The former first-round pick was Seattle’s selection from Detroit at the NHL Expansion Draft

Today, the Seattle Kraken have signed defenseman Dennis Cholowski (@dcholowski27) to a one-year, two-way contract ($900,000 AAV). Cholowski was Seattle’s selection from the Detroit Red Wings during the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft.

“Dennis is a young defenseman with offensive upside that we were excited to add to our group,” said Seattle Kraken General Manager Ron Francis. “We like his strong skating and puck moving ability and are looking forward to working with him.”

Cholowski split the 2020-21 season between the Red Wings and their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Grand Rapids Griffins. The 23-year-old totaled three points (one goal, two assists) and 18 blocked shots in 16 games with the Red Wings, setting a career high with 4.24 blocked shots per 60. He added 10 points (three goals, seven assists) in 13 games with the Griffins, ranking second among Griffins blueliners with .77 points per game.

The six-foot-two, 197-pound defenseman has recorded 27 points (10 goals, 17 assists) in 104 career games, setting career highs in goals (seven), assists (nine), points (16), hits (18), blocked shots (50) and games played (52) during his rookie season in 2018-19. Since the beginning of the 2018-19 season, Cholowski has scored the second most goals of any Detroit defenseman and ranks in the top five in assists (tied for fifth) and points (fifth). He has added 35 points (six goals, 29 assists) in 69 AHL games, all with the Griffins.

Prior to making his professional debut, the Langley, British Columbia, native spent the 2017-18 season playing in the Western Hockey League (WHL), dividing the year between the Prince George Cougars and the Portland Winterhawks. His 66 points (14 goals, 52 assists) in 69 games that season ranked eighth among all WHL defensemen. Cholowski played one year of collegiate hockey in 2016-17 at St. Cloud State University in St. Cloud, Minnesota, totaling 12 points (one goal, 11 assists) in 36 games. He was originally selected by Detroit in the first round (20th overall) in the 2016 NHL Draft.

The Seattle Kraken will play their first game in 35 days on Oct. 12 at Vegas.