September 19, 2024

New York Islanders re-signed restricted free-agent defenseman Dennis Cholowski to a one-year two-way contract extension that guarantees the 26-year-old $300K next season

The former first-round pick (20th overall) in 2016 will earn $775K at the NHL level and $250K in the AHL. Cholowski has not played in an NHL game since January 19, 2023, and spent the entire season with the Islanders’ AHL club in Bridgeport.

He has only played two NHL games with New York, but he appeared in 68 AHL games last season, scoring seven goals and assisting 24 times.

Cholowski will be entering his seventh season of professional hockey and remains a project as he has yet to establish himself as an NHL regular. He has developed into a terrific skater who can get involved in the play offensively, however, his defensive play leaves a lot to be desired and he needs to play a bigger game if he wants to become an everyday NHLer.

Cholowski’s mobility remains one of his biggest assets, but he hasn’t been able to utilize it to improve his play in his own zone.

Given his play in recent seasons, it seems likely that Cholowski will find himself in Bridgeport once again next season. He could receive a call-up to the NHL if the Islanders run into injury issues as he is arguably the eighth defenseman on their depth chart.

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