Craig Kowalski (born January 15, 1981) is a former
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
professional
ice hockey
Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...
goaltender
In ice hockey, the goaltender (commonly referred to as the goalie) is the player responsible for preventing the hockey puck from entering their team's net, thus preventing the opposing team from scoring. The goaltender mostly plays in or near t ...
who most recently played for the
Nottingham Panthers
The Nottingham Panthers are a British professional ice hockey club based in Nottingham, England. They are members of the Elite Ice Hockey League. Their main team sponsor is the Nottingham Building Society.
The Nottingham Panthers have won four ...
of the
EIHL
The Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL), sometimes referred to as the British Elite League or, for sponsorship reasons, the Viaplay Elite League, is an ice hockey league in the United Kingdom. Formed in 2003 following the demise of the Ice Hockey ...
.
Playing career
Kowalski's Pro career begun on June 25, 2000, when he was selected by the
Carolina Hurricanes
The Carolina Hurricanes (colloquially known as the Canes) are a professional ice hockey team based in Raleigh, North Carolina. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference, ...
in 2000
NHL Entry Draft
The NHL Entry Draft (french: Repêchage d'entrée dans la LNH) is an annual meeting in which every franchise of the National Hockey League (NHL) systematically select the rights to available ice hockey players who meet draft eligibility requirem ...
. He was chosen in the eighth round by the Carolina Hurricanes as their seventh overall pick and 235th overall. More than four years after being drafted, on August 6, 2004, Kowalski signed a multi-year contract with the Hurricanes. He was spare Goaltenders of Carolina during the playoffs. Carolina gave him a Stanley Cup ring. Since he did not play for the Hurricanes, his name could not be included on the Stanley Cup. In 2007, Kowalski was released from a Player Try Out Contract with the
Syracuse Crunch
The Syracuse Crunch are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL). They play in Syracuse, New York, at the Upstate Medical University Arena. They are the primary development affiliate of the National Hockey League's Tampa ...
of the
American Hockey League
The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary Minor league#Ice hockey, developmental league for the National Hockey League (NHL). Since the 2010–11 AHL se ...
, and subsequently signed with the Gwinnett Gladiators of the ECHL. During the 2007–2008 ECHL Season, he was named to the All-Star Team, and was chosen as the American Conference's starting Goaltender. Prior to the 2008–2009 ECHL Season, Kowalski was traded to the
Phoenix RoadRunners of the ECHL, for
Bryan Esner and signed on July 22, 2009 a contract with
HC Valpellice
HC Valpellice Bulldogs, nicknamed "La Valpe", is a professional ice hockey team in Torre Pellice, near Turin, Italy. The team plays in the country's top division, Serie A. Serie A is also sponsored by Reebok, which provides free equipment and spor ...
. On December 3, 2009 he scored an empty net goal against Sportivi Ghiaccio Pontebba.
On July 8, 2010 Kowalski was revealed as the new starting netminder for
Nottingham Panthers
The Nottingham Panthers are a British professional ice hockey club based in Nottingham, England. They are members of the Elite Ice Hockey League. Their main team sponsor is the Nottingham Building Society.
The Nottingham Panthers have won four ...
Kowalski signs for Nottingham Panthers
in Great Britain's Elite Ice Hockey League
The Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL), sometimes referred to as the British Elite League or, for sponsorship reasons, the Viaplay Elite League, is an ice hockey league in the United Kingdom. Formed in 2003 following the demise of the Ice Hockey ...
. It was to be a historic season, as the Panthers won the challenge cup and playoffs.
On March 28, 2011 it was announced that Kowalski had agreed to return to Nottingham and defend the double for a second season with the Nottingham Panthers
The Nottingham Panthers are a British professional ice hockey club based in Nottingham, England. They are members of the Elite Ice Hockey League. Their main team sponsor is the Nottingham Building Society.
The Nottingham Panthers have won four ...
in the 2011/12 Elite League campaign where he went on to lead Panthers to winning the Challenge Cup and the Playoffs once again. Kowalski was also selected as part of the EIHL Select who were to play against the NHL's Boston Bruins
The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston. The Bruins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team has been in existence since 1924, making t ...
as well as being selected for the EIHL Second All Star Team with an overall Save Percentage of .923 in 60 games. Kowalski was to play for Nottingham for a further 3 seasons, where he went on to win a further 4 trophies including the long sought after, League Title (12/13).He scored another goal in a pre-season friendly against HC Asiago
Asiago Hockey 1935 is an Italian ice hockey team from Asiago which plays in the ICE Hockey League. Until 2021–22, Asiago played in the Italian Hockey League - Serie A, winning the championship eight times.
Honours
;Domestic
*Italian Hockey Leag ...
. Throughout the 2013–14 and 2014–2015 season, Kowalski was plagued with various injuries which saw him sit out most of both seasons. On March 14, 2015 Kowalski broke his collarbone after an accidental collision between him and Former-NHl'er Kevin Westgarth who was playing with the Belfast Giants
The Belfast Giants (known officially as the Stena Line Belfast Giants due to sponsorship) are a professional ice hockey team based in Belfast, Northern Ireland. They compete in the UK's Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL) and are the current cham ...
during the 2014–2015 Season. Kowalski was ruled out for the rest of the season due to this injury. On May 21, 2015 Nottingham Panthers
The Nottingham Panthers are a British professional ice hockey club based in Nottingham, England. They are members of the Elite Ice Hockey League. Their main team sponsor is the Nottingham Building Society.
The Nottingham Panthers have won four ...
announced that Kowalski wouldn't be returning for the 2015–16 Season, ending a superb 5-year stint with the club. Kowalski has gone down in the history of the Panthers to be one of the best Goaltenders they've ever had.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kowalski, Craig
1981 births
Living people
American expatriate sportspeople in Italy
American expatriate sportspeople in the United Kingdom
American men's ice hockey goaltenders
Carolina Hurricanes draft picks
Compuware Ambassadors players
Florida Everblades players
Gwinnett Gladiators players
Ice hockey players from Michigan
Lowell Lock Monsters players
Northern Michigan Wildcats men's ice hockey players
Nottingham Panthers players
Sportspeople from Warren, Michigan
Phoenix RoadRunners players
Stanley Cup champions
Syracuse Crunch players
HC Valpellice players