Dan Donato knows what it takes to compete.
After all, the Dedham, Mass., native has been competing as a player and a coach for a long time. And not just in hockey. He was a defenseman at Boston University from 1991-94, scoring eight goals and adding 28 assists for 36 points in 80 games, and then he was a utility player in the Tampa Bay Ray and New York Yankee organizations, from 1995-98.
Keeping up with that theme of being pretty active, Donato, 49, is still a busy guy these days at Dexter Southfield: Not only is he the varsity boys' hockey coach, he's also the varsity boys' baseball coach -- as well as the senior associate director of admissions.
After building up the prep hockey team at Salisbury from 2002-07, Donato returned to his home state when he took the job with Brookline, Mass., prep school Dexter Southfield. Ever since, he's been commanding a team that seems to compete year-in, year-out, this year running up a 17-3 record (two of those losses came against rival top-dog Lawrence Academy) and being at or near the top of our weekly coaches poll.
What has Coach Donato learned over the years? We sat him on the hot seat to find out.
1. What is the most important character trait that you look for in a player?
I guess it depends on the need of the player. But I look for a work ethic, and I look for that not only on the ice but in the classroom and from his teachers' recommendations because I’m also part of that in the admissions office. If you have a kid that’s a character kid that works hard, in the classroom and on the ice, for my money you can do a lot with that kid and they can make your team better just simply by a good work ethic.
You can implement systems and take that player and develop him to the next level, or at least take them to the level where they can develop or whatever, if you know what I’m trying to say. I think character and work ethic are my first two. There are a lot of players out there with skill, but if you have the other two and you put skill and will together, then obviously you’re going to have a really good finished product.
2. What’s the most valuable lesson you’ve learned after all these years at Dexter Southfield?
That’s a great question. I think it’s a people business, all of it. I think that the reason I like doing what I’m doing is because of the unbelievable kids and families I’ve met and become close to and have tried to help get them to the best college, the best fit. I guess it’s really the relationship side of the business that’s made it so rewarding for me.
All the relationships, that includes all the coaches I’ve been able to come in contact with, and a lot of NHL scouts and GMs and stuff like that, which has made it a lot of fun because we’re all in the business of trying to help kids accomplish their goals and their dreams. And I think I get to do that, and that’s very rewarding for me.
What have you learned about kids after all these years?
I think kids are awesome. I think they keep me young, they keep me on my toes every day, which I love. They are really fun to be around and I’ve learned that if you treat kids with respect and get to know your players on a personal level, that those relationships work really well and they work for a really long time.
3. Why would a player pick prep school over something else?
I was brought up that you always value education, and I always tell kids to go to the best school you can get into where you’re going to play. And that’s a different school for every kid. It can be an Ivy, that can be a great Hockey East school, that can be a great ECAC school that’s not Ivy, that can be a great NESCAC, whatever level.
I think that’s the best advice I can give a kid: shoot for the best school. And that makes kids accountable in the classroom and accountable around school. That’s a great lesson for the kids.
Are you applying that to prep school as well as high school, juniors?
I do. Listen, there’s value in every kid’s individual case. I would tell kids, "Protect yourself with a great education."
You come to Dexter, No. 1, you’re getting a great education. But I’m a big believer that physics at Dexter is no different from the physics sometimes at a public school or another private school, it’s how it’s taught, it’s the small classes, it’s the extra help or something we give to our students that makes our experience really rewarding.
And I think when you can have that type of education and play at the level and practice at the speed and level we practice at every day, to me it’s a no-brainer.
That doesn’t mean you can’t play great levels of junior hockey. But I think kids get better in practice every day. We practice very hard, we play enough games for my money to make you a good player.
And when you factor that in with playing split-season in the fall, and getting another 25-30 games, you’re getting 50-60 games a year, so I’m not a big believer that you need 100 games to be a great hockey player -- because I watched someone 13 months older than me, my brother Teddy, play 20 games a year and still play 14 years in the NHL. Either you have it or you don’t.
I think a number of games is great, but it’s not the end-all, be-all to me for success.
4. What is your aspiration in hockey?
That’s a great question too. I’m really content where I am right now. I absolutely love Dexter Southfield, I love the people I work with, I love the kids, I like the level. I’d be lying if I told you I never thought about working at the college level because maybe someday I will.
I’ve also had some opportunities to look into the college level in baseball, and professional level. I played for the New York Yankees and Tampa Devil Rays too. Now just the Rays, not the Devil Rays, I shouldn’t say that anymore. So, for me I love both.
One of the things I do love is the transition to the next sport. For coaching baseball, I take the kids to Florida, that’s so much fun for me. My son played football in the fall, I love to golf, so I love different sports.
But like I said, I’m very happy and very content with where I’m at. My own kids have received an incredible education at Dexter Southfield and I’ll be forever grateful and thankful for that.
5. Who’s the team to beat in prep hockey this year? (You can’t say your own team.)
Besides Dexter (laughs) … I would definitely say there’s a few teams that come to mind. I would say Salisbury. I have a ton of respect for Salisbury, they’re a very good team, they’re very well-coached, Andrew Will is one of the best in the business.
I would say you can’t look past Tim Whitehead’s Kimball Union team, I don’t care if they’ve had a little bit of a rollercoaster here. Push comes to shove, Tim’s a great coach and they’ve won it three straight years over some quality opponents. Lawrence Academy is there, certainly.
There’s some other teams right there but I would say, today, those guys are certainly contenders and as I’ve told my team, we’re going to go about our business, and we’ve got to get better every day because I’ve seen those guys play and they’re really good teams.
We’ve played against Lawrence, Salisbury is traditionally a power and so is KUA. I’ve heard things about the (Adam) Fantilli kid and the size and strength of Salisbury and their depth as a team, and plus they’re well-coached.
I mean, coaching can take you a long way in itself. All good coaches, all have been to the promised land of the Elite 8, and all know how to win at that level too.
Paul Grant is an editor and a writer for HockeyJournal.com and Seamans Media. He previously oversaw hockey content at ESPN.com and Sporting News. You can connect with him at pgrant@hockeyjournal.com.
