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History

Ryan Potulny was at the top of the USHL's 2003 class, winning USHL Player of the Year, Top Forward and First Team All-Star honors for the league champion Lincoln Stars.

Potulny had 6 goals and 8 assists in 15 games his freshman year at Minnesota.

Potulny elected to come back from injury at the end of the last year instead of applying for a medical redshirt because he did not plan on using all of his collegiate eligibility anyway.

2004-05: Potulny enjoyed a strong sophomore season for perennial powerhouse Minnesota in 2004-05, tying for the team lead in goals (with Danny Irmen) and finishing third in overall points. He proved to be an indispensible factor in helping the Golden Gophers reach the NCAA Frozen Four semifinals, where they ultimately fell to championship runner-up North Dakota.

Most importantly, Potulny played in all of the Golden Gophers' 44 games, showing no ill effects of the knee injury that robbed him of the majority of his freshman campaign. In a relatively surprising development, Potulny turned down a contract offer from the Flyers this summer, reasoning that he was not yet ready to turn pro and wanted one more season to round out his game. If all continues to go as planned, the Grand Forks, ND native will make his professional debut, presumably with the Phantoms, in 2006-07.

2005-06: Potulny broke out in a big way in 2005-06, leading the entire nation in goals (38) and finishing in a first place time for points (63) with Chris Collins of Boston College. The junior sensation was the top offensive threat on a high-powered Minnesota squad that also featured standouts such as Danny Irmen (MIN), Ryan Stoa (COL) and then-undrafted collegiate star Phil Kessel (BOS). For his efforts, Potulny was named on of ten finalists for the prestigious Hobey Baker Award, the honor annually bestowed upon the NCAA’s most valuable performer.

Potulny elected to forgo his final college season and signed a pro contract with the Flyers.

2006-07: Injuries plagued Potulny throughout his first full season at the professional level, but the former University of Minnesota standout looked sharp and displayed plenty of promise, whenever (and wherever) he played in 2006-07. He started the year with the Phantoms, for whom he was an impact player from the start of the campaign, notching 24 points (12 goals, 12 assists) and 34 PIMs in 27 games for the AHL team.
Potulny was equally impressive in 35 games with the Flyers, recording 12 points (seven goals, five assists) and 22 PIMs. Perhaps most importantly, he displayed diligence at both ends of the rink, backchecking with effectiveness and taking care of the puck in his own end. His plus-1 rating was actually the fifth-best total on the team.

Al Alven contributed to this profile

Talent Analysis

Potulny is a gifted offensive player with good hands, acceleration, and lateral movement. He demonstrates incredible playmaking skills, as well as the innate ability to score timely goals. In College, Potulny was easily one of Minnesota’s most dynamic players when healthy, and fans quickly began to expect big plays out of him. Also a very good face-off guy, Potulny looks to have all the skills needed to excel at any level. He is responsible at both ends of the rink, backchecking with effectiveness and taking care of the puck in his own end.

http://www.hockeysfuture.com/prospects/ryan_potulny

From Dobbers (Written before the season)

The 22-year-old has great hands, great instincts, great hockey sense, great hustle and a great attitude. Not enough? How
about decent speed, to boot? Potulny has worked hard to increase his strength, but he’ll never be a big hockey player –
that is the only thing holding him back from ever being a first-line player. His talent is great, but not high-end enough to
compensate for his size and strength. He should be a Philadelphia regular in 2007-08 as a third liner, and then work his
way up to the second line over the next two years.
Potential: (35-35-70, 50 PIM)

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