Mike Zalewski

Michael Zalewski (born August 18, 1992) is an American professional ice hockey player. He is currently under contract with EC KAC of the ICE Hockey League (ICEHL). Zalewski has previously played with the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League (NHL).

For other people named Mike Zalewski, see Mike Zalewski (disambiguation).

Mike Zalewski
Zalewski playing for the Utica Comets
Born (1992-08-18) August 18, 1992
New Hartford, New York, U S.
Height 6 ft 2 in (188 cm)
Weight 209 lb (95 kg; 14 st 13 lb)
Position Left wing
Shoots Left
ICEHL team
Former teams		 EC KAC
Vancouver Canucks
Straubing Tigers
Kölner Haie
Vienna Capitals
Graz99ers
NHL Draft Undrafted
Playing career 2014–present

Playing career

As a youth, Zalewski played in the 2005 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with a minor ice hockey team from Syracuse, New York.[1] He later played one season with the Syracuse Stars of the Eastern Junior Hockey League.[2]

Zalewski was drafted 122nd overall by the Youngstown Phantoms in the USHL entry draft,[3] but did not sign with the team. This was followed by two seasons in British Columbia with the Vernon Vipers of the BCHL.[4] He committed to playing Division I college hockey for the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 2010 while playing with the Vipers.[2] After leaving the BCHL following the 2011–12 season, Zalewski attended the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute where he played two seasons (2012–14) of NCAA Division I hockey with the RPI Engineers, registering 21 goals, 26 assists, 47 points, and 75 penalty minutes in 71 games. In his freshman season, he led all first year players on the team with 21 points as he helped the Engineers qualify for the ECAC Hockey Quarterfinals.[5]

On March 14, 2014, the Vancouver Canucks of the NHL signed Zalewski as a free agent to an entry-level contract.[6] On April 12, 2014, Zalewski made his NHL debut, skating 11:47 with the Vancouver Canucks in a 5-2 loss to the Edmonton Oilers.[7]

On July 8, 2015, after failing to make the Canucks roster, he signed a one-year AHL contract with the Utica Comets, an Vancouver affiliate.[8]

On January 20, 2016, Zalewski signed a two-way, one year NHL contract with the Vancouver Canucks and was recalled the same day.[9]

Zalewski left the Canucks' organization after three full seasons, signing a one-year deal with the Straubing Tigers of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga on July 17, 2017,[10] joining his brother Steven who had played for Straubing the previous two years. In the 2017–18 season, Zalewski tallied 14 goals and 31 points in 51 games.

With the conclusion of his contract with Straubing, Zalewski signed a one-year deal with Kölner Haie on July 5, 2018.[11]

On August 22, 2019, Zalewski moved to the neighboring Austrian Hockey League, agreeing to a one-year contract with the Vienna Capitals.[12] In his lone season in the EBEL, Zalewski registered 15 goals and 33 points through 46 regular season games. He recorded 2 assists in 3 playoff games before the post-season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

As a free agent approaching the 2020–21 season, Zalewski returned to previous club, Kölner Haie, on a one-year contract on December 11, 2020.[13]

Personal life

Zalewski has two brothers who play professional hockey as well, Steven, formerly with New Jersey and San Jose[14] of the NHL; and Rich, of the Southern Hockey League.[15] One of his sisters, Annika, plays college hockey for Colgate.[16]

Career statistics
Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2005–06 New Hartford High USHS 3 0 1 1 — — — — — —
2006–07 New Hartford High USHS 23 7 8 15 — — — — — —
2007–08 New Hartford High USHS 24 23 27 50 — — — — — —
2008–09 New Hartford High USHS 23 36 30 66 — — — — — —
2009–10 Syracuse Stars EJHL 43 16 32 48 28 2 0 1 1 4
2010–11 Vernon Vipers BCHL 46 12 17 29 34 16 5 3 8 4
2011–12 Vernon Vipers BCHL 60 38 37 75 83 — — — — —
2012–13 R.P.I. ECAC 36 12 9 21 22 — — — — —
2013–14 R.P.I. ECAC 35 9 17 26 53 — — — — —
2013–14 Vancouver Canucks NHL 2 0 1 1 0 — — — — —
2014–15 Utica Comets AHL 55 3 9 12 18 23 1 2 3 14
2015–16 Utica Comets AHL 58 16 17 33 46 4 0 1 1 2
2015–16 Vancouver Canucks NHL 3 0 1 1 2 — — — — —
2016–17 Utica Comets AHL 54 5 13 18 36 — — — — —
2016–17 Vancouver Canucks NHL 1 0 0 0 0 — — — — —
2017–18 Straubing Tigers DEL 51 14 17 31 30 — — — — —
2018–19 Kölner Haie DEL 44 5 13 18 30 11 1 2 3 10
2019–20 Vienna Capitals EBEL 46 15 18 33 16 3 0 2 2 2
2020–21 Kölner Haie DEL 38 3 9 12 18 — — — — —
2021–22 Graz99ers ICEHL 39 10 11 21 26 2 2 1 3 2
2022–23 Graz99ers ICEHL 10 1 1 2 4 — — — — —
NHL totals 6 0 2 2 2 — — — — —

Awards and honors
Award Year
New York High School Player of the Year 2008–09 [17]
BCHL Champion 2010–11 [18]
CJHL Doyle Cup Champion 2010–11 [18]
RBC Cup Champion[18] 2010–11 [18]

References
  1. "Pee-Wee players who have reached NHL or WHA" (PDF). Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament. 2018. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
  2. Moshier, Ron (November 16, 2010). "New Hartford hockey star Zalewski commits to RPI". Observer-Dispatch. Retrieved February 18, 2019.
  3. "USHL Draft Results | Amateur Hockey News | May 19, 2010". the Inside Word. Retrieved March 13, 2017.
  4. "Mike Zalewski". Elite Prospects. Retrieved March 5, 2017.
  5. "MIKE ZALEWSKI". rpiathletics.com. Retrieved February 18, 2019.
  6. "RPI's Mike Zalewski Signs with Vancouver Canucks". SB Nation College Hockey. March 14, 2014. Retrieved March 20, 2014.
  7. "Oilers 5, Canucks 2". Global Post. April 12, 2014. Retrieved April 12, 2014.
  8. "Zalewski returns to the Comets". Utica Comets. July 8, 2015. Archived from the original on July 14, 2015. Retrieved July 8, 2015.
  9. "Canucks Sign & Recall Zalewski". Utica Comets. January 20, 2016. Archived from the original on January 27, 2016. Retrieved January 20, 2016.
  10. "Mike Zalewski signs with Straubing Tigers" (in German). Straubing Tigers. July 17, 2017. Retrieved July 17, 2017.
  11. "KEC signs Mike Zalewski" (in German). Kölner Haie. July 5, 2018. Retrieved July 5, 2018.
  12. "Capitals sign Mike Zalewski from Cologne". Vienna Capitals. August 22, 2019. Retrieved August 22, 2019.
  13. "Mike Zalewski added to Kolner roster" (in German). Kölner Haie. December 11, 2020. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  14. "Brothers Mike and Steve Zalewski bridge hockey generation gap as teammates with Utica Comets". syracuse.com. Retrieved March 6, 2017.
  15. Moshier, Ron. "Ex-Spartans not surprised by Frozen Four return". Uticaod. Retrieved March 6, 2017.
  16. Delaney, Anne. "Hockey journey reunites Zalewski siblings". Uticaod. Retrieved March 6, 2017.
  17. "Hockey's Future - Michael Zalewski". Hockey's Future. Retrieved March 5, 2017.
  18. "Elite Prospects - Award - BCHL Champion". www.eliteprospects.com. Retrieved March 5, 2017.
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