Born in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada, McDonald played intermediate hockey for the Quebec Crescents in 1905–06, moving to the Eastern Canada Amateur Hockey Association's Quebec Bulldogs for three games. At the end of December 1906, he played for the New Glasgow Cubs in an unsuccessful Stanley Cup challenge against the Montreal Wanderers. For the 1907 season, he returned to the Bulldogs. Except for the 1910 season when the Quebec team did not operate due to the failure of the Canadian Hockey Association, McDonald was a member of the Bulldogs until 1912. He was a member of the 1912 Quebec Stanley Cup champion squad.