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Dennis Cholowski

Devils Sign Evgenii Dadonov, Dennis Cholowski

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The Devils have signed winger Evgenii Dadonov to a one-year deal, the team announced. It’s worth a $1MM base salary plus performance bonuses, Stephen Whyno of the AP reports. The club also brought back defenseman Dennis Cholowski on a one-year, league minimum contract after he briefly became a free agent.

New Jersey will find a strong lineup match in Dadonov after parting ways with Erik Haula earlier this month. Like Haula, Dadonov is a high-volume shooter who has continued to produce through his later years. He scored a stout 20 goals and 40 point in 80 games with the Dallas Stars this season – then tacked on an additional four points in 16 postseason games. The performance was a nice refresher of Dadonov’s abilities, after he spent part of the 2023-24 season injured. He scored just 23 points in 51 games as a result. Prior to that, Dadonov had either totaled, or paced for, at least 40 points in two of his last four seasons.

His routine challenge of the 40-point mark began after a pair of red-hot seasons marking Dadonov’s return from a five-year tenure in Russia’s KHL from 2012 to 2017. He rejoined the NHL with the Florida Panthers, and quickly managed back-to-back 28-goal seasons. Those performances were bolstered to 65 points in 74 games, and 70 points in 82 games – though he wasn’t able to keep the good times rolling through a third year in Florida. His dip to 25 goals and 47 points in 69 games of 2019-20 sparked a trio of one-year stops with the Ottawa Senators, Vegas Golden Knights, and Montreal Canadiens. Dadonov didn’t stay longer than one year with a club until he joined Dallas for three years beginning in 2022. Now, Dadonov will head to the Eastern Conference, and likely a hardy role on New Jersey’s third line.

Meanwhile, Cholowski will be set to return to the extra defender role he carried through the end of last season. He began the year in the seventh-man role wit hthe New York Islanders, but was bumped into the roster for 33 games after Mike Reilly was diagnosed with a heart condition. Cholowski recorded 10 points in those outings – not enough to command much time in New York, but plenty to gain notice on the open market. New Jersey acquired Cholowski in exchange for forward Adam Beckman. He stepped into the Devils’ extra role and didn’t post any scoring through six regular season games or two postseason games. Still, Cholowski is a well-rounded depth piece who can provide serviceable fill-in should the Devils’ blue-line face injury.

PHR’s Gabriel Foley contributed significantly to this article.

Devils Acquire Dennis Cholowski From Islanders

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The Devils announced they’ve acquired defenseman Dennis Cholowski from the Islanders in exchange for forward Adam Beckman. Both players were on AHL assignments, but the team’s Amanda Stein reports Cholowski will be recalled to New Jersey’s active roster. Beckman will report to the Islanders’ AHL affiliate in Bridgeport.

Cholowski won’t have to move very far to join the fifth organization of his career. The former 20th overall selection of the 2016 NHL Draft has spent the last three years with the Islanders’ organization, scoring three goals and 10 points in 35 games at the NHL level.

He’s understandably been better offensively during his time with AHL Bridgeport. Since the start of the 2022-23 campaign, Cholowski has scored nine goals and 70 points in 141 AHL contests with Bridgeport but has continued to lack on the defensive side of the puck. In those 141 regular-season contests, Cholowski managed a ghastly -35 rating.

He’ll serve as depth on the left side of New Jersey’s blue line and will likely shift to the seventh defensive option once Jonas Siegenthaler returns from injury. Meanwhile, Bridgeport is adding one of the AHL’s most consistent scorers in Beckman.

The former third-round pick of the Minnesota Wild has scored 13 goals and 33 points in 43 games this year for the AHL’s Utica Comets, on pace for the best season of his career. He’ll be a major benefit to a Bridgeport team that ranks third-worst in total goals.

PHR’s Brennan McClain contributed to this article. 

Islanders’ Dennis Cholowski Clears Waivers

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Feb. 21: Cholowski passed through unclaimed, PuckPedia reports. He’ll presumably be removed from the Islanders’ roster in the coming days.

Feb. 20: The Islanders have placed defenseman Dennis Cholowski on waivers, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports. He’ll head down to AHL Bridgeport if he clears.

New York is set to come out of the break with an open roster spot, but there’s a high likelihood of Scott Mayfield and Ryan Pulock coming off standard IR and LTIR, respectively, before Sunday’s game against the Stars. Assigning Cholowski to the minors tomorrow or losing him to another team will open the second spot they need to activate both.

Cholowski, who turned 27 earlier this week, has seen his most extended NHL usage in a half-decade this season. Injuries on the Long Island blue-line have meant Cholowski, who began the year as the Isles’ seventh defenseman, has played in 33 of 55 games. Minutes have been hard to come by – his 12:48 ATOI is the lowest among New York defensemen with multiple appearances – but he’s been effective in them with a 3-7–10 scoring line and a plus-one rating. He’s far from physically involved, recording 30 blocks and only five hits, but the 2016 first-rounder has been a decent depth puck-mover in his return to semi-regular NHL minutes.

Unfortunately for him, how the Islanders responded to injuries to Pulock and Noah Dobson muddied his role down the stretch. They picked up a trio of puck-movers – Adam Boqvist, Tony DeAngelo, and Scott Perunovich – who all have more experience or a higher ceiling than Cholowski. It’s not a huge surprise the 6’2″ lefty is the odd man out upon Pulock’s return instead of any of their new pickups.

Cholowski has seen AHL action in all six of his professional seasons leading up to the 2024-25 campaign. If he clears, he’ll land a seventh, but there’s a decent chance a team looking for a cheap depth option makes a claim. He’s a pending unrestricted free agent on a league minimum contract, so there’s zero financial risk if he doesn’t pan out.

A claim would mean Cholowski moves to his fifth NHL organization. Since being drafted 20th overall by the Red Wings and spending three seasons in Detroit, he’s made stops with the Capitals and Kraken in addition to his time in Long Island. Cholowski initially landed with the Isles in free agency in 2022 after being non-tendered by Seattle.

Islanders Sign Dennis Cholowski To Two-Year Deal

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The New York Islanders have 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 (as per PuckPedia). The former first-round pick (20th overall) in 2016 will receive a $775K salary at the NHL level and a $250K salary if he plays in the AHL.

Cholowski hasn’t dressed for an NHL game since January 19th, 2023, and spent all of last season in the AHL with the Islanders affiliate in Bridgeport. He has played just two NHL games during his time with New York but played in 68 AHL games last season, posting seven goals and 24 assists.

Cholowski will enter 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 utilized 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.

New York Islanders Reassign William Dufour

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Jan 19: After receiving just seven shifts and still registering a -2 rating, Dufour has been returned to the minor leagues. The young forward will have to wait patiently for his next opportunity.

Jan 18: The New York Islanders have made a couple of roster moves, after blowing a lead Monday night against the Washington Capitals. Dennis Cholowski and William Dufour have been recalled. This is the first recall of Dufour’s career.

Cholowski, 24, was picked 20th overall by the Detroit Red Wings back in 2016 but has rarely had the opportunity to play in the NHL. The left-shot defenseman has patrolled an AHL blue line all season, racking up 17 points in 35 games with the Bridgeport Islanders. On Monday, Parker Wotherspoon played just over 12 minutes, as the team desperately awaits the return of Adam Pelech, one of their most important players.

It’s Dufour that will grab the attention today though. The 20-year-old forward was a fifth-round draft pick in 2020 but experienced an incredible breakout during his last season of junior hockey. After scoring just 29 points in 23 games during 2020-21, Dufour scored 56 goals and 116 points in 66 with the Saint John Sea Dogs in 2021-22, winning a Memorial Cup and helping Canada win gold at the World Juniors.

That performance ended up in a Memorial Cup MVP and QMJHL MVP, and skyrocketed Dufour’s confidence. He’s carried it over into the professional ranks, with 25 points in 37 games so far in Bridgeport.

The Islanders may have nabbed a late-bloomer that can be an impact player in the NHL, given this isn’t your typical undersized junior scorer. Dufour stands 6’2″ and plays a heavy, physical game. So impressive, that it’s going to earn him a look beside Mathew Barzal and Josh Bailey on the first line, if the practice groups play out. The big right winger could have asked for a better opportunity to make his NHL debut.

Waivers: 10/05/22

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Another large group of players finds themselves on waivers today, hoping to get picked up by an NHL roster. The AHL awaits most that clear, though placement on the wire doesn’t necessarily indicate assignment to the minor leagues. Some players will clear just to give their team a little more roster flexibility over the next few weeks. Everyone from yesterday has cleared, and waivers today include:

Carolina Hurricanes

Ryan Dzingel
Maxime Lajoie
Lane Pederson
Stelio Mattheos
Mackenzie MacEachern

Minnesota Wild

Brandon Baddock

New York Islanders

Dennis Cholowski
Cory Schneider
Parker Wotherspoon
Hudson Fasching
Arnaud Durandeau
Cole Bardreau
Andy Andreoff

Philadelphia Flyers

Adam Brooks
Max Willman
Louis Belpedio

This page will be updated as more reports come in

New York Islanders Sign Four Players

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As announced by the team this morning, the New York Islanders have signed defensemen Dennis Cholowski and Paul LaDue to two-year, two-way contracts, forward Arnaud Durandeau to a two-year, two-way contract, and forward Hudson Fasching to a one-year, two-way contract.

PuckPedia reports Cholowski’s contract carries a $762.5K cap hit, paying him $750K NHL / $200K AHL / $225K guaranteed in 2022-23 and $775K at all levels in 2023-24.

Cholowski, now 24, hasn’t been able to consistently stay in the NHL after the Detroit Red Wings drafted him 20th overall in 2016. He did show a fair amount of promise in his rookie season, 2018-19, when he scored seven goals, nine assists, and 16 points in 52 games while playing 18:15 per game. Those offensive and games played numbers still remain career-highs for Cholowski, though, who now joins his fourth NHL organization already after splitting the 2021-22 campaign between the Seattle Kraken and Washington Capitals. Cholowski does fill a desperate need for the Islanders, though — having more than seven NHL-capable defense options within the organization. Cholowski will fight for a roster spot along with Robin Salo and Sebastian Aho, with both Cholowski and Aho requiring waivers for assignment to the AHL. He had three assists in 11 NHL games last season.

LaDue will head back to the Bridgeport Islanders for a second consecutive season. While he was a regular NHL player with the Los Angeles Kings not too long ago, he’s played just three NHL games combined over the past three seasons and that figure likely won’t change much unless injuries strike New York’s defense again. The 29-year-old North Dakota product had 12 points in 60 games with Bridgeport last season.

Durandeau, 23, was a restricted free agent, leaving just Parker Wotherspoon on the Islanders’ list of unsigned RFAs heading into next season. The Montreal-born left wing is entering his fourth professional season. Durandeau enjoyed somewhat of a breakout year last season in Bridgeport, setting AHL career highs in games played (64), goals (15), assists (22), and points (37).

Fasching, like Cholowski, is brand-new to the Islanders organization. A 27-year-old minor-league veteran, Fasching is a reliable AHL middle-six presence with limited NHL experience. He did suit up for 11 games with the Arizona Coyotes in 2021-22, his most in a single NHL season, but failed to record a point. He’d spent the past four years in the Coyotes organization, mainly with the Tucson Roadrunners.

Seattle Kraken Claim Dennis Cholowski

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As expected, the Seattle Kraken have reclaimed Dennis Cholowski off waivers from the Washington Capitals according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. The young defenseman had been lost at the beginning of the season without ever actually suiting up for Seattle.

Cholowski, 23, ended up playing in just seven games for the Capitals during his time in Washington, spending more time in the press box than in the lineup. That’s sort of been the story of his career the last few years, as the first-round pick has played just 59 NHL games since the start of 2019-20. That is only a few more than he had as a rookie in 2018-19 when he came almost directly to the Detroit Red Wings lineup in his first year of professional hockey.

It was from Detroit that Cholowski was originally selected by the Kraken in the expansion draft. He ended up on waivers at the beginning of the season though thanks to an overloaded defense corps and ended up heading east. His return to the Kraken depth chart is an interesting one, given where the team now sits in the standings. With the trade deadline approaching, there could be some opportunities for the Seattle front office to flip some of their more veteran defensemen, thus opening up an opportunity for someone like Cholowski.

Still, he’ll have to show more consistency than he has to this point if he wants to lock down a full-time NHL job. Because the Kraken were the only team to put in a claim this time around, he can be immediately assigned to the minor leagues. The team did so, sending him to the Charlotte Checkers, the AHL club they are sharing this season.

Dennis Cholowski Placed On Waivers

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The Washington Capitals have placed Dennis Cholowski on waivers according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, the second time he’s found himself there this season. The Capitals claimed Cholowski from the Seattle Kraken at the beginning of the season and now he could be on his way to another team.

The 23-year-old played just seven games for the Capitals during his stint in Washington, averaging fewer than 14 minutes of ice time whenever he did get into the lineup. It’s been a dramatic fall-off for a player that was selected 20th overall in 2016 and quickly made his way to the NHL. In 2018-19, Cholowski played 52 games as a rookie for the Detroit Red Wings, but has just 59 in the three years since.

It would certainly make sense for the Kraken to put in a claim, adding him back to their depth chart. That said, as a pending restricted free agent that very well may go unqualified, the team may decide to just move on. Cholowski was Seattle’s choice in the expansion draft but already it seems as though that was likely a mistake, given some of the other names available to them at the time.

Perhaps there is still more to come from the 6’2″ defenseman, but given he’ll turn 24 in a few days and has struggled to provide any level of consistency at the NHL level, the minor leagues appear to be in his immediate future.

Washington Capitals Announce COVID Absences

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The Washington Capitals have made a number of transactions in response to several players entering the COVID protocol. The team has announced that Daniel Sprong, Justin Schultz, Nick Jensen, Vitek Vanecek, Dennis Cholowski, and Martin Fehervary are all unavailable due to COVID protocol. Pheonix Copley and Michal Kempny have been recalled to the active roster, while Lucas Johansen, Alex Alexeyev, and Brett Leason have all been assigned to the taxi squad.

The Capitals are scheduled to play on Wednesday night against the Nashville Predators, but now are now without a good chunk of their roster. Evgeni Kuznetsov and Nicklas Backstrom were on the ice for practice, according to J.J. Regan of NBCS Washington, a good sign that they will be eligible to return for the upcoming game.

With the COVID absences continuing across the league, however, the schedule is certainly not written in ink. The Capitals, like any other team, will have to wait and see whether their upcoming games are affected.

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