Wolf Pack’s new head coach brings experience as player, coach at college and pro levels

Contributed Grant Potulny is the new head coach of the Hartford Wolf Pack.

Contributed The Wolf Pack celebrate after a goal during the 2023-24 season at the XL Center.

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The Hartford Wolf Pack on Thursday named a new head coach, a former college hockey star with experience playing and coaching in the AHL.

The new head coach, 44-year-old Grant Potulny, spent the last seven seasons as the head coach of Northern Michigan University. During that time, his record was 128 wins, 113 losses and 17 ties.

Previously, Potulny spent eight seasons as an assistant coach at his alma mater, University of Minnesota. Potulny helped the Golden Gophers win six regular-season conference titles and qualify for the NCAA Tournament five times.

Potulny also served at the international level, as an assistant coach for Team USA in the World Junior Ice Hockey Championships in 2013 and 2018.

As a player, Potulny had a six-year career in the AHL. He appeared in 297 games, scoring 145 points with the Binghamton Senators, Hershey Bears, Springfield Falcons, San Antonio Rampage and Norfolk Admirals.

He was a star player in college, where he scored 116 points over four seasons and led the University of Minnesota to two NCAA National Championships. Potulny was named the NCAA Tournament’s MVP in 2002.

Potulny, a native of Grand Forks, North Dakota, is the eighth head coach in Wolf Pack history.

He replaces Steve Smith, who became the Wolf Pack’s interim head coach in November after Kris Knoblauch was named the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers’ new head coach.

Smith had been an assistant coach with the Wolf Pack since 2021 and is a former NHL player and coach.

The Wolf Pack are the New York Rangers’ top player-development affiliate and play their home games at the XL Center in Hartford.

The Wolf Pack had a banner season in 2023-24. The team advanced to the division finals of the Calder Cup Playoffs for the second year in a row and had the highest single-season average attendance since 2010-11.

The Wolf Pack hosted an average of 5,456 fans over 36 regular season home games during the season.

The Wolf Pack’s first home game of the 2024-25 season is on Friday, Oct. 18. For tickets, visit www.hartfordwolfpack.com or call 860-722-9425.