Grant Potulny

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.

Grant Potulny
Potulny with the Hershey Bears in 2007
Born	(1980-03-04) March 4, 1980 (age 45) 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 mater	Minnesota
Playing career
1998–2000	Lincoln Stars
2000–2004	Minnesota
2004–2007	Binghamton Senators
2007–2008	Hershey Bears
2007–2008	Springfield Falcons
2008–2009	San Antonio Rampage
2008–2009	Norfolk Admirals
2008–2009	Füchse Duisburg
Position(s)	Center
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
2009–2017	Minnesota (Assistant)
2013	USA U20 (Assistant)
2017	USA U20 (Assistant)
2017–2024	Northern Michigan
2018	USA U20 (Assistant)
2024–Present	Hartford Wolf Pack
Head coaching record
Overall	128–113–17 (.529)
Tournaments	0–0 (–)

Playing career

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

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

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

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

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

Career statistics

				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