At the age of 19 he joined the Westaskiwin Canadians of the AHL and followed that up with a year of playing senior hockey in the Western league, first with the Calgary Stampeders and as a member of the Calgary Buffaloes.

In 1949-50 Michaluk moved to Washington wear he suited up for the Spokane Flyers of the WIHL. In 58 games he tallied 21 goals and 36 points and was one of the team's main offensive leaders throughout the season. In 1950-51, while playing with the Milwaukee Seagulls of the USHL, Michaluk was called up for his one and only NHL game with the Chicago Blackhawks, where he was held pointless while seeing limited ice time as an injury fill-in. In 56 games with Milwaukee he had 13 goals and 25 points.

Next on Michaluk's hockey journey was a stop in Providence, where he played with the Reds of the AHL before moving on to the Quebec Aces of the QMJHL where he played alongside the likes of Jean Beliveau and Joe Crozier.

Michaluk finished out his professional hockey career playing two years in Calgary, playing with his older brother Art with the Stampeders. He retired following the 1954-55 season at the age of 26.