It was quite a season for defenseman Dennis Cholowski.
The Detroit Red Wings prospect, selected in the first round, 20th overall, in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft, spent the first half of the season with the Prince George Cougars.
But on Jan. 10, the Cougars traded Cholowski to the Portland Winterhawks.
Cholowski continued to produce offensively for Portland, particularly in the playoffs.
After the Winterhawks were eliminated in the second round of the WHL playoffs by the Everett Silvertips, Cholowski made an important decision.
He had spent a month the previous summer in metro Detroit, working out with some of the Wings at Barwis Methods in Plymouth, Mich.
Because he felt he gained a lot from that one month, Cholowski decided to spend three months this summer in metro Detroit, living on his own and working out at Barwis Methods again.
Cholowski, who was baby-faced and far too skinny at 170 pounds when he was drafted, is now 20 years old and a muscular 195 pounds with a smattering of facial hair to help him look a bit older.
Although Cholowski remains very young-looking, his game is far more ready for the big-time and he will get his chance to state his case to make the Red Wings when training camp begins.
Among Cholowski's competition are Filip Hronek, Libor Sulak and Joe Hicketts.
What is certain is that his summertime commitment and his performance in the prospect tournament have only helped elevate Cholowski's status within the Detroit organization.
37 -- Cholowski started the season with the Western Hockey League's Prince George Cougars and played in 37 games for them, also serving as the team's captain.
39 -- Known for his offensive prowess, Cholowski scored 39 points in his 37 games with the Cougars.
32 -- After the trade to the Portland Winterhawks, Cholowski played in 32 games for his new WHL team.
27 -- With the Winterhawks, Cholowski had 27 points in his 32 games.
8 -- With his 66 points, Cholowski ranked eighth in scoring among WHL defensemen. Medicine Hat's David Quenneville led WHL defensemen with 80 points in 70 games.
14 -- Between the Cougars and Winterhawks, Cholowski scored 14 goals. Of those, only one came in Portland.
52 -- Cholowski had 52 assists this past season, 26 with the Cougars and 26 with the Winterhawks.
5 -- Cholowski led the Winterhawks with five goals in 12 playoff games.
6 -- In the just completed 2018 NHL Prospect Tournament, Cholowski had six points to lead all defensemen. St. Louis' Jordan Kyrou also had six points. Dallas' Jason Robertson led the tournament with nine points. Columbus' Kevin Stenlund and Detroit's Joe Veleno each had seven.
Quotable: "To be honest, it's really been nothing. I've been around pros all the time. I've been around the rink, seen the environment. I've lived by myself for a while. It's really just a good experience for me and I think it did nothing but help me. College was kind of my first taste of it. It gave me a little bit of experience, so I was a little more comfortable coming into this summer being by myself. Obviously, you have guys around you that you stay with but the majority of the time I was by myself. I find I cope with it pretty well. My parents are always there for support, so that always helps, too." -- Cholowski
