term Status: 
Matt Donovan is going to be an NHL'er and I believe he will be somewhere between a 2nd pairing defenseman and a bottom pairing one. He will be in the Isles top-six in some capacity within the next 2-3 years. He may not have the huge, high-end upside, but he is not a player you should sleep on because I truly feel like he is going to play a role with the Isles going forward.

Contract Status:

LENGTH: 3 YEAR(S)     VALUE: $2,625,000     TYPE: ENTRY LEVEL     EXPIRY STATUS: RFA
SEASON	AHL SALARY	NHL SALARY	P. BONUSES	S. BONUS	CAP HIT
2011-12	$65,000	$875,000	$0	$87,500	$875,000
2012-13	$65,000	$875,000	$0	$87,500	$875,000
2013-14	$65,000	$875,000	$0	$87,500	$875,000

Review: 

Matt Donovan is another "diamond in the rough" type that has come out of the 2008 NHL Draft for the NY Islanders. That draft will go down as one of the best in Isles history, and no pick was better than the 4th round selection that was used to get Donovan. Every season since being drafted has been far better than anyone would expect for the 20 year old defenseman. With the Denver Pioneers this season, he led all defensemen on his club in points and goals. He was the premier offensive defenseman for the Pioneers and did a good job QB'ing their power play. His play in his own zone was quietly above-average for Denver but he will definitely have to work on his defensive zone play this off-season if he wants to have a good rookie year in the AHL. Regarding the AHL, he did spend some time with the Sound Tigers on an ATO following the closure of Denver's season. Offensively he looked terrific and his skills from college transferred over to the pro-game flawlessly but unfortunately his defensive problems were more evident than ever. He got caught flat-footed and seemed overwhelmed in his own zone. With a little bit of work, I believe those struggles can be corrected but it may take a few years. 

Season Grade (A+ to F-): B

He had an impressive season with Denver and became one of their most important players. He was a key man on the power play and he began to show  a bit of a mean streak. In his limited action with Bridgeport, I was very impressed with his play offensively and in the neutral zone but, once he entered his own end he looked overwhelmed and uncomfortable. He will need to work on that going into next season.

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