Chris Potter enters his 21st season at the helm of the Wesleyan men’s ice hockey program in 2023-24. Potter led the Cardinals to the 2020 NESCAC Championship, the first conference title in program history, and he has been voted NESCAC Coach of the Year four times (2004, 2007, 2019, 2023).
Potter wrapped up a 2022-23 season wherein he was voted NESCAC Coach of the Year and named a finalist for the Edward Jeremiah Award, given to the best coach in DII-III. The Cardinals had one of the more successful regular seasons in program history in 2022-23, finishing the regular season with a 15-6-3 record, good enough for the third 15-win campaign in the past four seasons. Potter's 11-4-3 conference record was good enough for Wesleyan to clinch the #1 seed in the NESCAC Tournament for the first time in team history. Potter earned NESCAC Coach of the Year honors for the fourth time in his career and the first time since 2019 (others were in 2004 and 2007). Two Cardinals - Jake Lachance '23 and Wiggle Kerbrat '23 earned All-American honors - as Potter has now coached five All-American honorees in his tenure at Wesleyan.
The 2019-20 season went down as the most-successful in the history of the program. The Cardinals finished the campaign with 15 wins and won the program's first NESCAC title, advancing to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history. Unfortunately, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Cardinals were not able to compete in the NCAA Tournament as the entire postseason tournament was canceled. Riding a wave of momentum, Wesleyan qualified for the NESCAC Tournament for the fourth straight season (tied program record) and defeated Middlebury 4-2 on the road to make it to the NESCAC Semifinals for the fourth straight season. In the semis, Wesleyan defeated Williams, 3-2, in overtime to advance to the NESCAC title game for the first time. In that title game, Wesleyan trounced Trinity, 7-2, as the Cardinals set a league record for most goals scored in a NESCAC championship game. The Cardinals were slated to face Babson in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament prior to its cancelation.
In the 2018-19 season, the Cardinals broke the NESCAC record for longest unbeaten streak (13-0-2) and tallied a program-best 16 wins, while earning their highest seeding in the NESCAC Tournament (second). The team also grabbed national attention, ranking as high as No. 10 for several weeks. Two players earned All-American honors last year, while Tim Sestak ’20 was tabbed NESCAC Player of the Year.
During his tenure, he has coached five All-Americans (Jake Lachance '23 and Wiggle Kerbrat '23 in 2023, two-time honoree Walker Harris '20 in 2019 and 2020, Tim Sestak '20 in 2019, Keith Bruehler '13 in 2013), has been tabbed NESCAC Coach of the Year four times (2004, 2007, 2019, and 2023) and was named NEHWA Coach of the Year in 2019. Under his guidance, the Cardinals have qualified for the NESCAC Tournament six straight seasons (2016-19, 21-23) and 15 overall.
Prior to his time at Wesleyan, Potter was an assistant ice hockey coach and recruiting coordinator at Brown University from 1998-2003. He began his coaching career as an assistant at his alma mater from 1996-98. For three years following his graduation, he was a member of the Roanoke Express in the Southern Division of the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL). Roanoke was affiliated with the San Jose Sharks of the NHL during his playing days.
Potter graduated from UConn, before earning a master’s degree from his alma mater in 2003. During his time at UConn, he was a four-year ice hockey letter winner, an All-American as a senior, and a two-time All-ECAC and All-New England selection. He has also been involved with USA Hockey, Team New England, since 1997 in various roles, including as an instructor, assistant coach and as a head coach in 2001-02.
