Another hockey season is underway in Poland. It’s shaping up to be an interesting year. The top clubs remain at their best, but there has been a lot of shake-up in the middle. Cracovia had some budget cuts, while Podhale found a lot of money to bring in some of the biggest stars in the league. No one feels like a truly bad team this year, and a big part of that is some import signings. We have seen more imports from Czechia, Finland, and Sweden, along with a record high from North America. I wanted to take a look at one new import signing for each team that I find the most interesting.
Cracovia Krakow – Martin Látal
While there is nothing shocking about Cracovia signing a Czech player, Látal has had an interesting career. The 35-year-old forward was a fifth-round pick of the then-Phoenix Coyotes in the 2006 NHL entry draft. Following his selection, he would spend a couple seasons in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League and represent Czechia at the World Juniors. The former draft pick would return to Czechia and play for various Tipsport Extraliga teams from 2009 to 2021. In total, he played in 638 games in the top Czech league, recording 172 points. He spent the last two seasons in England with the Sheffield Steelers. His brother, Jan Látal, spent parts of three seasons in Poland.
GKS Katowice – Santeri Koponen
While Katowice saw the arrival of three North Americans, I see Fin Santeri Koponen as the most intriguing addition. The 25-year-old defender has 29 games of Liiga experience with Saipa under his belt. Following his departure from the club, he bounced around the Mestis a little bit. He found a new home with JoKP. He would serve as assistant captain and then captain of the squad. The 5’9 defenseman also started to really produce, with a combined 69 points in the past two years. That offensive output is great for defensemen. His leadership should also be a tremendous aid for Katowice as they look to three-peat.
GKS Tychy – Jan Jaroměřský
One of the first import signings of the year, GKS Tychy secured the long-time Extraliga defensemen during the Czechia league playoffs. Jaroměřský has played his entire career in Czechia until now. He will be playing his first season outside Czechia at 35, but his experience speaks for itself. He played parts of nine seasons in both the Tipsport Extraliga and Chance Liga. He played in 398 Extraliga games, recording 70 points and winning two championships. The two-way defender had 90 points in 272 Chance Liga games. He spent the last five seasons of his career with HC Oceláři Třinec, where he was a teammate with Polish national team star Aron Chmielewski.
JKH GKS Jastrzebie – Rastislav Špirko
While I originally had a different player, the late addition of Rastislav Špirko takes the spot. From Ulf Andersson at Elite Prospects, “Špirko is an offensive winger with terrific speed and hands. Diminutive, he is lacking in strength and size.” The 39-year-old is at the end of a long and strong career. He was a top prospect in Slovakia and represented the country at the U18s and World Juniors. He later moved to the States, playing in the USHL and then college hockey at North Dakota University. He returned to Europe in 2007 and would bounce around the top leagues of Czechia and Slovakia, along with the KHL. He recorded 84 points in 205 KHL games. He represented the Slovak national senior team at quite a few non-IIHF events. He spent the last two years with DEAC in Hungary before returning to the Tipos Extraliga. JKH GKS Jastrzebie will be hoping he still has some production left in the tank.
KH Toruń – Mirko Dujmić
Dujmić is the first Serbian to play in the top Polish league. Already a veteran of the Serbian national team, he developed in the Hungary junior system. After his junior days were done, he moved to Slovenia to play with HDD Jesenice in the Alps Hockey League. He returned to Hungary two years ago to play in the Erste Liga. During his time in the top Hungary league, he recorded 57 points in 82 games. He served as an assistant captain for Serbia at this year’s D1B World Championships. Torun has a knack for finding players in lower leagues or nonmajor hockey countries. Dujmić looks to have the potential to have a strong season in Poland after scoring in his first game.
Podhale Nowy Targ – Phil Kiss
Another late addition to their squad, Podhale might have found a key piece in Canadian defender Phil Kiss. The Ontario native played in OJHL for his junior career before making an NCAA III commitment. He played four years of college hockey with Curry College. He served as the captain of the club in his senior year. After graduation, the Canadian with Hungarian roots turned professional in the Erste Liga. He spent the past five seasons in the league, mainly with UTE. In 118 games, the defensemen posted 72 points, with a career-high of 23 points last year. Kiss should be able to provide much-needed depth to the Podhale defense.
STS Sanok – Conor MacEachern
One of the many new North Americans in the league, MacEachern has already acquired a leadership role in Sanok. The new assistant captain is making his first appearance in European hockey. The physical defenseman played in the Western Hockey League with the Portland Winterhawks. After his time in Canada’s top junior league, he made a college commitment to the Canadian Univeristy League. He spent the past four years at the University of Prince Edward Island. Upon graduation, he would play a short stint with the Tulsa Oilers in the ECHL. With Karol Bilas out until likely November, MacEachern will be a key part of the Sanok defense.
Unia Oswiecim – Henry Karjalainen
Oswiecim found a Fin that could lead the THL in scoring. A product of the SaiPa junior system, he would play in 11 games for the club in the Liiga. Starting in 2018, he would begin to play in the Mestis with TUTO Hockey. Elmo Aittola, current STS Sanok head coach, talked about him when serving as the sports manager of TUTO, “A skilled player, not afraid of physical contact or challenging the opposition.” He would later move to the Ketterä program for a few seasons. His career there would peak in 2022 when he led the league in points with 59 and assists with 44. This year also saw his club win the Mestis championship, and Karjalainen was named a First Team All-Star. He also earned a call-up and played another game in the Liiga with SaiPa. Karjalainen having the 22nd-best scoring season ever in the Mestis makes him a prime candidate to be a top scorer in the THL.
Zaglebie Sosnowiec – Ryley Lindgren
We end with a rare North American signing for Sosnowiec. With the club going independent, the team signed quite a few big free agents, both Polish and imports. Canadian forward Riley Lindgren stands out the most to me. The Manitoba native was a solid Western Hockey League player during his junior days. In his final WHL season, he posted 89 points between the Lethbridge Hurricanes and Swift Current Broncos. He spent the next four years in the Canadian university league with Mount Royal. The center split last year between the Tulsa Oilers of the ECHL and Narvik Hockey of the Norwegian second league. In every league he has played in, he finished with a .point per game average of .5 or above. Sosniwec will be hoping his strong production can carry over to Poland.
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