Grant Potulny
Grant Martin Potulny (born March 4, 1980) is an American former professional ice hockey player. He is currently the head coach of the Northern Michigan Wildcats men's ice hockey team. Potulny was selected by the Ottawa Senators in the 5th round (157th overall) of the 2000 NHL Entry Draft.
| Grant Potulny | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Born |
March 4, 1980 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 | ||
| Played for |
Binghamton Senators Hershey Bears Springfield Falcons San Antonio Rampage Norfolk Admirals Füchse Duisburg | ||
| NHL Draft |
157th overall, 2000 Ottawa Senators | ||
| Playing career | 2004–2009 | ||
| Current position | |
|---|---|
| Team | Northern Michigan |
| Conference | WCHA |
| 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–present | Northern Michigan |
| 2018 | USA U20 (Assistant) |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 64–47–9 (.571) |
| 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.[1] 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.[2]
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.[3] He was again named an assistant coach for Team USA for the 2018 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships.[4]
On April 18, 2017, it was announced that Potulny was selected to be the new head coach at Northern Michigan University.[5] 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.[6] On March 29, 2018, Potulny signed an eight-year employment agreement with Northern Michigan.[7]
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
| Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Michigan Wildcats (WCHA) (2017–present) | |||||||||
| 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 | ||||
| Northern Michigan: | 64–47–9 | 53–26–5 | |||||||
| Total: | 64–47–9 | ||||||||
Awards and honors
| Award | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| College | ||
| All-WCHA Rookie Team | 2000–01 | |
| All-NCAA All-Tournament Team | 2002 | [8] |
| WCHA All-Tournament Team | 2003 | [9] |
References
- Player Bio: Grant Potulny – GOPHERSPORTS.COM – The Official Athletic Site of the Minnesota Gophers
- "Potulny and Johnson Added to Hockey Coaching Staff". gophersports.com. July 19, 2009. Retrieved February 12, 2019.
- "Housley to coach USA U20s". IIHF.com. June 18, 2012. Retrieved February 12, 2019.
- "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.
- Cove, Drew (April 18, 2017). "Gophers' Potulny to be head coach at Northern Michigan". Minnesota Daily. Retrieved February 11, 2019.
- "Potulny Named Coach of the Year as WCHA Hands Out Awards". collegehockeynews.com. March 12, 2018. Retrieved February 12, 2019.
- "Potulny Agrees to Long-Term Contract Extension". nmuwildcats.com. March 29, 2018. Retrieved February 11, 2019.
- "NCAA Frozen Four Records" (PDF). NCAA.org. Retrieved June 19, 2013.
- "WCHA Tourney History". WCHA. Archived from the original on August 22, 2018. Retrieved June 26, 2014.
External links
- Biographical information and career statistics from Eliteprospects.com, or Eurohockey.com, or The Internet Hockey Database
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Chuck Kobasew |
NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player 2002 |
Succeeded by Thomas Vanek |
| Preceded by Wade Dubielewicz |
WCHA Most Valuable Player in Tournament 2003 |
Succeeded by Kellen Briggs |
| Preceded by Tom Serratore |
WCHA Coach of the Year 2017–18 |
Succeeded by Mike Hastings |