On Thursday morning, the Hartford Wolf Pack and New York Rangers announced the hiring of Grant Potulny as head coach in Hartford. Potulny, 44, becomes the eighth head coach in Wolf Pack history.
Potulny’s Hockey History
Potulny was selected in the fifth round (157th overall) by the Ottawa Senators in the 2000 NHL draft. He never reached the NHL level, but did go on to play 297 games in the AHL. Potulny played for the Binghamton Senators, Hershey Bears, Springfield Falcons, San Antonio Rampage, and Norfolk Admirals during his professional career. In total, Potulny recorded 145 points (73 G, 72 A) during his time in the AHL.
Potulny retired following the 2008-09 season, and made the transition into coaching. He joined his alma mater, the University of Minnesota, as an assistant coach. Potulny remained at Minnesota until 2017, when he accepted his first head coaching job as bench boss of Northern Michigan. Potulny has spent the last seven years as bench boss at Northern Michigan, compiling a record of 128-113-17. The Wildcats won at least 20 games in four of those seasons. The team also finished as runner-up in their conference three times under Potulny, twice in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association and once in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association. Potulny left the program following the 2023-24 season, and now lands his first professional coaching job in the Connecticut capital.
Potulny also has international coaching experience, serving as an assistant to Team USA at the IIHF World Junior Championships in 2013, 2017, 2018, and 2022. He’s coached a number of future Rangers and Wolf Pack players as part of Team USA, including Ryan Lindgren (2017, 2018), Adam Fox (2017, 2018), and Brett Berard (2022), among others.
Hartford’s New Head Honcho
Potulny is stepping into a good situation in Hartford, unlike many head coaches who are brought in to right the ship.
The Wolf Pack began the 2023-24 season with Kris Knoblauch at the helm, with the team getting off to a torrid 7-3-1 start. However, after just eleven games, Knoblauch left to take over as head coach of the Edmonton Oilers. The Wolf Pack tabbed assistant coach Steve Smith as the team’s new interim bench boss. Smith went 27-25-6-3 as head coach in Hartford. The team finished fifth in the Atlantic Division and qualified for the Calder Cup Playoffs for the second straight season. In the playoffs, the Wolf Pack upset the Charlotte Checkers and Providence Bruins, setting up a rematch with the Hershey Bears in the Atlantic Division Finals. Unfortunately, for the second straight season, Hershey swept Hartford in three games.
Following the sweep, Smith was noncommittal about his future in Hartford. He raved about how much he enjoyed the season, but also mentioned a desire to spend time with family.
Now, Potulny takes over as new head honcho in Hartford. He’s joining a strong team, with exciting prospects like Jaroslav Chmelař and Victor Mancini joining seasoned veterans like Riley Nash and Alex Belzile. Expectations will once again be high for the Wolf Pack next season. However, the blueprint is there for Potulny to meet – or exceed – those expectations.
Final Thoughts
Ultimately, it’s unsurprising to see Hartford go in a different direction. Smith did well with the challenges thrown his way, but the organization was likely looking for someone who can commit to multiple seasons behind the bench in Hartford. Potulny seems to be that guy.
For some, Potulny looks like a risky hire. He’s never coached at the professional level before, expectations are high for Hartford coming off two straight Atlantic Division Finals appearances. However, Kris Knoblauch didn’t have professional head coaching experience when he was hired by Hartford either. Knoblauch did spend two years as an assistant coach with the Philadelphia Flyers, but he also didn’t have a roster this talented in his first season behind Hartford’s bench. I think we can call it a wash.
Hartford’s far from done with building their team – the NHL draft starts tomorrow night, with free agency following on Monday. However, Potulny’s hiring represents a significant step forward in building the Wolf Pack’s 2024-25 team. Change is inevitable in the AHL, but fans should look forward to this new era of Hartford hockey.
