Andy McDonald left his hometown of Strathroy, Ontario to play collegiate hockey with Colgate University in Hamilton, New York in the fall of 1996. During his four seasons with Colgate, McDonald established himself as a high-scoring centre and in 1999-2000, led the ECAC in goals (25), assists (33) and points (58), while being named to the ECAC First All-Star Team, ECAC Player of the Year, NCAA First All-Star Team and was named a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award. Undrafted, McDonald was signed as a free agent with the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in April 2000. In 2000-01, McDonald played 16 games with the NHL's Mighty Ducks, while spending the remainder of the season with Cincinnati of the AHL. The next season, McDonald again split the season between Anaheim and the AHL before earning a full-time roster spot with the club in 2002-03. On the international stage, McDonald represented his homeland at the 2002 World Championships.



After being spotted playing in the Western Ontario Junior Hockey League by Stan Moore and Chris Wells, Andy spent four years with a full scholarship at Colgate University alongside fellow Strathroy native Darryl Campbell, the older brother of the Buffalo Sabres' Brian Campbell. He lead the Division I Red Raiders, culminating his career there with an ECAC scoring championship, being named the ECAC Player of the Year, being selected for the ECAC All-Star Team and was a finalist for the coveted Hobey Baker Award. He graduated with a degree in International Relations.