We have now hit the top half of the rankings. In this tier of players, we see more who project to have a chance to make an impact outside of Poland or have already established themselves as a player in Poland’s top league. This group features some of our highest debut players for the 2023 list, along with some big risers and fallers.
Players had to be under the age of 23 and at least 16 years old on June 1st, 2023. We are only judging play that occurred before that date as well. Players are evaluated based on a combination of career history, current play, and potential. Skaters must have played at least five games to be considered. While most of the ranking is my opinion, numerous Polish hockey people contributed their thoughts on players. 188 players were considered for the list and reviewed. Eighty players received a ranking.
Rank – Player Name (Position), Age During Next Hockey Season, Team (Ranking in 2022, change in rankings)
40 – Wiktor Bochnak (F), 21, Podhale Nowy Targ, (19, -21)
Podhale has been in a rough state the past few seasons, and Bochnak made the best of it in 2022. That was not so much the case in 2023, as the young forward only appeared in 25 games scoring twice. His MHL numbers also showed some regression as he posted 21 points (12G-9A-21PTS) in 21 games. While he maintained a point-per-game average, he recorded a 1.38 PPG the previous year. After some big offseason acquisitions, Podhale will have a lot more talent in 2024, so his place in the offense will be interesting to see.
39 – Filip Sienkiewicz (F), 20, STS Sanok, (42, +3)
Sienkiewicz showed much promise last year in a late short stint with Sanok. He became a full-time player for the squad this past season, recording a goal and an assist in 34 games. This tied him for third in U20 scoring, while he was fourth in games played. He made the Polish squads for the D1B U20 World Championship and WCUH. I was happy to see a jump in his MHL production, where he finished with a 1.39 point per game average. He has a lot of good offensive tools to excel as a player. I hope to see him move up the lineup in Sanok for 2024.
38 – Matthew McGovern (F), 16, RB Hockey Academy U18 (NR)
McGovern makes the list in his first year of eligibility. The Polish forward was born to an American father and a Polish mother in Poland. He first left the country to play in the Czech junior system and then made another jump to the famed Red Bull hockey academy. This past year in his 15-year-old season, he played in the Austria U18 league and posted 15 points (6G-9A-15PTS) in 23 games. It was sixth on his squad, even though he would miss the playoffs. While production matches are taken with more than a giant grain of salt here, 39% of his matches are played in the ICEHL or an equivalent hockey league. McGovern should be making his debut for the Polish U18 squad this year after playing for the U16 team last. For the U16 squad, he recorded one goal in two exhibition matches.
37 – Mateusz Bezwinski (F), 22, Cracovia Krakow (20, -17)
Bezwinski didn’t play much this season after suffering an injury in the preseason. He had ten pointless PHL playoff games, and that was it for his time in Poland. Losing almost a full year of development like this hurts a player. He didn’t drop further because he had a strong appearance at the WCUH, with three goals and three assists. Two of his goals came against Canada. He was a strong force at the event with 18 shots, an average of just over three and a half per game. He is under contract with Cracovia again, and there is a strong chance of a bigger role due to the club slashing their budget.
36 – Jakub Wenker (F), 21, KH Torun, (78, +42)
Wenker takes a major rank jump after becoming a full-time player for Torun. He appeared in 35 games this year and recorded four assists. I thought Wenker might be one of those players that sits in the star MHL range but was never able to become a full-time player in the PHL. While he was in a fourth-line role in the PHL, he filled it well, finishing plus two on the year. He also maintained his MHL dominance, with 36 points (22G-14A-36PTS) in 17 games. His 2.12 PPG was fifth among all MHL skaters with at least five games played.
35 – Piotr Ciepielewski (F), 19, GKS Katowice, (63, +28)
Ciepielewski is another player that has quickly risen up the ranks. He stands out due to his solid two-way game. The young forward became a somewhat regular player for GKS Katowice this year with two goals in 26 games, including playing six playoff games for the champions. The 6’0 forward also had another strong season at the MHL level. With Janow, he finished tied for fourteenth in U20 PPG with a 1.12 mark. Ciepielewski made his first appearance for the Polish U20 squad at the D1B U20 World Championship, scoring versus Japan. He was trying out for Finland’s top junior league this offseason with Kiekko-Espoo U20 and succeeded!
34 – Maksymilian Dawid (F), 18, SMS PZHL Katowice, (NR)
Dawid comes in as our third-highest list debut for 2023. Dawid was on our shortlist last year, but I wasn’t sure how the scoring in the Czech U17 2 would translate. The Gdansk native had a strong debut year in the MHL, with SMS Katowice posting 26 points (10G-16A-26PTS) in 34 games. His 26 points led all U18 forwards in points. He took center stage at the U18s, where he was Poland’s best skater by far. He led the squad with four points (3G-1A-4PTS) and was key to Poland’s win against Austria. The 6’2 forward was able to make noise outside of Poland. For 2024, he is joining Berani Zlin U20, who play at the top level of Czech junior hockey. Dawid has a great chance to follow quite a few recent Polish players that turned U20 success into an Extraliga contract down the line.
33 – Oliwier Kasperek (D), 21, MOSM Tychy, (22, -11)
Kasperek had a really strong year in 2022, and I hoped it would lead to more top-league chances in 2023. He only played in seven games with GKS Tychy this season, which is up three from last year. His MHL numbers also took a dip, posting 10 points (2G-8A-10PTS) in 17 games. The young defender chose not to re-sign with GKS Tychy this offseason but has yet to find a new home. It has become a common roadblock defenders have encountered in Poland now. There is nowhere for them to continue developing once they have passed junior hockey. I am curious if his career will continue in 2024, as he last played hockey in January of 2023. Poland has a need for young defensemen, and Kasperek showed plenty of potential.
32 – Louis Miccoli (F), 22, STS Sanok, (NR)
Close to the end of his eligibility, Miccoli makes the list as the second-highest-ranked debut. We previously discussed judging the German junior system as hard, and high scoring rarely translates. Miccoli played in the second and third levels of German U20 hockey from 2020 and 2021. He did have a strong 2022 season in the MHL but only played 16 games, and I wanted to see more from the forward. In 2023, he showed exactly that and more by becoming a full-time PHL player. This included six points (2G-4A-6PTS) in 39 PHL games, his six points were tenth for U23 Polish skaters. Miccoli also dominated the MHL with 48 points (14G-34A-48PTS) in 25 games. He has re-signed with Sanok for the 2024 season.
31 – Filip Świderski (G), 22, STS Sanok, (45, +14)
Świderski jumps 14 spots and is our third-highest-ranked goalie. Only eight U23 goalies played a PHL game last year, and only four of them played in five games or more. Świderski posted the second-best save percentage, .908, of all those goalies. He was one of only two to post a save percentage over .875%. He showed well in his PHL matches and faced off with some of Poland’s top clubs. His best performance of the year came against Katowice, where he only allowed one goal on 37 shots. In 2024, Świderski will compete against 23-year-old Kristian Tamminen for starts in Sanok.
Next Part: Players 30-21
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