Dennis Cholowski

Dennis Cholowski
Born	(1998-02-15) February 15, 1998 Langley, British Columbia, Canada
Occupation	Professional ice hockey defenseman
Years active	2016–present
Known for	Playing in the NHL for New Jersey Devils, Detroit Red Wings, Washington Capitals, Seattle Kraken, New York Islanders

Dennis Cholowski (born February 15, 1998) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenseman currently playing for the New Jersey Devils in the National Hockey League (NHL). Selected 20th overall by the Detroit Red Wings in the 2016 NHL entry draft, Cholowski has also been a member of the Washington Capitals, Seattle Kraken, and New York Islanders.

Junior

During the 2015–16 season, Cholowski led all defensemen on the Chilliwack Chiefs with 12 goals and 28 assists over 50 games, placing fifth among BCHL defensemen with a total of 40 points. In the playoffs, he topped defensemen scoring charts by contributing four goals and 11 assists across 20 games, which earned him a position on the 2016 BCHL Second All-Star Team.

College

In his freshman campaign (2016–17) at St. Cloud State University, Cholowski tallied one goal and 11 assists in 36 contests for the Huskies.

Major junior

On September 26, 2017, Cholowski was assigned to the Prince George Cougars of the Western Hockey League. He was appointed team captain on November 21, 2017. Subsequently, on January 10, 2018, he was traded to the Portland Winterhawks along with Ty Taylor in exchange for several players and draft picks. Prior to this trade, he had amassed 13 goals and 26 assists in 39 games with Prince George, ranking second among WHL defensemen in goals and sixth in points. Combining his stats from both teams, he completed the season with 14 goals and 52 assists over 69 games, positioning him among the WHL’s elite defensemen in points (8th), goals (tied for 6th), and assists (8th).

Professional

Cholowski signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Detroit Red Wings on April 5, 2017. Shortly after, on April 7, he joined their AHL affiliate, the Grand Rapids Griffins, on an amateur tryout. He was reassigned to Grand Rapids on April 18, 2018, making his professional debut on April 25 against the Manitoba Moose, recording one shot on goal.

In the following season, Cholowski secured a spot on the Red Wings' opening night roster and made his NHL debut on October 4, 2018, scoring his inaugural NHL goal against Joonas Korpisalo of the Columbus Blue Jackets. After compiling seven goals and nine assists in 52 games—ranking third among rookie defensemen in NHL points—he was sent back to Grand Rapids on February 14, 2019.

On July 21, 2021, Cholowski was picked by the Seattle Kraken during the 2021 NHL expansion draft and agreed to a one-year contract worth $900,000. He was placed on waivers on October 13, 2021, whereupon he was claimed by the Washington Capitals. With Washington, he appeared in seven games primarily as a depth defenseman and registered one assist.

Washington waived Cholowski on February 8, 2022; he was subsequently reclaimed by Seattle and assigned immediately to their AHL team, the Charlotte Checkers.

As a free agent on August 23, 2022, Cholowski inked a two-year two-way deal with his fourth NHL franchise, the New York Islanders. During his third season with New York in 2024–25, he was traded to the New Jersey Devils in exchange for Adam Beckman on March 7, 2025.

Career statistics

2024–25 New Jersey Devils NHL6 ||0 ||0 ||0 ||0 ||2 ||0 ||0 ||0 ||0 |- style="background:#e0e0e0;"

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2013–14	Chilliwack Chiefs	BCHL		1	0	0	0	0		—	—	—	—	—
2014–15	Chilliwack Chiefs	BCHL		55	4	23	27	4		12	0	7	7	0
2015–16	Chilliwack Chiefs	BCHL		50	12	28	40	16		20	4	11	15	4
2016–17	St. Cloud State	NCHC		36	1	11	12	14		—	—	—	—	—
2016–17	Grand Rapids Griffins	AHL		1	0	0	0	0		—	—	—	—	—
2017–18	Prince George Cougars	WHL		37	13	26	39	14		—	—	—	—	—
2017–18	Portland Winterhawks	WHL		32	1	26	27	18		12	5	2	7	- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0"	2017–18 AHL season | Grand Rapids Griffins | AHL | — | — | — | — | — |1 |0 |0 |0 |0 |-	2018–19 AHL season | Grand Rapids Griffins | AHL |25 |0 |12 |12 |12 |5 |0 |2 |2 |2 |- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0"	2018–19 NHL season | Detroit Red Wings | NHL |52 |7 |9 |16 |16 |— |— |— |— |— |- ALIGN="center"	2019–20 AHL season | Grand Rapids Griffins | AHL |30 |3 |10 |13 |8 |— |— |— |—  |- ALIGN="center"   2019–20 NHL season  Detroit Red Wings  NHL  36  2  6  8  6  —  —  —  —   |- ALIGN="center" 2020–21 AHL season Grand Rapids Griffins AHL13 3 7 10 6 — — — — — |- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0" 2020–21 NHL season Detroit Red Wings NHL16 1 2 3 4 — — — — — |- ALIGN="center" 2021–22 NHL season Washington Capitals NHL7 0 1 1 2 — — — — — |- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0" 2021–22 AHL season Charlotte Checkers AHL31 3 15 18 8 6 0 1 1 0 |- ALIGN="center" 2021–22 Seattle Kraken NHL4 0 2 2 0 — — — — — |- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0" 2022–23 AHL season Bridgeport Islanders AHL67 1 37 38 26 — — — — — |- ALIGN="center" 2022–23 NHL season New York Islanders NHL2 0 0 0 0 — — — — — |- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0" 2023–24 AHL season Bridgeport Islanders AHL68 ||7 ||24 ||31 ||6 ||— ||— ||— ||— ||— |- 2024–25 NHL season New York Islanders NHL33 ||3 ||7 ||10 ||10 ||— ||— ||— ||— ||— |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" 2024–25 AHL season Bridgeport Islanders AHL6 ||1 ||0 ||1 ||2 ||— ||— ||— ||— ||—
NHL totals !156				13	27	40	38 !2	0		0	0	} External links