Chatting with Cholo: Meet Comets’ Defenseman, Dennis Cholowski
Mar 4, 2026Utica, NY – Earlier this week, we caught up with one of the newer faces on the Comets’ roster, defenseman Dennis Cholowski.
Cholowski is from the Vancouver suburb of Langley, BC, where he says hockey is everything for most people as was the case for him. As a kid, aside from being at the rink, he spent a lot of time at the golf course but was never afraid of flexing his mental muscles and digging into a good book. One of his all-time favorites is ‘1984’, George Orwell’s world-renowned novel.
It was Cholowski’s older brother who got him into hockey, having started playing at a young age as well. He was a defenseman and so Dennis naturally gravitated towards the position which has been a constant throughout his career. His brother stopped playing around the age of 12 and neither of his parents played, so Dennis’s path was an uncharted one for the Cholowski family.
Growing up right outside of Vancouver, he was a big Canucks fan as a kid. He enjoyed watching the Sedin twins as well as defensemen like Sami Salo and Kevin Bieksa. He said he was heartbroken when the Canucks lost in the Stanley Cup Finals to Boston in 2011.
Cholowski stayed around Langley throughout youth hockey, playing for the Langley Eagles program before venturing into junior hockey. He spent his first two seasons of juniors with the Chilliwack Chiefs in the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) before heading to St. Cloud State for one year. Going to college was something both he and especially his parents wanted, and while he had a good experience at St. Cloud, departing after one season was necessary when it came to his long-term goals. “It wasn’t really my decision to leave after a year. Detroit wanted me to play more games and go play in the WHL, so I wasn’t going to say no and pass up on that opportunity,” he said.
Cholowski had been drafted by the Detroit Red Wings the year prior in the 2016 NHL Draft, selected 20th overall in the first round. He spent the next season in the Western Hockey League (WHL), splitting time between the Prince George Cougars and Portland Winterhawks, thoroughly enjoying both stops. He said that Prince George gets a little bit of a bad rap with it being in rural northern BC and with the closest WHL team being six hours away, but his mindset was to embrace wherever the game he loved took him.
The following year, during the 2018-19 season, Cholowski made his NHL debut with the Detroit Red Wings, playing a total of 52 games in his rookie season while recording seven goals and 16 points. When asked about what it was like getting to join an Original Six team, he said, “Detroit was amazing. Putting the jersey on was one of the coolest things. That first year was a whirlwind and every year was a great experience.”
Cholowski spent three seasons within the Detroit organization, playing for both the Red Wings and their AHL affiliate, the Grand Rapids Griffins. He said that one of his favorite memories with the Red Wings was the annual “Dads’ Trip”, where the players’ fathers tag along with the team for a few road games and he was grateful that his dad was able to join.
Cholowski joined the New York Islanders organization ahead of the 2022-23 season where he would spend the next three seasons, splitting time between the NHL club and AHL Bridgeport. In his final season with the Islanders last year, he played 33 games for New York and six with Bridgeport before being traded to the New Jersey Devils in March where he would suit up in six games with the Devils during the remainder of the season.
After starting this season with New Jersey, Cholowski was assigned to Utica in January and shared his thoughts on his time here so far. “My wife and I really like it here. The fans are great. The rink is awesome. The guys are amazing, so it’s been really good.” Dennis and his wife also recently had their first kid, a boy named Meyer. He said he’s still adjusting to the new schedule of being a father, but that it’s been “the time of his life.”
One of Dennis’s passions aside from hockey is Premier League Soccer. He is an avid Tottenham Hotspur fan but admitted that they’re not having a great season and that he might have to change allegiances soon.
Cholowski and the Comets are back at home on Friday for the Local Firefighter Game at 7 pm against Belleville. For tickets, please visit uticacomets.com/tickets or call 315-790-9070.