Cullen Potter is one of the most intriguing players in the 2025 NHL Draft. He was a true freshman who joined Arizona State at 17 and didn’t turn heads during his first NCAA season. Over 35 games, the forwards posted 13 goals and 22 points, a modest line at first glance. Still, it becomes much more impressive when you consider his age, usage, and the quality of competition. Among draft-eligible NCAA players, only James Hagens had more points, and Potter was a staple in all offensive situations for the Sun Devils.
What makes him stand out from the rest of this year’s class is his skating. He’s the most explosive skater available. His first few strides create instant separation, and his edgework is surgical. He can stop, pivot, and cut inside or outside on a dime. It makes it arduous for him to suppress the rush. He’s not just fast in a straight line but also elusive, creative, and calculated in how he attacks defenders. Potter uniformly forces opponents onto their heels, and when given space to operate, he can either blow by a defender or carve his way through a defense with extraordinary hands and foresight.
Potter plays every shift with an everlasting motor. Despite being just 5-foot-9, he battles hard, plays through contact, and hounds the puck. He’s proactive on the forecheck, disruptive in the neutral zone, and a responsible backchecker who uses his speed to recover and pressure puck carriers. Even on nights when his offense isn’t resonant, he brings value through his pace, effort, and unmatched tenacity.
Still, his play is far from perfect. While skating creates robust scoring chances, the finishing efficiency hasn’t kept pace. He habitually misses the net, has shots blocked, or forces passes into pressure that leads to turnovers. He sometimes tries to do too much individually, skating himself into trouble instead of moving the puck early. These tendencies, along with a relatively low shooting percentage and high giveaway rate, mean he still must round out his offensive IQ before reaching the NHL.
Potter still lacks physical maturity. He loses puck battles due to strength and gets bumped off plays in traffic, and his low penalty-drawing rate and faceoff struggles highlight how much development remains on the physical side. Despite these flaws, Potter projects a high floor with a trustworthy ceiling because of the tools he does have. The elite skating, competitive fire, puck skills, and play-driving instincts have done wonders at every level. He played nearly 19 minutes a night for Arizona State and sees regular time on the power play. He is trusted in key moments, and coaches appreciate his ability to generate momentum solely through his bursts of speed. His defensive reads are improving, and he’s shown growth as a supportive off-puck player, especially in transition and neutral-zone structure.
As an NHL regular, he could settle into an energy-line, penalty-killing role with speed, or if his finishing, vision, and strength improve, he can morph into a high-impact middle-six forward who plays in all situations. If a pro organization has the patience and development system to refine its offensive decision-making and build up its strength, the payoff could be huge. Cole Caufield, Logan Stankoven, and reigning Calder winner Lane Hutson all passed over early due to size, and all are now proving their doubters wrong. Potter has the tools to join that list.
Currently, the Wisconsin native doesn’t project as a top-10 pick, but he has the raw talent to surprise. If he lands in the right system and puts in the work, he’s the player who could make teams regret letting him slide, and you’ll return to this article wondering why you weren’t in his corner earlier. Somewhere in the late first to early second round seems like the sweet spot, though a team that believes in his ceiling could easily take him earlier. Regardless of draft position, Potter will be a name worth tracking closely for the player he is now and for the franchise cornerstone he could become.
ITR 47: Then There Was Nothing – Inside The Rink
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