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LD Dennis Cholowski - St. Cloud State, NCAA (2016, 20th, DET, selected by SEA, claimed by WSH)

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zjh

zjh

@ZenonHerasymiuk
Jan 24, 2011
879
0
AB88
Thought I would throw up a thread for the kid who impressed me at the WJAC West Camp the last two days. He is a big, raw, mobile defenseman that makes some phenomenal decisions and really thrives with the puck on his stick in transition. He is really weak still, at only 165lbs, but he has a great stick which allows him to break up passes and pester opponents. I heard that he was 5'4" in his bantam draft year, which would mean he has grown 9 inches in the last 2 1/2 years.

If anyone gets a chance to watch some of the WJAC, I would advise keeping an eye out for him. I rated him as a definite top-75 talent that could creep into the 2nd round.
 
This kid is a first round talent to me. He reads the game so well, has great vision, and good defensive instincts. He is one step ahead of everyone else. The only thing he needs to work on is his physicality, which will come once he fills out. He is one of the best puck movers of this draft.

I think he's about 6'2" now, but is probably still around 170.
 
Heading to St. Cloud, possibly next year. Huskies are deep on the blue line and only graduate one guy. He'll fight for time, but that's not a bad thing.
 
Elite Prospects says he isn't going to St Cloud until 17-18. Would be good for him to go there and get time next year though.

There are some quotes from me on Cholowski in Future Considerations' latest draft rankings release as a player who is rising Here
 
Agree with everything you said. He looks like a bean pole out there, which is his biggest problem to me.

I love how he gets the puck away from forecheckers though. His acceleration to his top speed is a bit slow, but it's manageable.
 
The St. Cloud State Huskies have a good/bad problem with Cholowski. He's ready to contribute at an NCAA D1 level next year, but the Huskies only graduate one defenseman (team captain and Hobey Baker Award candidate Ethan Prow). Normally, you'd think a mid-round NHL draft pick would be a solid replacement, but the Huskies also have the USHL's leading defensive scorer lined up in Jack Ahcan.

As long as Cholowski isn't having second thoughts about returning to the BCHL or stepping up to the USHL for another season, the Huskies will be in great shape. If Dennis suddenly gets itchy and ambitious, he could pick from any number of schools who'd love to have him start right away. And, obviously, the WHL is right there for him too.

The other alternatives are that the Huskies carry nine defensemen (unlikely) or that they lose somebody early (quite possible). Nate Widman has done quite well for himself and graduates this spring with a year of eligibility remaining. He's stated that he'd like to start working on his MBA, but those plans could change if an NHL club wants to throw a generous ATO or two-way at him. The other early departure threat is Will Borgen due to his strong showing at the WJC. The odds of one of them leaving are moderate.
 
Anyone going to the CJHL top prospects game? If you are could you provide a report on how Cholowski plays.

Saw him at the World Junior A Championship and wasn't overly impressed
 
The Exiled One said:
The St. Cloud State Huskies have a good/bad problem with Cholowski. He's ready to contribute at an NCAA D1 level next year, but the Huskies only graduate one defenseman (team captain and Hobey Baker Award candidate Ethan Prow). Normally, you'd think a mid-round NHL draft pick would be a solid replacement, but the Huskies also have the USHL's leading defensive scorer lined up in Jack Ahcan.

As long as Cholowski isn't having second thoughts about returning to the BCHL or stepping up to the USHL for another season, the Huskies will be in great shape. If Dennis suddenly gets itchy and ambitious, he could pick from any number of schools who'd love to have him start right away. And, obviously, the WHL is right there for him too.

The other alternatives are that the Huskies carry nine defensemen (unlikely) or that they lose somebody early (quite possible). Nate Widman has done quite well for himself and graduates this spring with a year of eligibility remaining. He's stated that he'd like to start working on his MBA, but those plans could change if an NHL club wants to throw a generous ATO or two-way at him. The other early departure threat is Will Borgen due to his strong showing at the WJC. The odds of one of them leaving are moderate.
Click to expand...

:handclap:
 
If the season ended now, Dennis would have the highest PPG of any first-year eligible defenseman drafted from the BCHL in over 10 years.

He has a ton of room to develop physically and 4 years of college. If he ends up going to St. Cloud where they are well-coached, well-structured and have high expectations for the skill level and development of their players this could be an excellent path for him. With his natural ability to avoid pressure, move pucks and maintain his composure, putting on 15-20 lbs at a highly respected and competitive program in a competitive conference seems like a good path for him to continue to develop. I could see him going in the first 45 picks.
 
puckfan13 said:
If the season ended now, Dennis would have the highest PPG of any first-year eligible defenseman drafted from the BCHL in over 10 years.
Click to expand...

I think you're forgetting Dante Fabbro.

He has a ton of room to develop physically and 4 years of college. If he ends up going to St. Cloud where they are well-coached, well-structured and have high expectations for the skill level and development of their players this could be an excellent path for him. With his natural ability to avoid pressure, move pucks and maintain his composure, putting on 15-20 lbs at a highly respected and competitive program in a competitive conference seems like a good path for him to continue to develop. I could see him going in the first 45 picks.
Click to expand...

Agreed. At this point I don't think he should jump to the Dub.
 
Good example of a kid who could benefit from the college hockey setup of less games, more time to workout, etc.
 
I hope NYI targets him if they keep their 1st. They seem to be okay with drafting skilled defensemen who need to bulk up (de Haan, Wotherspoon, etc).
 
I'd love to see him go in the first round. What a story that would be for the BCHL.
 
Dennis had a goal and an assist tonight. He now has 7 points in 6 playoff games. He trails Dante Fabbro (the league leader for defensive scoring in the playoffs) by 1 point but Dante has 1 more game played.
 
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