Cullen Potter and what we learned on Day 1 of the U18 Worlds
Cullen Potter carries plenty of expectation heading into the 2025 IIHF World Under-18 Championship.
Potter, no. 12 in FCHockey’s Spring list for the 2025 NHL Draft, also carries a legacy in the red, white, and blue with his mother, Jenny Potter, previously captaining Team USA and is a veteran of 10 World Championships and four Olympic Games over her international career.
The 18-year-old Potter says the pressure to live up to her name has never been forced.
“She tells me it’s all up to me — what I want to do with my hockey career,” Potter said of his mom, who ranks 11th all-time and fourth overall among US-born skaters in total production at the Women’s World Championship with 61 points (23 goals, 38 assists) in 50 games played from 1998 to 2012. “I’m in the driver’s seat, and I know I’ve got people behind me supporting me.”
That support would’ve extended to Potter’s decision to forgo the traditional path and jump to the NCAA as a 17-year-old was met with curiosity.
The Arizona State freshman has wasted little time proving it was the right move. Potter delivered a strong campaign, posting 22 points (13 goals, nine assists) in 35 games.
The early exposure to older, stronger competition is already shaping his game in tangible ways.
“It’s definitely helped,” Potter said. “It was an opportunity to push myself further every single day, and it’s just going to make me better every single day.”
That growth was evident during his latest international appearance, where he skated alongside familiar faces — including linemate Will Horcoff, a teammate from the previous season.
Horcoff, like Potter, made the jump to the NCAA ranks in his draft season.
“We played on the same team last year, so we know each other really well,” Potter said. “Just talking about college, facing bigger, faster guys, we’ve been through those adjustments together. It’s helped our chemistry a lot.”
Top performances
Potter was the stand-out on the ice for Team USA, controlling the pace of play and constantly made things happen in his minutes. Though he finished without a point, Potter did have a goal called back due to a successful offside challenge by Czechia in which he showed plenty of speed and skill on an individual effort.
Vit Zahesjky, Czechia’s player of the game, was arguably the most dangerous player on the ice for both sides. He had one goal, an impressive short-handed effort, and five shots in 22:33 of ice time.
Sascha Boumedienne and Filip Ekberg were outstanding in Sweden’s 10-3 blow-out win against Switzerland in the early game. Boumedienne played with a ton of skill in the offensive end, showcasing his high-end skating ability and his potential to quarterback a power-play unit. He finished with six points (one goal, five assists). Ekberg, meanwhile, ended the game with five points (four goals, one assist).
Quotable
“Pottsy’s a great player, skates really well, everyone on the ice gets better when he’s out there. It’s really great playing with him.” – Horcoff on his Team USA teammate.
Scouting report
“Boumedienne is a two-way defenseman with strong puck skills and skating ability. While it has to be taken with a bit of a grain of salt because of a start-to-finish dominant effort by Sweden, this was the best I’ve seen Boumedienne play all season. Watching him at BU, I thought he looked overmatched at times, was pushed around by bigger, stronger players, and couldn’t really show off his skill. Now, against players his own age, he looked much more comfortable and confident, especially with the puck. His decisions with the puck were quick and effective. He constantly moved pucks up ice from the defensive zone and generated offense in the attacking zone.” — FCHockey regional scout Jacob Roth
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