Meet Mike: Chatting with Comets’ Assistant Coach, Mike Zalewski

Oct 14, 2026

Utica, NY – Earlier this week, we got to catch up with Mike Zalewski, who was hired by the Comets this past summer as an assistant coach and is in his first season of his professional coaching career.

A proud native of New Hartford, NY, Zalewski grew up playing every sport he could and enjoyed being outside year-round. He comes from a big family where he is the second youngest of five. He said he and his siblings were always close growing up, despite the occasional beat-down from his two older brothers.

All of the Zalewski’s played hockey and as one of the younger kids in the family, Mike naturally fell into the sport and had an early start, lacing up the skates at the age of three. He was also involved in baseball, golf, and lacrosse which stuck with him as he got older along with hockey.

Zalewski was never a diehard fan of one particular NHL team as a kid, but he did have a few players he looked up to and loved watching, particularly superstars like Mike Modano, Evgeni Malkin and Pavel Datsyuk.

Whereas some teenage hockey players leave high school early to play juniors, Zalewski did four full years at New Hartford High School before making the move. He was able to stay local at the start of his junior career, playing for the Syracuse Stars during his senior year at New Hartford. The following season, he made the long trek out to western Canada where he spent two seasons with the Vernon Vipers of the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL).

Despite being so far and moving away from home for the first time, Mike loved his experience in Vernon. What made the transition easier was the fact that he went out there with a friend he had grown up playing hockey with. He lived with the same billet family both seasons whom he said provided top-notch hospitality and stays in touch with them to this day.

After his time in the BCHL, Zalewski headed back to New York for college and played two seasons at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) where he recorded 47 points (21G, 26A) in 71 career games. He was fortunate to come in as a freshman and get a lot of playing time right away which was critical for his continued development. He said they had a tight-knit team and that he had a great experience both seasons there.

Zalewski left RPI in the spring of 2014 after signing an entry-level contract with the Vancouver Canucks. On April 12, 2014, he made his NHL debut with the Canucks in a game on the road against the Edmonton Oilers. “It was incredible. It was something I dreamed of my whole life, so to step out and have that opportunity, it was hard to put words to that experience,” he said. Zalewski added that it was Edmonton forward Ryan Smyth’s final home game as an Oiler, a player whom he had frequently watched on TV while growing up, and that getting to line up against him on the opening faceoff made the moment even more surreal.

While his family wasn’t able to make the trek out to Edmonton, Zalewski appeared in a few more games with the Canucks during his second season and was grateful to have them in attendance for a game in Boston against the Bruins.

At the time, the Canucks’ AHL affiliate was the Utica Comets. For Zalewski, getting to play for his hometown team was extra special. “It was an amazing opportunity. During my first season, we had a great team and made a run to the Calder Cup Finals. To be from here and to have so many friends and family be a part of that, with the arena rocking every night, I was very lucky and fortunate to be able to play here.” Mike added that the support from the city was incredible and that during those playoff games, it was the loudest he had ever heard an arena.

After 167 career games with the Comets, Zalewski headed to Europe where he spent six seasons playing in Germany and Austria. He was hoping to continue his playing career in the US but didn’t feel there was an opportunity to be able to get back to playing in the NHL.

Zalewski played a total of 248 games overseas, starting in the DEL in Germany and then finishing in the ICEHL in Austria. He said both leagues were a lot of fun with great fans and that he got to visit some beautiful cities, making the experience something he’ll always cherish.  

Coaching had always been on Zalewski’s mind. He said that as a player, he always viewed himself as a mentor and enjoyed helping out the younger guys on the various teams he played for. When the opportunity arose to join the Comets and coach his hometown team whom he also played for, he jumped all over it. “It was a crazy opportunity. I couldn’t really believe it when it all came to fruition and I got the job. I’m very grateful. Every day feels special here and it’s been a lot of fun so far,” he noted.

Away from hockey, Zalewski enjoys spending time with his wife and their three-year-old daughter, Nella. He mentioned that she’s been on the ice a few times but that the latest endeavor has been teaching her to ride a bike. Mike took a crack at learning to play the piano during his playing career and said that his daughter recently started dabbling on the keyboard which has rekindled his interest in playing again.  

You can catch Zalewski on the Comets bench this Saturday when they play host to the Laval Rocket at NBT Bank Arena at 6 pm. For tickets, please visit uticacomets.com/tickets or call 315-790-9070.