Rick Kowalsky (born March 20, 1972) is a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

former professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) 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. In ice hockey, two o ...

player. He was selected by the

Buffalo Sabres The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. The Sabres compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conf ...

in the 10th round (227th overall) of the

1992 NHL Entry Draft The 1992 NHL Entry Draft was the 30th NHL Entry Draft. It was held on June 20 at the Montreal Forum in Montreal, Quebec. A total of 264 players were drafted. The last active player in the NHL from this draft class was Sergei Gonchar, who reti ...

. Kowalsky played four seasons (

1989 File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cypress structure collapses as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, killing motorists below; The proposal document for the World Wide Web is submitted; The Exxon Valdez oil tanker ru ...

–

1993 File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peace ...

) of major junior hockey with the

Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds The Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (often shortened to Soo Greyhounds) are a major junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League. The Greyhounds play home games at the GFL Memorial Gardens. The present team was founded in 1962 as a team in the ...

of the

Ontario Hockey League The Ontario Hockey League (OHL; french: Ligue de hockey de l'Ontario (LHO)) is one of the three major junior ice hockey leagues which constitute the Canadian Hockey League. The league is for players aged 16–19. There are exceptions for overa ...

, scoring 54 goals and 100 assists for 144 points, while earning 259 penalty minutes, in 209 games played. He went on to play 12 seasons of professional hockey, including 183 games played in the

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental league for the National Hockey League (NHL). Since the 2010–11 season, every team in the le ...

and 516 games in the

ECHL The ECHL (formerly the East Coast Hockey League) is a mid-level professional ice hockey league based in Shrewsbury, New Jersey, with teams scattered across the United States and Canada. It is a tier below the American Hockey League (AHL). Th ...

. Kowalsky retired as a player following the 2004–05 season during which he helped the Trenton Titans capture the

Kelly Cup The Patrick J. Kelly Cup goes to the playoff champion of the ECHL. The Kelly Cup has been awarded to teams since 1997. Prior to 1997, the playoff winner was awarded the Riley Cup, named after former American Hockey League president Jack Riley. Th ...

as the 2005 ECHL Champions. In 2017, he was elected into the

ECHL Hall of Fame The ECHL Hall of Fame is an ice hockey museum dedicated to honoring members that have played in the ECHL (formerly known as the East Coast Hockey League). It was created by the league in 2008. The ECHL Board of Governors created the ECHL Hall of Fam ...

. Kowalsky spent 15 seasons as a coach in 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. The club was founded as the Kans ...

organization of the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey sports league, league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranke ...

(NHL), including spent eight seasons as the head coach of their

(AHL) affiliate, the Albany Devils and the Binghamton Devils. As the head coach for Albany in 2015–16, Kowalsky was named AHL Coach of the Year after leading the Devils to the second round of the playoffs. In 2021, he was hired by the

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 ( ...

, and his former boss Lou Lamoriello when he was with the Devils, as an assistant coach for their AHL affiliate, the

Bridgeport Islanders The Bridgeport Islanders (previously known as the Bridgeport Sound Tigers) are a professional ice hockey team playing in the American Hockey League (AHL). They are the AHL affiliate of the National Hockey League's New York Islanders, who own the f ...

Career statistics

References

External links

* * Living people 1972 births Buffalo Sabres draft picks Canadian ice hockey coaches Canadian ice hockey right wingers Cardiff Devils players Cornwall Aces players Hampton Roads Admirals players Norfolk Admirals players Portland Pirates players Roanoke Express players Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds players Trenton Titans players New Jersey Devils coaches Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in Wales {{Canada-icehockey-player-stub