Donato represented Team USA at the 2018 Winter Olympic Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea, where he appeared in all five of the team's games before being eliminated in the quarterfinals by the Czech Republic. The 21-year-old forward tied for the most goals in the Olympics with five tallies in five games, and his six points were the most by an American player. It was the second time Donato represented his country on the international stage, after posting three goals and one assists in seven games as Team USA earned a bronze medal at the World Junior Championships in 2015-16.
Donato led Harvard in scoring as a junior in 2017-18, recording 26 goals (4th in NCAA) and 17 assists for 43 points with a plus-15 rating in 29 games. The 6-foot-1, 190-pound forward was named the NCAA Ivy League Player of the Year in 2016-17 after leading Harvard to an ECAC Championship and a berth in the NCAA Frozen Four with 21 goals and 19 assists for 40 points with a plus-19 rating in 36 games. As a freshman for the Crimson in 2015-16, Donato tallied 13 goals and eight assists for 21 points with a plus-four rating in 32 appearances. In his final season with Harvard, Donato was selected as one of ten Hobey Baker finalists, which is awarded annually to the best collegiate hockey player.
Prior to attending Harvard, Donato played four seasons of high school hockey at Dexter School in Brookline, MA, where he amassed 98 goals and 129 assists for 227 points in 115 career games.
The Boston, Massachusetts native was originally selected by the Bruins in the second round (56th overall) of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft.