Written by: Scott Savard
Headline graphic: Kiana Briscoe
Headline photo: Chad Goddard
Okotoks, AB (March 26, 2026) – The Okotoks Oilers are proud to announce that forward Michael Kowalski (Chicago, IL) has committed to playing with Hamilton College of the NCAA Division III hockey next season.
Kowalski who now wears the “A” as an assistant captain for the Green and Gold has played two full seasons with the Oilers, accumulating 55 points (26G, 29A) in 101 games.
“It’s super exciting, super excited for the hockey side of it. They got a good team in the Frozen Four right now, so I’ll be watching, and from the School side, I think that’s the main reason I picked there. The schooling is unbelievable and I just want to put myself in a position to obviously succeed off the ice and pursue whatever I want to pursue when the time comes and become successful in that. I think the coaches there and the staff that I’ve talked to and met so far are just awesome people and super excited to be going there,” Kowalski said.
Getting a commitment to play post-secondary hockey was always a goal of Kowalski’s, and now that he has one, he’s determined to keep progressing in the sport of hockey.
“I have just been working my whole life to get to college and the next step, and finally it’s coming around. Just super excited to be going there,” he added.
Kowalski would also give a ton of credit to the BCHL for helping him get exposed to schools which led to his commitment.
“I think just the fast pace out here, it’s going to prepare me well. All good players throughout last year, this year, even guys I’ve played with on my team are in the (WHL) playing NCAA either this year or next year, just helped me much. All the coaches here and everything,” Kowalski added.
The Oilers coaching staff would also get some praise from Kowalski as they are another big reason for helping him pick up the commitment from Hamilton College.
“They helped me a lot. They helped me change my game, I think my game’s turned into a full 200 foot game and it’s just every day coming in. They got stuff to tell me on the ice, little details, and I think stuff like that just pushes you to be the best player you can be,” he explained.
When it comes to what Kowalski’s most proud of over the last two seasons, he said, “I’m most proud of being an Oiler, just being a part of the organization. Obviously you can look back, you didn’t make playoffs this year or whatever, but you’re just going to look back at the people you met and the people along the way, billets, friends, it’s just an amazing opportunity to be here,” Kowalski said about being an Oiler.
As for some advice for the younger players who are still trying to solidify a commitment, Kowalski said that listening to the coaching staff will play a big part in their development.
“I honestly think take it day by day, listen to (Tyler) Deis (Oilers Head Coach and GM), get in the gym as much as you can, and just appreciate the time you have here, because it goes in the blink of an eye,” Kowalski explained.
Kowalski joins his best friend and roommate, Hunter Sawka (Cochrane, AB) with a commitment as they both will play post-secondary hockey come next season.
“Super excited, I think it’s huge for both of us and I’m excited to see what we’ll both do in the next four years,” he said.
While Kowalski has been a teammate of Luke Calabria (Huntington, NY) over the past two seasons with the Oilers, the two will be foes come next season as Calabria will be with Hobart in the NCAA Division III.
“Yeah, it’ll be fun. Hopefully give them a loss, but yeah we got a pretty good team there, I’m super excited to play him, and some of my other buddies I played with and against at Bishop Kearney the past couple years. A bunch of them are signed to Division III out in that league,” Kowalski explained.
As for the Green Army, Kowalski is proud to represent Okotoks over the past two season.
“Thank you for everything, coming to all the games and supporting us, and pushing us to do our best,” he said.
Make sure to buy tickets for this weekends games before Kowalski heads to Hamilton College next season.
The Okotoks Oilers are a not-for-profit, community-run junior hockey franchise competing in the BCHL and operating out of Viking Rentals Centre. For more information, visit okotoksoilers.com or follow the Oilers on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, and Instagram.
