After sustaining a season-ending shoulder injury in a game against Miami University earlier this month, it appears Calgary Flames prospect Cullen Potter will return to Arizona State University for his junior year in 2026-27.

Cronkite News sportswriter Cooper Krigbaum reported Thursday that “all signs point toward Potter returning to ASU next season,” although he’ll first have to navigate a lengthy recovery process. Potter underwent successful surgery on Jan. 22 and is expected to fully recover in three to four months.

Potter, 19, collected 12 goals and 26 points in 24 games with the Sun Devils in his sophomore year. The Minneapolis product found his stride as the season wore on, collecting 16 points in his final 10 games after somewhat of a gradual start.

The Flames selected Potter with the No. 32 overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, using the first-rounder they received from the Florida Panthers as part of the Matthew Tkachuk trade. Prior to being drafted, Potter skated in 35 games with the Sun Devils in 2024-25 as a freshman, collecting 22 points — particularly impressive for a player who didn’t turn 18 until midway through the season.

According to Krigbaum, Potter had hoped to sign an entry-level contract with the Flames upon the conclusion of his sophomore year, but his injury paused all discussions about his immediate future. The Flames will retain Potter’s exclusive signing rights throughout his time in the NCAA; while a return to ASU is most likely, Potter could also elect to enter the transfer portal and move to a school with a more established Division I hockey program.

“We haven’t talked about any hockey,” Jenny Potter, a four-time U.S. Olympian and Cullen’s mom, told Krigbaum. “It was really hard to make the decision to do what he needed to do, which was best for his future, not only in sports, but for the longevity of his body.”

Potter is the only first-round NHL draft pick in the history of the young Sun Devils program, which operates out of Mullett Arena in Tempe and entered conference competition with the NCHC in 2024. Buffalo Sabres forward Josh Doan and Seattle Kraken goaltender Joey Daccord are the program’s two most prominent alumni.

Flames president Don Maloney told Krigbaum that the organization is satisfied with how Potter has progressed at Arizona State.

“There’s nothing negative at all about ASU and how he has been treated there,” Maloney said. “He has really been well-handled. It has been a really good place and a good situation for him.

“He had a slow start but was really coming on of late and we were really happy with his play,” Maloney added. “He has elite speed and high-end hockey sense and those are two things we need a lot more of in this organization.”

Potter is one of four members of the Flames’ 2025 draft class currently playing in the NCAA. Fellow first-rounder Cole Reschny is the No. 1 centre for North Dakota, while fifth-rounder Ethan Wyttenbach is a Hobey Baker Award nominee at Quinnipiac; meanwhile, sixth-round pick Aidan Lane has five goals through his first 20 games at Harvard.

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