FRASER, Mich. – After a successful high school career with East Grand Rapids, Tate Potteiger is eager to make the jump to junior hockey with the Metro Jets.
Potteiger, a 2002 birth year goaltender, recently signed with the USPHL club with an eye on being an impact player in the fall.
“(Jets assistant coach and goalie coach) Randy Wilson reached out to me after the Trenton showcase last season and said he wanted me to play for the Jets,” said Potteiger. “After working with my coaches, I decided to sign with the team.”
“Over the past two years, I’ve been able to watch Tate play several times and even attended one of his practices,” added Wilson. “I was able to get a good read on his technical ability as well as his competitiveness. After meeting with Tate and discussing his future goals in hockey and interest in playing junior, I determined that he would be a great fit for our program.
“Not only is he a skilled goaltender, his competitiveness and character I believe will flourish through our Jets platform. He exhibits the maturity and work ethic that will no doubt contribute to reaching his goal to play college hockey. I am looking forward to working with Tate to further his goaltending development and am excited to see where his game goes.”
Potteiger, who posted a 2.30 GAA and a .924 save percentage last year, said he did his research on the Jets and came away impressed.
“The amount of players that move on to NCAA hockey is astounding, and that really got me pumped to play for the Jets,” Potteiger said. “Logan Davis is a buddy of mine that plays for the Jets and he loves it, so I’m looking forward to getting started.”
Stats aside, Potteiger will also bring swagger to Fraser.
“I am a very competitive person,” said Potteiger. “I want to win and succeed at everything that I do. That is something that I take pride in, along with my athleticism and always being on my angles. I just want to have a solid season with the Jets and play in every game that I can.”
Jets coach-GM Justin Quenneville sees a positive experience ahead for Potteiger.
“We are looking forward to working with Tate and for him to take advantage of our program,” Quenneville said. “We have had a lot of success with goalies that buy in to the process here with the Jets. Randy did a great job finding Tate and I know he is excited to work with him and all our goalies. In the end, Tate will have all the opportunities here to develop and succeed.”
