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Grant Potulny

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Grant Potulny
Potulny with the Hershey Bears in 2007
Born (1980-03-04) March 4, 1980 (age 44)
Grand Forks, North Dakota, U.S.
Height 6 ft 3 in (191 cm)
Weight 205 lb (93 kg; 14 st 9 lb)
Position Centre
Shot Left
NHL draft 157th overall, 2000
Ottawa Senators
Playing career

2004–2009

Coaching career
Biographical details
Alma materMinnesota
Playing career
1998–2000Lincoln Stars
2000–2004Minnesota
2004–2007Binghamton Senators
2007–2008Hershey Bears
2007–2008Springfield Falcons
2008–2009San Antonio Rampage
2008–2009Norfolk Admirals
2008–2009Füchse Duisburg
Position(s)Center
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
2009–2017Minnesota (Assistant)
2013USA U20 (Assistant)
2017USA U20 (Assistant)
2017–2024Northern Michigan
2018USA U20 (Assistant)
2024–PresentHartford Wolf Pack
Head coaching record
Overall128–113–17 (.529)
Tournaments0–0 (–)

Grant Martin Potulny (born March 4, 1980) is an American former professional ice hockey player and coach who is currently the head coach of the Hartford Wolf Pack of the American Hockey League as of 2024.[1] He was previously the head coach of the Northern Michigan Wildcats men's ice hockey team from 2017 to 2024. Potulny was selected by the Ottawa Senators in the 5th round (157th overall) of the 2000 NHL Entry Draft.

Playing career

[edit]

Potulny played two seasons in the United States Hockey League with the Lincoln Stars, leading his team to win the 1999–2000 Anderson Cup as the team's Most Valuable Player.[2] Potulny then attended the University of Minnesota where he was a three-year captain with the Minnesota Golden Gophers during his college career.

Immediately following his graduation, Potulny turned professional with the Binghamton Senators playing in their final few regular season games and playoff of the 2003–04 AHL season. He also played in the AHL for the Hershey Bears, Springfield Falcons, San Antonio Rampage and Norfolk Admirals. He also played in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga in Germany for Füchse Duisburg. He retired from professional hockey following the 2008–09 AHL season.

Coaching career

[edit]

In July 2009, Potulny was promoted to full-time assistant coach of the Minnesota Golden Gophers Men's ice hockey team prior to the 2009–10 season.[3]

Prior to the 2013 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships Potulny was named an assistant head coach for Team USA, working alongside Mark Osiecki and Phil Housley.[4] He was again named an assistant coach for Team USA for the 2018 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships.[5]

On April 18, 2017, it was announced that Potulny was selected to be the new head coach at Northern Michigan University.[6] In his first year as head coach, Potulny was named the WCHA Coach of the Year. He had led the Northern Michigan Wildcats to a 19-7-2-2 record. ranking second place in the conference.[7] On March 29, 2018, Potulny signed an eight-year employment agreement with Northern Michigan.[8]

After 7 seasons, Potulny stepped down as Northern Michigan head coach on June 11, 2024. He was named head coach of the Hartford Wolf Pack on June 27, 2024.

Personal life

[edit]

He is the older brother of Ryan Potulny, who played in the NHL for the Philadelphia Flyers, Edmonton Oilers, Chicago Blackhawks and Ottawa Senators. He is also a first-cousin to Paul Gaustad.

Head coaching record

[edit]
Statistics overview
Season Team Overall Conference Standing Postseason
Northern Michigan Wildcats (WCHA) (2017–2021)
2017–18 Northern Michigan 25–15–3 19–7–2 2nd WCHA Runner-up
2018–19 Northern Michigan 21–16–2 18–8–2 2nd WCHA Semifinals
2019–20 Northern Michigan 18–16–4 16–11–1–1 3rd WCHA Quarterfinals
2020–21 Northern Michigan 11–17–1 6–7–1 T–5th WCHA Runner-up
Northern Michigan: 75–64–10 59–33–6
Northern Michigan Wildcats (CCHA) (2021–present)
2021–22 Northern Michigan 20–16–1 12–13–1 5th CCHA Semifinals
2022–23 Northern Michigan 21–17–0 14–12–0 T–4th CCHA Runner-Up
2023–24 Northern Michigan 12–16–6 10–10–4 5th CCHA Quarterfinals
Northern Michigan: 53–49–7 36–35–5
Total: 128–113–17

      National champion         Postseason invitational champion  
      Conference regular season champion         Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
      Division regular season champion       Division regular season and conference tournament champion
      Conference tournament champion

Awards and honors

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Award Year
College
All-WCHA Rookie Team 2000–01
All-NCAA All-Tournament Team 2002 [9]
WCHA All-Tournament Team 2003 [10]

Career statistics

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Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1996–97 Red River High School HSND
1997–98 Red River High School HSND
1998–99 Lincoln Stars USHL 46 7 11 18 76 10 2 1 3 7
1999–2000 Lincoln Stars USHL 56 25 30 55 85 10 3 4 7 4
2000–01 University of Minnesota WCHA 42 22 11 33 38
2001–02 University of Minnesota WCHA 43 15 19 34 38
2002–03 University of Minnesota WCHA 23 15 8 23 12
2003–04 University of Minnesota WCHA 38 16 10 26 28
2003–04 Binghamton Senators AHL 3 0 1 1 0 2 0 0 0 0
2004–05 Binghamton Senators AHL 50 4 6 10 104 6 0 0 0 2
2005–06 Binghamton Senators AHL 78 23 23 46 122
2006–07 Binghamton Senators AHL 47 10 10 20 85
2007–08 Hershey Bears AHL 50 19 12 31 71
2007–08 Springfield Falcons AHL 25 9 6 15 33
2008–09 Füchse Duisburg DEL 7 1 0 1 8
2008–09 San Antonio Rampage AHL 7 0 1 1 10
2008–09 Norfolk Admirals AHL 37 8 13 21 50
AHL totals 297 73 72 145 475 8 0 0 0 2

References

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  1. ^ "Grant Potulny Named Head Coach of the AHL's Hartford Wolf Pack". nhl.com. June 27, 2024. Retrieved June 28, 2024.
  2. ^ "Player Bio: Grant Potulny – GOPHERSPORTS.COM – The Official Athletic Site of the Minnesota Gophers". Archived from the original on September 25, 2011. Retrieved January 29, 2012.
  3. ^ "Potulny and Johnson Added to Hockey Coaching Staff". gophersports.com. July 19, 2009. Retrieved February 12, 2019.
  4. ^ "Housley to coach USA U20s". IIHF.com. June 18, 2012. Retrieved February 12, 2019.
  5. ^ "Northern Michigan's Potulny Named to U.S. National Junior Team Staff for 2018 World Junior Championship". nmuwildcats.com. April 21, 2017. Retrieved February 12, 2019.
  6. ^ Cove, Drew (April 18, 2017). "Gophers' Potulny to be head coach at Northern Michigan". Minnesota Daily. Retrieved February 11, 2019.
  7. ^ "Potulny Named Coach of the Year as WCHA Hands Out Awards". collegehockeynews.com. March 12, 2018. Retrieved February 12, 2019.
  8. ^ "Potulny Agrees to Long-Term Contract Extension". nmuwildcats.com. March 29, 2018. Retrieved February 11, 2019.
  9. ^ "NCAA Frozen Four Records" (PDF). NCAA.org. Retrieved June 19, 2013.
  10. ^ "WCHA Tourney History". WCHA. Archived from the original on August 22, 2018. Retrieved June 26, 2014.
[edit]
Awards and achievements
Preceded by NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player
2002
Succeeded by
Preceded by WCHA Most Valuable Player in Tournament
2003
Succeeded by
Preceded by WCHA Coach of the Year
2017–18
Succeeded by