Dennis Cholowski (born February 15, 1998) is a Canadian professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...

defenceman Defence or defense (in American English) in ice hockey is a player position that is primarily responsible for preventing the opposing team from Goal (ice hockey), scoring. They are often referred to as defencemen, D, D-men or blueliners (the l ...

for the

New Jersey Devils The New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey. The Devils compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The club w ...

of the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...

(NHL). Cholowski was drafted 20th overall by the

Detroit Red Wings The Detroit Red Wings (colloquially referred to as the Wings) are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit. The Red Wings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the East ...

in the 2016 NHL entry draft, and has also briefly played for the

Washington Capitals The Washington Capitals (colloquially known as the Caps) are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. The Capitals compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NH ...

Seattle Kraken The Seattle Kraken are a professional ice hockey team based in Seattle. The Kraken compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. The t ...

and

New York Islanders The New York Islanders (colloquially known as the Isles) are a professional ice hockey team based in Elmont, New York. The Islanders compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (N ...

Playing career

Junior

During the 2015–16 season, Cholowski recorded 12 goals and 28 assists in 50 games for the Chilliwack Chiefs. He led the Chiefs' defencemen in scoring, and finished fifth among

BCHL The British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) is an independent Canadian Junior ice hockey league with 21 teams in British Columbia and Alberta. It was classified as a Junior "A" league within the Hockey Canada framework, until it became independe ...

defencemen with 40 points. In the playoffs, he finished first in postseason scoring by a defenceman with four goals and 11 assists in 20 games. He was named to the 2016 BCHL Second All-Star Team.

College

During the 2016–17 season, in his freshman season, Cholowski recorded one goal and 11 assists in 36 games for the St. Cloud State Huskies.

Major junior

On September 26, 2017, Cholowski was assigned to the

Prince George Cougars The Prince George Cougars are a Canada, Canadian major junior ice hockey team based in Prince George, British Columbia. Founded in 1971 as the Victoria Cougars (WHL), Victoria Cougars, the team was relocated to Prince George in 1994, where it b ...

of the

Western Hockey League The Western Hockey League (WHL) is a junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitutes the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) as the highest level of junior hocke ...

. On November 21, 2017, Cholowski was named captain of the Cougars. On January 10, 2018, Cholowski was traded to the

Portland Winterhawks The Portland Winterhawks are a junior ice hockey team based in Portland, Oregon. Founded in 1950 as the Edmonton Oil Kings, the team relocated to Portland in 1976 and was known as the Winter Hawks until 2009. The team plays in the U.S. Divisio ...

, along with Ty Taylor, in exchange for Ilijah Colina, Connor Bowie, a first-round pick in 2020, a second-round pick in 2018, a second-round pick in 2019, and a third-round pick in 2020. Prior to being traded, he recorded 13 goals and 26 assists in 39 games for the Cougars, ranking second in the WHL in goals by a defenceman, and sixth in points. He finished his first major junior campaign with 14 goals and 52 assists in 69 games between Prince George and Portland. He ranked among the WHL's top defencemen in points (8th), goals (T6th) and assists (8th).

Professional

On April 5, 2017, the

signed Cholowski to a three-year, entry-level contract. On April 7, Cholowski was signed to an amateur tryout by the

Grand Rapids Griffins The Grand Rapids Griffins are a professional ice hockey team based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. They compete in the American Hockey League (AHL), playing their home games at Van Andel Arena. They are the AHL affiliate to the Detroit Red Wings of t ...

. On April 18, 2018, Cholowski was reassigned to the

of the

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league in North America that serves as the primary developmental league of the National Hockey League (NHL). The league comprises 32 teams, with 26 in the United States and 6 in Cana ...

. He made his professional debut for the Griffins on April 25, in a game against the

Manitoba Moose The Manitoba Moose are a professional ice hockey team based in Winnipeg. They are the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the Winnipeg Jets of the National Hockey League (NHL). The team plays its home games at Canada Life Centre. The fran ...

, registering one shot on goal. The following season, Cholowski made the Red Wings opening night roster out of training camp. He made his NHL debut for the Red Wings on October 4, 2018, and scored his first career NHL goal in the second period against

Joonas Korpisalo Joonas Korpisalo (; born 28 April 1994) is a Finnish professional ice hockey goaltender for the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League (NHL). He previously played for the Columbus Blue Jackets, Los Angeles Kings, and Ottawa Senators. Playin ...

of the

Columbus Blue Jackets The Columbus Blue Jackets (often simply referred to as the Jackets) are a professional ice hockey team based in Columbus, Ohio. The Blue Jackets compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern C ...

. On February 14, 2019, Cholowski was assigned to the Grand Rapids Griffins. Prior to being assigned to the Griffins, he recorded seven goals and nine assists in 52 games for the Red Wings, ranking third in points among rookie defencemen in the NHL. On July 21, 2021, Cholowski was selected by the

in the 2021 NHL expansion draft and later signed a one-year, $900,000 deal with the team. On October 13, 2021, he was placed on waivers and was claimed by the

. Cholowski used by the Capitals primarily as a depth defenceman and healthy scratch, featured in just seven games registering one assist. On February 8, 2022, Cholowski was waived by the Capitals and was subsequently re-claimed by Seattle. He was immediately re-assigned by the Kraken to join AHL affiliate, the Charlotte Checkers. On August 23, 2022, Cholowski as a free agent signed a two-year, two-way contract in joining his fourth NHL club, the

. During his third season within the Islanders organization in 2024–25 season, Cholowski was dealt at the NHL trade deadline by New York to the New Jersey Devils in exchange for Adam Beckman on March 7, 2025.

Career statistics

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cholowski, Dennis 1998 births Living people 21st-century Canadian sportsmen Bridgeport Islanders players Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States Canadian ice hockey defencemen Charlotte Checkers (2010–) players Chilliwack Chiefs players Detroit Red Wings draft picks Detroit Red Wings players Grand Rapids Griffins players Ice hockey people from British Columbia NHL first-round draft picks New Jersey Devils players New York Islanders players Portland Winterhawks players Prince George Cougars players Seattle Kraken players Sportspeople from Langley, British Columbia (city) St. Cloud State Huskies men's ice hockey players Washington Capitals players