Jorian Donovan

Born in Calgary while his father was playing in the NHL, Jorian Donovan arrived in hockey circles early. He developed through Ontario junior ranks after being taken sixth overall in the 2020 OHL Priority Draft by the Hamilton Bulldogs and made his OHL debut in the 2021–22 season.

His junior years showed steady upward movement. In his first full season he posted three goals and 19 assists in 64 games as Hamilton set a single-season wins mark and went on to capture the J. Ross Robertson Cup, then reach the final of the 2022 Memorial Cup. The following year Donovan increased his offensive output to 12 goals and 45 points in 55 contests before the Bulldogs franchise relocated to Brantford.

The 2023–24 campaign proved pivotal. After scoring nine goals and 28 points in 34 games with Brantford, he was traded on January 8, 2024 to the Saginaw Spirit in exchange for eight draft selections. Donovan finished the season in Saginaw with four goals and 18 points in 32 games, helped the Spirit to the Western Conference Final, and then — as the host team — played a part in Saginaw's first-ever Memorial Cup victory.

On the professional side, Ottawa selected Donovan in the fifth round, 136th overall, of the 2022 NHL Entry Draft and signed him to a three-year entry-level contract in September 2022. He had a brief two-game stint with the AHL's Belleville Senators at the close of 2022–23 before joining them full-time for a season in which he recorded three goals and 12 points in 64 games. After returning to Belleville following Ottawa's camp, he was recalled on March 24, 2026 and made his NHL debut that night against Detroit, forming with his father the first father-son pairing to appear for the Senators; he played a second NHL game versus Pittsburgh before being sent back to Belleville, and was later recalled again without appearing.

Internationally, Donovan was initially cut from Canada's 2024 World Junior camp but was added to the roster after an injury to a teammate; he played five games without a point as Canada fell in the quarterfinals to Czechia. His game is marked by mobility from the blue line and a willingness to contribute offensively, traits that have served him across junior, AHL and his first NHL appearances.