New York Rangers President and General Manager Chris Drury announced today that Grant Potulny has been appointed Head Coach of the Rangers’ AHL affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack.
Potulny, 44, comes to the Rangers organization after seven seasons as Head Coach at Northern Michigan University, where he achieved a 128-113-17 record. Under his leadership, Northern Michigan maintained a .500 points percentage or better in five of those seasons and secured at least 20 wins on four occasions. In his inaugural season in 2017-18, Potulny led the Wildcats to a 25-15-3 record, marking a 12-win improvement, and was honored as the WCHA Coach of the Year. He also guided Northern Michigan to the CCHA Finals twice in three seasons (2020-21 and 2022-23).
A native of Grand Forks, North Dakota, Potulny began his coaching career as an Assistant Coach at the University of Minnesota, starting in the 2010-11 season. During his eight seasons with the Golden Gophers, the team won four consecutive Big Ten regular season championships (2013-14 to 2016-17) and the Big Ten tournament championship in 2014-15. Potulny also helped the team reach the National Championship Game in 2013-14.
Additionally, Potulny has served as an Assistant Coach for Team USA in several IIHF World Junior Championships (2013, 2017, 2018, 2022), contributing to gold medal victories in 2013 and 2017, and a bronze medal in 2018.
Drafted in the fifth round by the Ottawa Senators in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft, Potulny played five seasons of professional hockey before transitioning to coaching. He also played four seasons at the University of Minnesota, where he was team captain for two seasons and helped the Golden Gophers win consecutive National Championships in 2001-02 and 2002-03.
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