It may be too early to call Ryan Donato a superstar, but Ryan Donato is a superstar

Ryan Donato signed a two-year entry level contract with the Boston Bruins on Sunday evening. Not 24 hours later he scored his first NHL goal (and added two assists) against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Ryan Donato is technically still a Harvard student. He just wrapped up a great NCAA career with the Crimson and was a Bruins second-round draft pick and a breakout Olympic hockey star. But before the Bruins signed him to a two-year contract on Sunday, he was not a star. Yet.

Donato kicked off what will be a long and successful Bruins career with a bang tonight, scoring his first NHL goal in the second period against the Blue Jackets to tie the game up at 1-1. Donato added two assists in the back-and-forth thriller. As of right now, Donato is currently leading the league in points per game, with three. Excitement is high throughout the Bruins fan base.

The goal itself was beautiful:

Donato almost had a second goal and potential game-winner when he intercepted a puck into a breakaway late in the third, forcing Blue Jackets goalie Joonas Korpisalo to make a spectacular save. He showed consistent grit and determination throughout the game.

The Bruins were without a long list of players tonight, with Patrice Bergeron, Charlie McAvoy, David Backes, Jake DeBrusk, Zdeno Chara and Anders Bjork all out with injuries of various severities. Surprisingly enough, depth has not been an issue with this team, as it has been forced to adopt a “next man up” mentality this season. Each time a new player steps in, he plays to the elite level needed for the team to succeed.

Many of the injuries are short-term, and key players will be back before the playoffs. These injuries are obviously not something you want to see at any point, let alone this late in the season, but if there is a silver lining for the Bruins it is knowing how much talent this team has coming up the ranks. The Bruins can rest easy knowing that they have a long list of players that will be able to help them run deep into the playoffs.

The game was a thriller. The score went back and forth through three periods, needing overtime to decide a winner. Cam Atkinson scored the final goal to end the game at 5-4 for the red-hot Blue Jackets after a pair of controversial no-calls on two Bruins breakaways in the extra period.

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It may be early, but given his continued success from Harvard to the Olympics to this incredible Bruins debut, there’s no doubt Ryan Donato will be the next household name in Bruins hockey.

Get online and start placing those Ryan Donato jersey orders.