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2018 WJC | Grant Potulny, Assistant Coach

Grant Potulny is serving on the staff of his third U.S. National Junior Team and seeking his third gold medal after helping Team USA claim one last year at the 2017 International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championship in Montreal and Toronto, Canada, as well as at the 2013 event in Ufa, Russia.

Potulny is in his first season as head coach of Northern Michigan University’s men’s ice hockey team after being named to the position in April 2017. He spent the past eight seasons as an assistant coach at the University of Minnesota, where he helped the Golden Gophers capture six regular-season conference titles, reach two NCAA Frozen Fours and appear in one NCAA national championship game.

A two-time NCAA and WCHA tournament champion during his playing career at Minnesota, Potulny was a three-year captain at Minnesota during his career from 2000-04. In 2002, he was an alternate captain as a sophomore and scored the overtime game-winning goal in Minnesota’s 4-3 victory against Maine in the 2002 national championship game. Potulny then captained the team the following two years, including the Gophers’ 2003 national title squad, and finished his career with 68 goals and 48 assists for 116 points in 146 outings.

Selected in the fifth round, 157th overall, in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft by the Ottawa Senators, the Grand Forks, North Dakota, native played three full seasons with the Ottawa Senator’s AHL affiliate, the Binghamton Senators, from 2004-07. He then spent one season split between the Hershey Bears and Springfield Falcons before skating his final AHL season with the Norfolk Admirals in 2008-09. 

A three-time North Dakota state champion with Red River High School, Potulny played two seasons in the United States Hockey League with the Lincoln Stars before playing collegiate hockey. With the Stars, he helped the squad claim the Anderson Cup regular-season championship as the team’s MVP in 1999-2000. 

Grant and his wife, Melissa, have three children.