Through the first two games of the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup in Edmonton, Alex Donovan and Team USA were in jeopardy.
After splitting their first two preliminary games — a 2-1 loss to Czechia on Aug. 5 and a 3-1 win against Finland the next day — the U.S. was set to face Germany, with a loss eliminating the Americans from medal contention.
Donovan, a Darien, Conn., native, had zero points through two games. USA coach Garrett Raboin tweaked the lines in an attempt to find a spark, putting him and fellow University of Denver commit Sam Spehar on the same line.
To call the result of that switch “a spark” would be an understatement.
In a 12-3 drubbing by the U.S., Donovan tallied five points. Spehar assisted on his lone goal, a quick wrister from the left circle, and Donovan returned the favor by assisting on both of Spehar’s goals. Two of Donovan’s assists resulted from shots on goal that a teammate cashed in on, but that didn’t matter to him.
“If I got one point, I would be happy,” Donovan said. “I was just happy to be there. It’s such an honor to represent your country, so even just getting on the scoresheet at all, that’s awesome.”
When it came to Donovan producing, Raboin knew it was just a matter of time.
“He proved that he could add value through his playmaking ability, competitiveness (at the pre-tournament camp in St. Paul),” Raboin said. “He just had a lot of elements that we felt could contribute to offense. And it played true through the tournament.”
Although the resounding win over Germany pushed the U.S. into medal contention, the Americans dropped their semifinal match against Canada, 5-1, then lost to Sweden, 6-3, in the third-place game. Still, Donovan walked away as USA’s co-leading scorer with Carter Murphy.
It marked the latest checkpoint for the 17-year-old forward, whose stock continues to rise. Donovan already was on Raboin’s radar as he assembled a list of potential candidates for Hlinka, but Donovan’s performance at the USA Hockey Boys 17 National Festival in Amherst, N.Y. from June 25-July 1 solidified his inclusion on the final roster.
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Donovan scored six points (two goals, four assists) in six games for the New England District squad, tying George McCaffrey (Ridgefield, Conn.) for the team lead. New England finished third out of 12 teams with a 4-2-0 record.
New England District coach Jason Guerriero said his side was projected to finish ninth entering the festival, but Donovan’s leadership helped his group exceed expectations.
“He's very professional,” said Guerriero, who formerly was an assistant coach at Northeastern University. “He obviously wants to be a pro, so all those little details that he did off the ice, just quickly the guys soaked in and kind of took him in as the leader.
“A lot of our success this year at the festival was because we had a good leader like Alex.”
Through the whole week working with him at Select 17 Camp, Guerriero could tell Donovan was ahead of the curve. While some players needed constant reminders to hammer down the details of the game, it was another day at the office for Donovan.
Guerriero, a former Northeastern captain and AHL player, called Donovan a “complete player,” someone who can produce on the top line but also contribute in a bottom-six role. Part of that is attributed to how Donovan plays to overcome his stature.
At 5-foot-10, 168 pounds, Donovan can’t rely on size to get results, so he has worked to hone every other aspect of his game. That said, he doesn’t limit himself because of his height.
“As a mid-size player, I think I play bigger than my size, so I’m continuing to build up my body so that I can make a difference … and (bring) a physical aspect to the game,” Donovan said. “I think that’s helping me.”
While Donovan established himself as one of New England’s top prep players this summer, he no longer plays in the region. After nine “fantastic” years with Mid Fairfield as a youth player, Donovan took his talents to Faribault, Minn., to join prep powerhouse Shattuck-St. Mary’s in 2021-22.
Donovan took a massive leap as a junior at Shattuck last season, scoring 40 goals and 40 assists in 57 games to nearly double his totals from the year prior (21 goals, 22 assists). As impressed as he was with Donovan’s production, Shattuck’s U-16 head coach, Rich Metro, was equally impressed by his personality.
With a team as deep as Shattuck’s, Metro often tries to give every player opportunities in different scenarios. While some players bristle at being shifted off the power play, Donovan took every decision in stride, buying in to the team-first culture.
“There's guys that come through your program that leave this place better, and he's definitely one of those kids that has come here and done everything we've asked, on and off the ice,” Metro said. “We couldn't be more excited for him.”
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Donovan’s commitment to Denver will keep him away from home even longer, but a return to New England was perhaps in the cards. Donovan toured D-1 programs in his home state — Quinnipiac, UConn, Yale — as well as other New England schools such as Dartmouth and Maine, but he was less concerned about location. In the end, Denver felt like the best fit for him.
With three years of hindsight, Donovan believes his move to Shattuck was the best decision he could have made, due to the program’s hyper-focus on development and competing at a high level. With the “needed” adjustment to leaving home, Donovan believes he’s best set up for success at Denver and wherever his career takes him next.
“Moving away at 14 years old to start your high school experience, it’s definitely not the typical route that people take,” Donovan said. “But it all ended up being worth it in the end.”
