It’s that time of the year for The Win Column’s NHL Draft Rankings and Draft Profiles! Earlier this week, we released the TWC consolidated 2025 NHL Draft rankings. The 2025 NHL Draft will take place on June 27th and 28th in Los Angeles. Today we’ll be looking at centre Cullen Potter.

Who is Cullen Potter?

PlayerPositionHandednessHeightWeightCullen PotterC/LWLeft5’10”172 lbs

Cullen Potter is a left-shot centre on the smaller side, standing at 5’10” and a very light 172 pounds. Given his smaller stature, there’s a good chance he translates more to a winger than a centre at the NHL level.

He’s spent his entire junior career in the United States, transitioning from the USNTDP to Arizona State University this past season. As a January 2007 birthday, Potter is on the younger end of players available in the draft.

Potter’s on-ice production

YearDraft RelativeLeagueTeamGPGAP2022–23D-2U16 AAADallas Stars Elite U16524344872023–24D-1NTDPU.S. National U1754172946USHLUSNTDP Juniors35913222024–25D+0NCAAArizona State Univ.3513922

Potter has been productive at every level he’s played at thus far in his young career. Last season in his D-1 year with the NTDP U17 team, Potter led his team in scoring with 46 points in 54 games. Showcasing his playmaking ability, his 29 assists ranked second on the team behind only defenceman Donato Bracco, a projected second-round pick in this year’s draft.

This past year, Potter made the big decision to move to the NCAA as a 17-year-old for his draft year, something that was questioned by scouts given his size. Potter, however, fared quite well despite some bumps along the way. Across 35 games, his 22 points ranked eighth on his team in scoring despite being the only under-20 player on the entire roster. His 13 goals ranked fourth on the team.

Potter also laced them up at the U18 World Championship this past season, posting eight points in seven games to finish third on the American roster in scoring.

Potter’s strengths

Skating

Potter is a flat-out burner. He’s arguably the best skater in the entire draft class, which is an asset that will always catch the attention of NHL scouts. He’s extremely quick on his skates, regularly burning defenders wide or using his agility to shake defenders in one-on-one situations. His edgework is equally as impressive as he’s constantly keeping defenders on their toes. His skating makes him a dangerous weapon in both the east-west and north-south aspects of the game.

He’s able to carry the puck through the neutral zone and complete controlled entries with ease. He’s exactly the type of speedster you want bringing the puck up the ice for your team. If he makes it to the next level, he’ll be an absolute weapon in transition.

Puck-skills

Along with his elite skating ability, Potter also possesses impressive puck skills. He’s a creative player with the puck on his stick, which is needed to be successful given his size. He’s able to keep the puck on his stick and protect it from larger defenders using his high-end hands, as he weaves in and out of traffic and plays keep away. At the next level, he’ll be a dangerous play on the power play as well because of his hands and ability to make things happen in tight spaces.

Compete level

Despite his small stature, Potter doesn’t shy away from the more physical parts of the game. He welcomes contact and is happy to muck it up in the corners to retrieve a loose puck if needed. It’s obviously not the staple of his game, but NHL coaches will love a smaller guy who isn’t afraid to do some dirty work at times. He’s also effective in the defensive zone because of his willingness to never give up on a play. He has the makings of an underrated two-way player in the NHL one day.

Potter’s areas of improvement

Strength

This goes without saying, but Potter needs to add some size and strength to his frame. At just 172 pounds, Potter is incredibly tiny right now and would get pushed around quite easily in the pro ranks. With that said, he’s still incredibly young, of course, and has lots of time to add some weight before he makes it to the pro level. He’d really benefit from some added strength as well, making him even more difficult to knock off the puck.

Consistency

One of the areas that Potter has been criticized for is his consistency. He can tend to drift in and out of games, shying away from the thick of the action and sticking to the perimeter too much. This drastically limits his effectiveness in certain games and makes him invisible at times. He’ll have to work at staying engaged more consistently if he wants to make the NHL one day.

Potter’s comparables

Potter’s similarities to current Chicago Blackhawk and 2022 13th overall pick Frank Nazar are clear as day. Both players are the same size, have very similar skillsets in terms of skating and puck skills, and have had questions surrounding their size. Nazar has proven the doubters wrong thus far, putting up some elite numbers in the AHL and playing 53 NHL games this past season. Potter certainly has the mold of yet another small player passed over who makes scouts look silly one day.

Fit with the Flames

Potter has some high-end offensive skill, something the Flames desperately lack. With that said, I’m not sure if Potter is the type of player the Flames should be targeting in the first round. The organization is already chock-full of average or small-sized middle-six wingers, and Potter looks to be in the same mold. The Flames need help down the middle, and Potter looks like more of a winger at the next level. Unless he’s still around with Florida’s first-round pick, I can’t see the Flames targeting Potter.

Summary

Potter is arguably the best skater in the entire draft class, meaning he has very real NHL potential even if some of his other tools aren’t considered elite. His size is a risk, but as we’ve seen time and time again, passing over players based on their size almost never turns out well. Potter won’t be a star in the NHL, but if he can put everything together, he has the skillset to become a very effective top-six winger at the pro level. He’s a bit of a gamble because of his size, but it’s a gamble worth taking.

Risk: 2.5/5

Reward: 4/5

Projection: Top-six winger

Check out all of The Win Column’s individual player profiles of selected 2025 NHL Draft prospects:

Matthew Schaefer | Michael Misa | James Hagens | Porter Martone | Anton Frondell | Victor Eklund | Roger McQueen | Caleb Desnoyers | Jackson Smith | Jake O’Brien | Carter Bear | Radim Mrtka | Lynden Lakovic | Brady Martin | Justin Carbonneau | Malcolm Spence | Cameron Reid | Logan Hensler | Cameron Schmidt | Ben Kindel | Kashawn Aitcheson

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