Photo Source: polskihokej.eu

As the title states, there are three constants in life; death, taxes, and Polonia Bytom being the champions of Poland. Despite the same end result, this was still a major year for Poland’s top women’s league. The league gained a title sponsor in the Tauron energy company. Thus, the name of the league was changed to the TAURON Ligi Hokeja Kobiet (TLHK). The TLHK also welcomed some new squads in or back and made one major change to a team.

This year, we welcomed back PTH Kozice Poznań and UKH Białe Jastrzębie to the fold. The TLHK also added the city of Wrocław with KH Wiedźmy 71 Wrocław. This brought the TLHK up to ten teams in total. Ten is the most clubs that have performed at the top level in Poland since the 2015 season. To improve the competitiveness of the league, they altered how the 13-time champion, Polonia Bytom, would perform. During the regular season, Bytom was represented by SMS Bytom. A team of young players in the Bytom system. This change also allowed the Bytom roster to focus on the EWHL season with Silesian Metropolis.

The change with Bytom was a controversial one, as they would instantly assume the top spot for the postseason. No matter the record of the team finished first place in the standings. I favored this choice for the regular season, as we have seen too many blowouts in the TLHK in prior years, especially at the hands of Bytom. The playoff seeding does suck a bit, but I also don’t believe there is a good way to bring them back in at playoff time. SMS finished third in the seeding and faced Tychy in the playoffs; if Bytom took that seed, it would seem like Tychy would get a much harder matchup despite finishing sixth versus seventh or eighth. There isn’t a great way to do this, but that is part of the problem when one team has won nine straight championships.

Final Standings

1. Kojotki Naprzód Janów. Regular Season Record: 18-0-0-0. Playoffs: Finals Loss

It was a great year for Janów. The club took a major step with an undefeated regular season and finished a top of the standings. This year, there were top teams a tier above the rest with Bytom and Janów. The squad was well-balanced, with big performances by veterans and young stars. Kamila Wieczorek’s debut in the club was a huge success, as she posted 97 points (47G-50A-97PTS). The club actually had all three of the top TLHK scorers as Malgorzata Zakrzewska finished second with 75 points (42G-33A-75PTS) and Sylwia Laskawska came in third with 64 points (32G-32A-64PTS). They battled hard in the finals, losing both games 3-1. It was a great season and a well-deserved silver medal. It will be interesting to see if they can retain this roster for next year.

MVP: Kamila Wieczorek

2. GKS Stoczniowiec Gdansk. Regular Season Record: 15-2-0-1. Playoffs: Semi-Finals Loss (Bronze Medal Winners)

Usually the second-best team in Poland, Gdansk took a loss to Janow in the semi-finals, with a combined score of 12-1 in the best-of-three series. The team felt the loss of a few players, including young stars Magdalena Łąpieś and Maja Brzezińska. Still, Gdansk showed they’re still one of the best clubs in Poland, winning a bronze medal after taking two straight against Unia Oswiecim. Katarzyna Kasprzycka stepped up and led the team in scoring with 55 points (27G-28A-55PTS). Marta Goniszewska also returned and made a major impact in her first season since 2021. Natalia Kwiatkowska did great in her first year as a full-time starter.

MVP: Katarzyna Kasprzycka

3. Polonia Bytom/SMS Bytom. Regular Season Record: 12-5-1-0. Playoffs: Champions

We are going to keep the two Bytom squads together. During the regular season, Bytom finished third place in the league with 38 points. The U18 squad kept everything going at a strong level. Alicja Hudziak was stellar in the net, while Milena Piasecka and Nikola Isztok provided strong offense from the defense. In playoffs with the veterans back, they went undefeated en route to their ninth straight championship and 13th in club history. The icon of Polish hockey, Karolina Pozniewska, recorded 43 points in just six playoff games!

SMS Bytom MVP: Milena Piasecka. Polonia Bytom MVP: Karolina Pozniewska

4. UKHK Unia Oświęcim. Regular Season Record: 11-7-0-0. Playoffs: Semi-Finals Loss (Lost in Bronze Medal Series)

Oświęcim was a top-heavy team, leading them to finish as average as a team can be in a regular season. They were tied for fourth in the standings, fifth in goals allowed, and sixth in goals for. It was a star-making year for Anna Kot, who led them with 51 points (30G-21A-51PTS) as a defenseman. Losing Ida Talanda and Vanessa Patla for the playoffs could have really hurt them. Instead, the team was able to overcome Poznan before losing to Polonia Bytom in the semi-finals. They put up a decent fight versus Gdansk but would lose the bronze medal matchup. Nadia Sibik seems to have a lot of potential, but the team will need to find some scoring depth.

MVP: Anna Kot

5. PTH Kozice Poznań. Regular Season Record: 11-7-0-0. Playoffs: Quarterfinals Loss

Poznań didn’t disappoint in their return, earning a fifth-place finish in the regular season. They could keep pace with most of the league but couldn’t compete with the top clubs that finished first to third. They were a young team, as 15-year-olds Agata Cybulska and Weronika Świątek led the team in scoring. They were the third youngest team in the league, second if not counting the full roster of SMS Bytom. Goaltending was the biggest issue this year.

MVP: Agata Cybulska

6. SKKH Atomówki GKS Tychy. Regular Season Record: 9-9-0-0. Playoffs: Quarterfinal Loss

Tychy was the biggest wildcard team in the TLHK this year. They achieved some major blowout wins but could never get over the hill against the top organizations. The club finished with a goal differential of +43, which was fourth-best in the league. Aleksandra Gorska and Anna Pezda were the leaders of the offensive team, scoring 32 and 33 points. Katarzyna Radomska and Natalia Haranczyk performed well in net. Despite missing key veterans Agnieszka Dziedzioch and Pezda for the playoffs they stayed in it versus Gdansk. They tied them in game one 2-2, but would fall 5-2 in the second matchup.

MVP: Aleksandra Gorska

7. MMKS Podhale Nowy Targ. Regular Season Record: 7-11-0-0. Playoffs: Quarterfinal Loss

Podhale Nowy Targ were only a slightly below-average team defensively this year, but they couldn’t score. The team ranked third last in goals for (36), only two above Cracovia for second last. Only two players found themselves with more than 10 points: Agata Lesniowska and Magdalena Mroszczak. Mroszczak would also join Gdansk for the playoffs, leaving Podhale with even less firepower. Despite the rough situation, Alicja Kobiela and Zuzanna Furtak provided solid work in net. They made the playoffs and had one strong appearance versus Janow but found themselves blown out in game two to end their season.

MVP: Zuzanna Furtak

8. UKH Białe Jastrzębie. Regular Season Record: 4-14-0-0. Playoffs: Quarterfinal Loss

Jastrzębie left the league in rough shape, but their return was slightly better with a playoff appearance. They were almost the opposite of Podhale, with a slightly below-average offense, but they were not able to stay in games defensively. Their only wins this year came against the non-playoff teams. Dominika Szymik led the offense with some help from promising U16 players Emma Gilga and Martyna Kolorz. Jastrzębie would be fed to Polonia Bytom to open the playoffs. If the club can develop some defense for next season, they could find themselves moving up in the pecking order.

MVP: Dominika Szymik

9. KH Wiedźmy 71 Wrocław. Regular Season Record: 1-17-0-0. Playoffs: Did Not Qualify

It wasn’t the perfect debut season for Wrocław by any means, but at least they didn’t finish in last place. Plus, I will give them points for having the best logo in Polish hockey. The team lacked any offensive firepower but was not the worst club defensively. 21-year-old defender Zofia Postel was the highlight of the lineup. On a final note, I was happy to see the return of former U18 team standout Helena Grzybowska to hockey.

MVP: Zofia Postel

10. KS Cracovia 1906. Regular Season Record: 1-17-0-0. Playoffs: Did Not Qualify

For a second straight season, Cracovia has found themselves in last place. On the bright side, they didn’t go winless this season as they traded games with Wrocław. The club actually had a few decent forwards that did well production-wise. With the club only scoring 34 goals, Magdalena Olszewska was a part of 18, with six goals and 12 assists. Malgorzata Synowiec would score nine of the team’s goals, just over a fourth of the total. The team needed to find a better solution in the net.

MVP: Magdalena Olszewska

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