Rick Kowalsky

Rick Kowalsky
Born	(1972-03-20) March 20, 1972 Canada
Occupation(s)	Ice hockey player (retired), coach
Years active	1989–2005 (player), coaching career started after retirement
Known for	Head coach for Maine Mariners (ECHL), former professional ice hockey player

Rick Kowalsky (born March 20, 1972) is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey athlete and presently serves as the head coach for the Maine Mariners competing in the ECHL. Selected 227th overall by the Buffalo Sabres during the 1992 NHL Entry Draft, Kowalsky spent four seasons with the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds in the Ontario Hockey League, accumulating 54 goals and 100 assists over 209 contests.

His professional playing tenure lasted twelve seasons, featuring 183 appearances in the American Hockey League and 516 games in the ECHL. Kowalsky concluded his playing career after contributing to the Trenton Titans’ 2005 Kelly Cup championship. He was honored with induction into the ECHL Hall of Fame in 2017.

Kowalsky dedicated fifteen years to coaching within the New Jersey Devils organization, including an eight-year stretch as head coach of their AHL affiliates, the Albany Devils and Binghamton Devils. In 2016, he was awarded the AHL Coach of the Year following Albany’s advance to the second round of the playoffs. In 2021, he became an assistant coach for the New York Islanders’ AHL affiliate, the Bridgeport Islanders, before being elevated to head coach in July 2023. After concluding his tenure in May 2025, Kowalsky was appointed head coach of the Maine Mariners in August 2025.

Career statistics

  | 2003–04 ECHL season  | Roanoke Express | ECHL | 67 | 31 | 45 | 76 | 122 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 |-   | 2004–05 ECHL season  | Roanoke Express | ECHL | 55 | 23 | 29 | 52 | 81 | 20 | 10 | 13 | 23 | 26 |-

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1989–90	Thessalon Flyers	NOJHL		8	2	4	6	46		—	—	—	—	—
1989–90	Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds	OHL		43	1	0	1	23		—	—	—	—	—
1990–91	Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds	OHL		46	5	9	14	59		13	4	4	8	17
1991–92	Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds	OHL		66	25	44	69	119		19	6	10	16	39
1992–93	Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds	OHL		54	23	47	70	58		18	7	6	13	35
1993–94	Cornwall Aces	AHL		65	9	8	17	86		—	—	—	—	—
1994–95	Hampton Roads Admirals	ECHL		49	29	24	53	114		4	0	4	4	4
1994–95	Cornwall Acres	AHL		9	2	1	3	38		—	—	—	—	—
1995–96	Hampton Roads Admirals	ECHL		52	21	29	50	121		—	—	—	—	—
1996–97	Hampton Roads Admirals	ECHL		52	14	26	40	94		9	5	4	9	16
1996–97	Portland Pirates	AHL		22	7	8	15	10		—	—	—	—	—
1997–98	Hampton Roads Admirals	ECHL		24	11	16	27	72		—	—	—	—	—
1997–98	Portland Pirates	AHL		39	11	25	36	78		10	5	2	7	8
1998–99	Portland Pirates	AHL		47	6	15	21	85
1999–00 ECHL season |Hampton Roads Admirals |ECHL |67 |23 |47 |70 |109 |10 |7 |1 |8 |20 |-
2000–01 ECHL season |Trenton Titans |ECHL |12 |7 |10 |17 |22 |13 |8 |4 |12 |12 |-
2001–02 ECHL season |Roanoke Express |ECHL |70 |35 |48 |83 |112 |4 |1 |1 |2 |0 |-
2001–02 AHL season |Norfolk Admirals (AHL) |AHL |1 |0 |0 |0 |0 |- |-
2002–03 ECHL season |Roanoke Express |ECHL |68 |27 |55 |82 |132 |4 |0 |1 |1 |6 |-
AHL totals ! ALIGN="center"  | 183 ! ALIGN="center"  | 35 ! ALIGN="center"  | 57 ! ALIGN="center"  | 92 ! ALIGN="center"  | 297 ! ALIGN="center"  | 10 ! ALIGN="center"  | 5 ! ALIGN="center"  | 2 ! ALIGN="center"  | 7 ! ALIGN="center"  | 8 |-
ECHL totals ! ALIGN="center"  | 516 ! ALIGN="center"  | 221 ! ALIGN="center"  | 329 ! ALIGN="center"  | 550 ! ALIGN="center"  | 979 ! ALIGN="center"  | 68 ! ALIGN="center"  | 32 ! ALIGN="center"  | 30 ! ALIGN="center"  | 62 ! ALIGN="center"  | 90 | } External links