BY SCOTT
HADDOW
New Sudbury Wolves forward Justin Donati has deep roots in the
community, which made it easier for him when he was acquired
from Toronto just before the OHL trade deadline.
"I have a lot of family here...my grandmother, aunts, uncles
and cousins," Donati said. "So I know quite a bit about the
city. It's a perfect fit for me."
Family support is especially important right now since Donati
lost his mother, Corinne, to ovarian cancer right before the
start of the 2006-07 season.
"When my mom passed away, I needed to take some time off," said
an emotional Donati. "I didn't feel like I had the passion to
play anymore in Toronto. I tried, but it was very difficult to
deal with, and it affected my performance.
While she was fighting, she was always upbeat and never down. She would have chemotherapy and then be on the go. She was a strong and great lady. It was always inspiring to see. Every time I go on the ice, she's in my thoughts. It gives me extra motivation to play hard and win. I know she's looking down on me and I want to impress her. She's with me all the time and that's a great feeling for me to have."
Now, despite the loss, every time Donati steps onto the ice he
finds strength in his mother's fighting spirit, which inspires
him to do his absolute best because that's what she would have
wanted.
The Wolves gave up Jessie Messier, a prospect and some draft
picks to land Donati, who also has a twin brother, Tyler, who
plays for Belleville.
Tonight marks the first time Justin will square off against his
twin brother in a Wolves' uniform when Sudbury hosts Belleville
at 7:30 pm.
"I'm looking forward to it...I don't know if he is," Donati
joked. "He has never played well in Sudbury, so hopefully we
can shut him down again. Now, I'm on a team that has a better
chance of beating his team...it's going to be a lot of
fun."
Up until the start of the season, the Donati twins both played
on the same teams in the OHL, suiting up for Oshawa and Toronto
respectively.
He has lived up to his advanced billing as an electrifying
player by scoring seven goals and 12 points in his first seven
games.
"I came in here to bring a competitive edge," said the
five-foot-10 sniper. "I didn't get to win much in Toronto. I
love winning and I can't stand to lose. I will do whatever it
takes to win. It's my last year and I want to go far in the
playoffs and win a championship."
Wolves' brass is impressed Donati's play, who was one of only
seven players last season to eclipse the 100-point plateau with
109.
"Justin is a highly skilled player who has a lot of patience
with the puck," said head coach and GM Mike Foligno. "He really
cares about our club and wants to be a big leader for us. We
want that from him because leadership is vital to the success
of any team.
"He's had instant success with Nick Foligno and he's added a
different element to our team. We now have two strong scoring
lines and that's one key to success."
