Dennis
Cholowski
D · NYR · Balanced · Very poor
- PAL
- 19
- WAR
- -0.1
- Value
- 36
- PTS
- 2
2025-26№ 260 / 325
Dennis Cholowski (New York Rangers) stats and profile: offensive production, ice time, advanced stats, WAR and PAL rating.
Dennis Cholowski
#21D
New York Rangers
HEIGHT : 188 cm · WEIGHT : 97 kg · SHOOTS : L
Born : February 14, 1998 · Langley, Canada
Drafted : 2016 · DET · round 1, pick #20
Contract : $875,000 · 2026-27 → 2027-28 · Two-Way Contract · UFA
NHL record
| Year | Team | GP | G | A | PTS | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | New Jersey Devils | 17 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| 2024-25 | New Jersey Devils | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024-25 | New York Islanders | 33 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 10 |
| 2022-23 | New York Islanders | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021-22 | Seattle Kraken | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| 2021-22 | Washington Capitals | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 2020-21 | Detroit Red Wings | 16 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| 2019-20 | Detroit Red Wings | 36 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 6 |
| 2018-19 | Detroit Red Wings | 52 | 7 | 9 | 16 | 16 |
| NHL totals | 173 | 13 | 29 | 42 | 40 | |
Playoffs
| Year | Team | GP | G | A | PTS | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | New Jersey Devils | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Playoff totals | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
Dennis Cholowski: our analysis
2025-26 season: 17 GP, 0 G, 2 A, 2 PTS, -6 +/-, 14:40 TOI. WAR -0.1 (260th of 325) · PAL 19, very poor.
In 2025-26, Dennis Cholowski, 28, posts a PAL Rating of 19 out of 100 (very poor), and his WAR of -0.1 ranks 260th among 325 regulars, in the bottom quarter.
On the other hand, offense (14, among the weakest in the league) and creation (15, among the weakest in the league) hold him back.
Breaking down his WAR (goals above average), his biggest contribution: EV defense (+0.1); his biggest cost: finishing (-0.6).
A slight dip from 2024-25, when his PAL was 25; his WAR went from 0.3 to -0.1.
Contract-wise, his Value score of 36 (poor return) weighs his output against what he costs: 50 is what that salary should buy.
Dennis Cholowski's story
Growing up in Langley, British Columbia, Cholowski moved from local youth hockey into the BCHL with the Chilliwack Chiefs, where his offensive instincts from the blue line became apparent. The 2015–16 season was a breakout: he finished with 12 goals and 28 assists in 50 games and led BCHL defencemen in playoff scoring with 15 points in 20 games.
Taken 20th overall by the Detroit Red Wings at the 2016 NHL Entry Draft, he spent the next year with St. Cloud State in the NCHC, recording 1 goal and 11 assists in 36 contests as a freshman. Detroit signed him to a three-year entry-level contract in April 2017, and he made his first professional appearance with the Grand Rapids Griffins at the end of that season.
Cholowski returned west for major junior duty, serving as captain of the Prince George Cougars in 2017 before being traded to the Portland Winterhawks. He finished the WHL campaign among the league’s top-scoring defencemen and was reassigned to Grand Rapids in April 2018 to begin his pro career in earnest.
He earned a spot on Detroit’s opening-night roster in 2018–19, making his NHL debut on October 4, 2018 and scoring his first NHL goal against Joonas Korpisalo. His path afterward included selection by the Seattle Kraken in the 2021 expansion draft, a brief claim by the Washington Capitals, and a return to the Kraken organization; he spent significant time in the AHL with the Charlotte Checkers.
Cholowski signed with the New York Islanders in August 2022 and split time between New York and the Bridgeport Islanders, leading Bridgeport’s defence corps in points in 2022–23. He began 2024–25 with the Islanders before being traded to the New Jersey Devils on March 7, 2025, and made his NHL playoff debut on April 22. Internationally, he won gold with Canada West at the 2015 World Junior A Challenge, contributing two assists in four games. On the ice, his game is defined by an ability to activate offensively from the back end and to create opportunities from the point.
Facts drawn from Wikipédia, told in our own words.
Advanced stats
- TOI/GP
- 14:40
- PP TOI/GP
- 0:07
- SH TOI/GP
- 0:05
- Pts/GP
- 0.12
- EV points
- 2
- Hits
- 3
- Blocks
- 17
- Takeaways
- 5
- Corsi % (SAT)
- 45.1 %
- Off. zone starts
- 28.1 %
Stats and photos: NHL (NHL.com)
2026-27 projection
Projected points
3between 0 and 10 (80% range)
- Goals
- 1
- Assists
- 2
- Games
- 17
So far: 0 pts in 0 games. The team has played 18 of 84 games. Projected pace: 0.18 pts per game (last season: 0.12).
The projection follows last season's pace. Tested on 2,265 player seasons (2022-23 to 2025-26): average miss of 9 points over 82 games; for players at 0.9 points per game and up, it ran 5 points high on average.
Trend
Stable
- PAL Rating: 25 → 19
Outlook, age included
→ StableAge 28: prime years
This is only a projection. It knows nothing about injuries, trades or role changes; one player in five finishes outside the range.
Player ratings, 2025-26
All ratings →Fourteen ratings from 0 to 100 drawn from data, never by hand: 75 = established NHL player, 95+ = elite.
OV · OverallConfidence 44 %
61
Depth
- SK
- Skating
- 49
- Confidence 67 %
- ST
- Strength
- 74
- Confidence 49 %
- EN
- Endurance
- 58
- Confidence 50 %
- DU
- Durability
- 44
- Confidence 73 %
- CK
- Checking
- 60
- Confidence 49 %
- FG
- Fighting
- 78
- Confidence 27 %
- DI
- Discipline
- 70
- Confidence 49 %
- FO
- Faceoffs
- —
- PA
- Passing
- 71
- Confidence 44 %
- SC
- Scoring
- 73
- Confidence 44 %
- DF
- Defense
- 76
- Confidence 39 %
- PS
- Penalty shot
- 76
- Confidence 0 %
- EX
- Experience
- 60
- Confidence 100 %
Why these ratings?Hide details
SK — Skating49
- Top speed (35 %)33.1 · 44
- Bursts > 20 mph /60 (30 %)1.184 · 63
- Distance /60 (20 %)14.2 · 77
- Speed consistency (15 %)32.1 · 49
ST — Strength74
- Contact absorbed /60 (50 %)4.313 · 68
- Body mass (50 %)0.704 · 80
EN — Endurance58
- Ice time per game (45 %)16.6 · 61
- Total ice time (20 %)248 · 35
- Shift length (15 %)46.3 · 70
- Lowest recent ice time per game (15 %)15.2 · 63
- Special-teams time per game (5 %)1.715 · 63
DU — Durability44
- Share of games played (100 %)0.561 · 44
CK — Checking60
- Hits /60 (70 %)2.16 · 67
- Lowest seasonal rate (20 %)1.831 · 68
- Season volume (10 %)1.386 · 42
FG — Fighting78
- Fights per 82 games (100 %)0.881 · 78
DI — Discipline70
- Net penalty value /60 (50 %)-0.055 · 70
- Penalties taken /60 (30 %)0.541 · 79
- Penalties drawn /60 (20 %)0.224 · 51
PA — Passing71
- Primary assists /60 (40 %)0.282 · 64
- Secondary assists /60 (20 %)0.499 · 80
- Offensive creation (RAPM) (20 %)-0.045 · 69
- Power-play points /60 (10 %)3.981 · 70
- Assist consistency (10 %)0.251 · 76
SC — Scoring73
- Goals /60 (25 %)0.218 · 75
- Individual xG /60 (20 %)0.186 · 73
- Finishing (goals − xG per shot) (20 %)0.289 · 77
- High-danger chances /60 (15 %)0.068 · 67
- xG per shot (10 %)0.034 · 76
- Shot attempts /60 (10 %)9.064 · 70
DF — Defense76
- RAPM defense /60 (35 %)0.024 · 76
- Relative xG against (20 %)-0.072 · 79
- On-ice xG against /60 (15 %)2.523 · 80
- Penalty kill /60 (10 %)-0.013 · 72
- Takeaways − giveaways /60 (10 %)-2.587 · 57
- Shot attempts against /60 (5 %)56.4 · 82
- Blocked shots /60 (5 %)4.295 · 73
PS — Penalty shot76
- Shootouts (60 %)32.7 · 76
- Penalty shots (40 %)26.7 · 76
EX — Experience60
- Career regular-season games (65 %)73
- Career playoff games (25 %)21
- NHL seasons (10 %)75
OV — Overall61
- DF · Defense (30 %)76
- PA · Passing (22 %)71
- SK · Skating (12 %)49
- SC · Scoring (12 %)73
- EN · Endurance (9 %)58
- ST · Strength (6 %)74
- DI · Discipline (5 %)70
- CK · Checking (4 %)60
| Season | OV | SK | SC | DF |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 61 | 49 | 73 | 76 |
| 2024-25 | 64 | 46 | 79 | 75 |
The bars show confidence (sample size), not player quality. — : not enough data, not a zero. Engine version 1.0.
WAR and PAL ratings, 2025-26
How we rate →PAL Rating scores performance from 0 to 100 against players at the same position (50 = average player), starting from the player's strength, offensive or defensive. Value Rating compares that performance with what the player costs: 50 means paid what the play is worth.
WAR
-0.1
wins above replacement
260 of 325
PAL Rating
19/ 100
Performance · Very poor
199 of 250 at the position
Value Rating
36/ 100
Poor return
0.78 M$ · expected PAL 36
ProfileBalancedNeither end dominates
- Offense
- 15
- Defense
- 40
See full detailsHide details
- Offense
- 14
- Creation
- 15
- Shooting
- 24
- Possession
- 29
- Defense
- 53
- Discipline
- 42
- Power play
- 60
- Penalty kill
- 22
From 0 to 100; 50 is the average player at the same position, adjusted for ice time.
| Season | Team | WAR | PAL | Value | Cap hit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | NJD | -0.1 | 19 | 36 | 0.78 M$ |
| 2024-25 | NJD | 0.3 | 25 | 44 | 0.78 M$ |
Hockey IQ, 2025-26
Rankings and method →The quality of the player's decisions with and against the puck at 5-on-5, against regulars at the same position (50 = average). PAL measures output; IQ measures how the player plays.
Overall IQ
31/ 100
Below average
better than 31% of defensemen, offense and defense combined
Offensive IQ
33/ 100
Below average
passing, shots, puck
Defensive IQ
33/ 100
Below average
takeaways, discipline, own zone
Overall IQ isn't an average of the two scores: it's the player's rank with offense and defense combined, 155 of 225 defensemen.
See full detailsHide details
Offense
- Playmaking passes
- 9
- Shot selection
- 58
- Penalties drawn
- 11
- Puck management
- 82
Defense
- Takeaways
- 85
- Discipline
- 78
- Safe zone exits
- 0
Percentiles: 80 means better than 80% of regulars at the same position. Play without the puck (positioning, coverage) isn't measured: the NHL doesn't publish that data.
| Season | Team | IQ | Off. | Def. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | NJD | 31 | 33 | 33 |
| 2024-25 | NJD | 4 | 0 | 16 |
WAR, 2025-26
How it's calculated →Wins added to the team, compared with a replacement-level player called up from the AHL.
-0.1
wins above replacement
-0.2 to -0.0 — 90% interval
260 of 325 defensemen
-0.7 goals above replacement
Full leaderboard →See full detailsHide details
- EV offense
- -0.6
- EV defense
- +0.1
- Power play
- 0.0
- Penalty kill
- 0.0
- Shooting
- -0.6
- Penalties
- -0.2
- Average → replacement
- +0.5
In goals.
| Season | Team | GP | WAR | 90% interval | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | NJD | 17 | -0.1 | -0.2 to -0.0 | 260/325 |
| 2024-25 | NJD | 39 | 0.3 | -0.1 to 0.8 | 123/314 |
| 2022-23 | NYI | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 to 0.0 | 172/334 |
Player tracking (NHL EDGE)
League EDGE leaderboards →Speed, shot power, distance covered, time by zone: measured by chips in the puck and shoulder pads. 90th percentile = better than 90% of players.
- Hardest shot
- 141.9 km/h37th percentileleague avg. 143.1 km/h
- Top skating speed
- 32.1 km/h7th percentileleague avg. 34.7 km/h
- Bursts over 20 mph, season
- 00th percentileleague avg. 31
- Offensive zone time
- 42.2 %59th percentileleague avg. 42.3 %
See full detailsHide details
- Total distance, season
- 58.4 km24th percentileleague avg. 214.3 km
- Distance, single-game high
- 4.20 km19th percentileleague avg. 5.23 km
- Offensive zone at 5v5
- 41.8 %40th percentileleague avg. 42.1 %
- Neutral zone time
- 18.3 %77th percentileleague avg. 16.8 %
- Defensive zone time
- 39.5 %64th percentileleague avg. 40.9 %
Shooting
| Shots on goal | Goals | Shooting % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| All | 1223rd percentile | 00th percentile | 0.0 %0th percentile |
| High danger | 00th percentile | 00th percentile | 0.0 %0th percentile |
| Mid range | 326th percentile | 00th percentile | 0.0 %0th percentile |
| Long range | 725th percentile | 00th percentile | 0.0 %0th percentile |
Shots on goal by zone
2025-2026 regular season. Measured by puck and player tracking chips; the percentile ranks the player within the league.
Game log, 2025-26
DET
PIT
VAN
ANA
BOS
DAL
CBJ
PHI
FLA
TBL
WSH
CHI
NYI
MTL
LAKDennis Cholowski: frequently asked questions
How many goals does Dennis Cholowski have in 2025-26?
Dennis Cholowski has 0 goals and 2 points (2 assists) in 17 games in 2025-26.
How old is Dennis Cholowski?
Dennis Cholowski is 28 years old: he was born on February 15, 1998.
How tall is Dennis Cholowski, and how much does he weigh?
Dennis Cholowski is 6'2" (188 cm) and weighs 214 lb (97 kg).
Where is Dennis Cholowski from?
Canada: Dennis Cholowski was born in Langley, British Columbia, Canada.
What team does Dennis Cholowski play for?
Dennis Cholowski plays for the New York Rangers in the NHL, at D, wearing number 21.
Is Dennis Cholowski injured?
No: Dennis Cholowski is not on the latest NHL injury report. This answer is updated throughout the season.
How good is Dennis Cholowski?
Dennis Cholowski produced -0.1 wins above replacement (WAR) in 2025-26, 260th of 325 players at his position in the NHL. His PAL rating is 19 out of 100: very poor for his position.
How much does Dennis Cholowski make?
Dennis Cholowski earns $775K for the 2025-26 season. His Value Rating is 36 out of 100 (poor return): it measures the on-field return for that salary, compared with players at his position.
When does Dennis Cholowski's contract end?
Dennis Cholowski's contract runs through the 2027-28 season; he will then be an unrestricted free agent.
Is Dennis Cholowski overpaid?
Yes, his output falls short of what his salary should buy. His Value rating is 36 out of 100 (poor return), where 50 is the output expected for his salary, compared with players at his position.
Is Dennis Cholowski a top-10 player at his position?
No: by WAR, he ranks 260th of 325 players at his position in the NHL in 2025-26. Our comparison tool puts him side by side with any other player.
Is Dennis Cholowski getting better?
No, he is slipping: his PAL rating went from 25 in 2024-25 to 19 in 2025-26 (out of 100, 50 = average player at his position).
How has Dennis Cholowski played lately?
Over his last 10 games, Dennis Cholowski has 1 point (0 goals, 1 assist).
What are Dennis Cholowski's career stats?
Over his NHL career, Dennis Cholowski has 173 games, 13 goals, 29 assists and 42 points. His best season: 2018-19, with 16 points in 52 games.
Where was Dennis Cholowski drafted?
Dennis Cholowski was drafted 20th overall (round 1) by Detroit Red Wings in 2016.
Is Dennis Cholowski better at home or on the road?
On the road: in 2025-26, he averages 0.00 points per game at home (0 in 8 games) and 0.22 on the road (2 in 9 games).
How does Dennis Cholowski perform in the playoffs?
In the playoffs, Dennis Cholowski has 2 games and 0 points in his career. His pace (0.00 points per game) is lower than his regular-season pace (0.24).
Is Dennis Cholowski a good fantasy pick?
Probably not, except in deep leagues: our projection has him at 3 points in 2026-27, or 0.18 points per game.
What is Dennis Cholowski's nationality?
Dennis Cholowski is Canadian. Internationally: Canada West — gold at the 2015 World Junior A Challenge (2 assists).
What awards has Dennis Cholowski won?
Named to the BCHL Second All-Star Team in 2016.
How many championships has Dennis Cholowski won?
1: Gold medal with Canada West at the 2015 World Junior A Challenge.
Where did Dennis Cholowski play before turning pro?
Chilliwack Chiefs (BCHL) 2013–2016; St. Cloud State University (NCHC) 2016–17; Prince George Cougars (WHL) 2017–Jan 2018; Portland Winterhawks (WHL) Jan–Apr 2018.
How many points is Dennis Cholowski projected to score in 2026-27?
Our projection has him at 3 points in 17 games in 2026-27 (0 to 10 points, 80% interval), based on his recent seasons, age and role.
See also: his New York Rangers teammates
Full roster →
NHL.com ↗ · Stats and photos: NHL (NHL.com)