Despite all that seems to go wrong in Polish hockey the light at the end of the tunnel has been the amount of great young talent that Poland has in their system right now. This is the deepest depth of young talent Poland has had this century. Regardless of what happens in regards to management and coaching with the talent that Poland has coming, they should be able to push forward. In this list, I wanted to rank Poland’s young talent to create a better picture of what the future look likes. This is part 2 of the series as we look at the players ranked fifth

Adam Kiedewicz (F), 19, Krefeld Pinguine.

Yes, I will address the giant elephant in the room when it comes to Kiedewicz right off the bat. There is a chance that he may choose to represent Germany over Poland. Now if he does, I 100% support his choice and wish him the best of luck. Kiedewicz himself has not made a statement on the matter, and the only statement to go off is U20 World Champion coach Piotr Sanrik, who believed his absence from this year’s U20 World Championships was a key sign that he was done with Poland.

I did contact a few German hockey writers and people in the German hockey community asking about Kiedewicz and team Germany. None had heard anything about him representing Germany. You can also add in the fact Kiedewicz has represented Poland before at the U18s, so his IIHF rights belong to Poland til 2021-22. He will be sacrificing multiple IIHF seasons, while only being able to represent Germany at smaller non-IIHF events. While those junior tournaments may have more value than Poland’s junior events, Poland could offer him a spot on their senior team.

I also don’t believe his absence at one tournament means that much given his professional situation currently has him trying to make it in the DEL, one of the top professional leagues at Europe. He wanted to earn a call up to the DEL, so he could have kept just playing in the DNL to hopefully earn that chance. Poland’s U20 World Championship division was also taking place at the same time that Germany was playing at the U20 World Championships in Division 1 Group A. With plenty of young German players away it left Kiedewicz one of the top players available for loans or call ups. I don’t believe there is a reason to panic yet on the Kiedewicz front and I hope he will appear this year for Poland at international hockey events as he is quite the player.

Now onto the player. Kiedewicz is an elite offensive talent. This year in the second division of the German junior system, he had 38 goals and 65 assists in 36 games. His 103 points were second on the team only to Darren Mieszkowski. It was also second in the league, and he led the league in assists. His excellent season led Krefelder EV 1981 to a first-place finish in the second division. This earned them a chance at promotion to division one, where Krefelder EV 1981 went a perfect 6 for 6 in the playoffs. Kiedewicz chipped in 5 goals and 6 assists during their quest for promotion. Next year Krefelder EV 1981 will be in the top division of the DNL.

For next season it is expected that Kiedewicz will make his pro debut with Krefelder’s Oberliga team as well as the Krefeld Pinguine in the DEL. Kiedewicz definitely appears ready for professional hockey he stands at 6’2 (188 cm) making him one of the tallest forwards on the Pinguine roster. He is an extremely efficient passer and skilled playmaker.  Kiedewicz has strong skating skills. He is not afraid to get physical or use his size to gain possession or space. He will easily be one of the best Polish players in a few years, and I would give him a spot on the senior national team this year. I mean any player who is good enough to play in the DEL should earn a spot automatically, in my opinion.

Kiedewicz is no doubt a lock for the U20 World Championship team if he chooses to represent Poland. He is on the path to a great career, and I hope it is with Poland.

Player #4

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