According to multiple reports, future junior forward Cullen Potter has committed to the Michigan State hockey program for the 2026-27 season, transferring from Arizona State University.

Potter played just 24 games of the 2025-26 season after suffering an upper-body/shoulder injury due to a hit on Jan. 10. He finished the season with 26 points (12 goals, 14 assists) before undergoing surgery. He is a consistent scorer.

Potter is a first-round draft pick to the Calgary Flames (32nd overall in 2025) and a product of the U.S. National Development Team Program (NDTP). 

He was originally committed to attend MSU but flipped his commitment to ASU in May 2024 when MSU did not have a roster spot for him in the 2024-25 season. Potter entered college following a 46-point season in 54 games on the U-17 team, while most players spend two years with the NDTP. 

Potter and ASU finished 14-21-1 last season, ranked 41 in the National Power Index. The team was 2-10 in games without Potter. He was the team’s leading scorer and top-line center before his injury. ASU finished last in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC). 

Despite coming from the NCHC, Potter has experience playing alongside several players in the Big Ten already — LJ Mooney (Minnesota), Will Horcoff and Cole McKinney (Michigan), etc. — from his time on the NDTP.

Potter’s talent and experience at center will help the Spartans roster that recently lost senior centers Charlie Stramel and Tiernan Shoudy to graduation and professional contracts. Sophomore centers Cayden Lindstrom and Eric Nilson are expected to return. Potter’s season will also depend on the severity of his injury and his recovery.