Calgary Flames prospect and Arizona State University forward Cullen Potter is expected to miss the remainder of the 2025-26 season with an upper-body injury, Grand Forks Herald college hockey writer Brad Elliott Schlossman reported Tuesday.

Potter, 19, sustained the injury in ASU’s 1-0 win over Miami University on Jan. 10 — his birthday, coincidentally — after taking a heavy hit from RedHawks forward Kocha Delic while already being tangled up with Ilia Morozov. The Sun Devils sophomore fell hard to the ice and appeared to be in serious discomfort.

Upon further review, no penalty was assessed on the play to either Miami forward. Potter recorded four shots on goal before leaving the game; if he does end up missing the rest of the season, the Minneapolis product will finish his sophomore year with 12 goals, 26 points, 16 penalty minutes, and 78 shots on goal in just 24 games.

The Flames originally selected Potter with the No. 32 overall pick at the 2025 NHL Draft, using the first-round selection they received from the Florida Panthers as part of the Matthew Tkachuk trade. The 5’10” centre is the son of four-time U.S. Olympian Jenny Potter, who won gold with the Americans at Nagano 1998.

Potter played in the U.S. National Team Development Program as a 16-year-old in the 2023-24 season before committing to Arizona State for his draft year. He racked up 13 goals and 22 points in 35 games with the Sun Devils as one of the youngest players in the nation during the 2024-25 season.

The Flames needed to draft centre prospects above all else in 2025, and they came away with Potter and Cole Reschny with their two first-round selections that year. Both players have been excellent in the NCAA this year, and there’s a solid chance both play leading roles at the 2027 IIHF World Junior Championship — Reschny having played for Team Canada at the 2026 tournament.

To his credit, Potter took another significant step up with the Sun Devils this season, emerging as the team’s full-fledged No. 1 centre as the season progressed and regularly being trusted by head coach Greg Powers to play more than 20 minutes per night. He’s arguably the fastest skater prospect in Calgary’s organization.

In all likelihood, Potter will return to the Sun Devils for his junior year in 2026-27. He’s eligible to sign an entry-level deal with the Flames at any time, but that would spell an end to his collegiate career. We should hear more on that front in the coming weeks and months.

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