TJSweens
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Evason says there is no beef with Donato. He likes him and his attitude. It's just going through the process of developing a complete game.
Ryan Donato keeps scoring, making case to move up in Wild lineup
By DANE MIZUTANI | dmizutani@pioneerpress.com | Pioneer Press
PUBLISHED: February 26, 2020 at 3:41 p.m. | UPDATED: February 26, 2020 at 3:42 p.m.
It doesn’t matter where Ryan Donato gets put in the Wild lineup. All he does is score. It’s what he’s done his entire life.
He proved that again during Tuesday’s 5-4 home victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets, netting the puck from in front of the goal while being dragged down to the ice.
He has 12 goals this season, and leads the Wild with an average of 1.36 goals per 60 minutes. Yet, somehow, he still finds himself in the bottom half of the lineup most nights.
It’s nothing personal, according to interim coach Dean Evason, who heaped praise on Donato when asked about him earlier this week.
“It’s a learning process,” Evason insisted. “He’s just a young guy that hasn’t gone through the process.”
In other words, Donato needs to work on becoming a more complete player, using his offensive skills to his advantage while continuing to refine his defensive skills on a nightly basis.
“He’s obviously got natural talent to score goals,” Evason said. “He’s got to commit to the areas below the blue line and get pucks out, and stay below pucks in key points in games. He’s learning that process. And it is a process. He’s done great with it.”
Perhaps the most impressive thing is that Donato hasn’t complained at all.
While he has to be frustrated with his playing time, he has remained accessible in the locker room, willing to answer any question reporters might have for him.
Most recently, Donato smiled as he credited linemates Mikko Koivu and Ryan Hartman with helping him continue to improve his game on a nightly basis, his frustration nowhere to be found.
“We are (building) chemistry,” Donato said. “It’s nice to just play a simple game and get rewarded for it.”
In that same breath, Donato joked that it’s intimidating playing with Koivu, whose stoic demeanor has become his calling card over his 1,000-game NHL career.
“He’s a very serious guy,” Donato said. “That’s the way he is. You’ve just got to take his advice and do exactly what he says because he knows the drill. He’s been around long enough, and if I want to be around like him, he’s the type of guy I need to listen to.”
If Donato keeps scoring at this rate, it’s safe to assume Koivu isn’t going to mind him being around.
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