What if you made a team of players that chose another country over Poland? That would be Team Not Poland. This is a project I have been tracking for a bit because sometimes you just need to feel pain and take a look at all the talent Poland has lost. It has been four years since we first made a Team Not Poland roster and two players on the roster just won silver at the Men’s World Championship, so it feels like an appropriate time for an updated roster. The 2019 club had a strong offense led by former NHL players Wojtek Wolski and Krys Kolanos. The defense and goaltending was where the club fell apart. There was also a lot of young talent on the roster last time, so it will be interesting to see how they developed, as the squad lost a lot of players to retirement.
Before we begin, a reminder that this list is for fun. We are just looking at players with a Polish flag on their Elite Prospects page. We are not judging or criticizing any player for picking another country over Poland. In fact, although many of the following players might have been born in Poland or hold a Polish passport, they might never have had Poland as a choice due to IIHF eligibility rules.
Forwards
Wojciech Stachowiak (DEL) – Stéphane Da Costa (KHL) – Teddy Da Costa (PHL)
Adam Kiedewicz (DEL2) – Maciej Rutkowski (DEL) – Jakub Borzęcki (DEL2)
Denis Szczepaniec (U20-Elit) – Mateusz Szurowski (HockeyEttan) – Adrian Grygiel (Oberliga)
Bartek Bison (BeNeLiga) – Evan McGrath (ACH) – Arthur Pawlik (USPHL Premier)
The offense still carries the team but lost vital veterans in Jacob Micflikier, Jordan Pietrus, Krys Kolanos, and Wojtek Wolski. The good news is that many of the young prospects that chose Germany over Poland have hit. The first line will feature the two best Da Costa brothers and German national team member Stachowiak. That line will have to play some heavy minutes, and they will get some help from the second line, which features three players at the top levels of German hockey. Still, the top six is very young right now, and competing with such inexperienced forwards playing big minutes may be hard for them.
The third line features a mix of players that could be strong contributors, but Szczepanic and Szurowski haven’t taken the next step in their professional careers yet at senior hockey. However, Adrian Grygiel would be a great mentor for them, as he played the last few seasons with Krefelder EV 1981 U23, working with some of the players in the top six. The fourth line is rough and would likely receive minimal minutes. The young players have developed for Team Not Poland but are not yet at the level of the veterans they lost. The offense has taken a step back for Team Not Poland.
Defensemen
Maksymilian Szuber (DEL) – Rayan Bettahar (DEL)
Arkadiusz Dziambor (DEL) – Marcel Wohlmuth (Division 2, SWE)
Alexander Andrews (GMHL) – Paul Carney (ACHA II)
The defense is what took a big step forward this time. Szuber is an NHL draft pick of the Arizona Coyotes, while Bettahar has made strides as a DEL defenseman. That top pairing will likely have to play over 30 minutes a game for the squad to stay competitive. The second pairing is excellent on one side and weak on the other. Dziambor is a strong young player starting his DEL career, while Marcel Wohlmuth is in the fourth level of Swedish hockey. Wohlmuth must play some of the big minutes, which Poland could take advantage of. The bottom paring likely wouldn’t get much action as we have to fill the roster with some lower North American junior and college players.
Goalies
Stefan Carney (NAHL)
Herman Liv (J20 National)
They have great potential for the future in the net, but both goalies are under 20 right now. Carney gets the start but has struggled in the NAHL this year. In previous seasons, he had a chance to suit up for the US national development program. Herman Liv is the son of the late great Stefan Liv. At only 16 years old, he is starting to build a lot of hype in the Swedish junior leagues.
Could they beat Team Poland?
This team has a lot of young talent, but Team Not Poland is not ready to take on the actual team Poland yet. With the lack of depth, the team has, they would have the young talent playing some significant minutes, leading to Poland likely taking over. We saw the depth Poland had in the World Championships too. Their forechecking against the bottom lines of Team Not Poland would be disastrous for the non-red and white. I believe Poland could easily beat team Not Poland, and it wouldn’t be close. I would bet the over on the goal total for sure.
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