Photo Source: polskihokej.eu

Poland’s second league, the Mlodziezowa Hokej Liga (MHL), doesn’t get much attention, but it’s an interesting league. While the league is mainly full of players under 23, quite a few senior players and interesting imports also appear in the MHL. Players from 15 countries appeared in the MHL this past season, including 42 players from Belarus and 36 from Ukraine. Despite the player variety by nation, it is mostly a league for young players. The youngest average age is 16.76, while the oldest is 22.35.

There is a lot of debate in Poland about the development of young players. The MHL lies at the center of it. It is good for Poland’s young players to play in a league with a mixture of older players and imports? There is also an issue with how Poland views young players. In most countries, once players are older than 20, they’re expected to play senior hockey and are no longer young prospects. Their development days are mostly over by the time a player reaches 23. In Poland, teams still consider 24 and 25-year-olds as young players. 318 Polish players appeared in the MHL this year, with 204 under 20.

It’s not a true second or U20 league; it’s a mixture of the two. While the league is still finding its footing, a lot of good hockey is still being played. 15 different teams from across Poland competed in the league this year. Many players proved they deserved some time in the THL with great performances, while others put themselves on the map for the Poland U20 and U18 squads. With 15 teams, there is a lot of parity, and we’re now going to break down how each team performed across the 28-game season.

Final Standings

1. BS Polonia Bytom. Regular Season Record: 25-1-0-2. Playoffs: Finals Loss, Silver Medal Winners

Bytom dominated the MHL regular season, suffering only a single loss in regulation. Mateusz Kołodziej was once again stellar in net; he has been one of the best goalies in the second league the past few seasons. Former MHL leading scorer American Devin Panzeca returned to Poland with 56 points, including 37 goals. It was second on Bytom only behind former Cracovia forward Igor Augustyniak, who posted 57 points (20G-37A-57PTS). Polonia’s path in the playoffs wasn’t as easy as they lost once to Cracovia and Podhale on their way to the finals. They did reach the championship round but then got swept by Janow. Bytom remains committed to returning to the top level of Poland soon. They put on another great showcase in the MHL.

MVP: Devin Panzeca

2. SMS PZHL Katowice. Regular Season Record: 16-6-5-1. Playoffs: Bronze Medal Winners

SMS PZHL Katowice is the Poland U16 and U18 members that play in Poland. They’re led by U18 head coach and long-time senior hockey head coach Andrei Gusov. The Hofman twins were the highlight of the offense, with Jakub posting 62 points (14G-48A-62PTS) in 32 games and Jonasz with 48 points (22G-26A-48PTS) in 23 games. Maksymilian Dawid and Patryk Hanzel also served valuable roles, while Igor Tyczynski was tremendous in net. After bypassing Gdansk in round one, SMS PZHL fell to Janow in the semi-finals. They dominated Podhale to win bronze by outscoring them 14-5 in the runner-up series.

MVP: Jakub Hofman

3. Naprzód Janów Katowice. Regular Season Record: 18-8-1-1. Playoffs: Champions

Naprzód Janów was third in the standings but the champs at the end of the year. They’re aligned with the back-to-back THL champions GKS Katowice. Janow is led by Polish national team assistant coach Grzegorz Klich. Polish American Eric Kaczynski was one of the league’s best forwards, having a 2.0 point per game average in the regular season and playoffs. Belarusian goalie Ilya Soroko led the league in save percentage with a .931 mark, but he was somehow even better in the playoffs. When it mattered most, Soroko posted an outstanding .946 SV%. The late-year additions of Dawid Wawrzkiewicz and Piotr Ciepielewski were massive to an already outstanding offense.

MVP: Ilya Soroko

4. MMKS Podhale Nowy Targ. Regular Season Record: 16-9-1-2. Playoffs: Bronze Series Loss

MMKS Podhale Nowy Targ had their best season since their return in 2020. They reached the bronze medal series before falling to SMS PZHL Katowice. Many players on this team have gotten time with Podhale Nowy Targ over the past two years in the THL. That experience helped, as they allowed the second-fewest goals in the league. Szymon Klimowski was pretty stellar in net, aiding that number. The team was coached this year by former Winnipeg Jets forward and longtime Jokipojat director of player development Markku Kyllönen. Five players on the team posted 30 points or more, with Krzysztof Jarczyk (22G-24-46PTS) leading the way. The team got a major boost in the playoffs, adding Podhale Nowy Targ players; Adrian Pawel Slowakiewicz, Jakub Worwa, Lukasz Kaminski, Marat Soroka, and Tomasz Szczerba.

MVP: Krzysztof Jarczyk

5. MKS Sokoły Toruń. Regular Season Record: 16-8-3-1. Playoffs: Quarterfinals Loss

In his second year at the helm, former KH Torun player Jaroslaw Dolega’s squad improved greatly. With 167 goals scored, they were second in the league in scoring. This was largely thanks to their top line of Dominik Olszewski, Jakub Wenker, and Yakub Kviatkouski. Maksymilian Lisewski had a career year in the net, and him missing the playoffs was a massive blow for this squad. Many of the city’s best defenders had already graduated to KH Torun in the THL, so their time in the MHL was limited. This team could have been among the best when fully loaded, but that was rarely during the year. They would be eliminated by Podhale despite a hard fight that came down to a scoreless overtime before a shootout with only a single goal.

MVP: Jakub Wenker

6. UHT Sabres Oswiecim. Regular Season Record: 14-8-1-5. Playoffs: Quarterfinals Loss

Oswiecim’s team keeps busy during the year, playing in the European University Hockey League as well as the MHL. The team is made up of equal parts Polish and Ukrainian players. This did not come without controversy, as early in the year, former Polish players alleged that the team showed heavy favoritism towards Ukrainian players and accused Ukrainian head coach Vitali Shlyakhov of being intoxicated while coaching. The club responded, saying both accusations were false. Only two players who signed the letter with the official complaint against the organization appeared for the team this year, but both later left for a different MHL squad. The club put up a solid year on the ice with a balanced offense and defense. Only having Kacper Prokopiak and Vasili Yerasov for parts of the year and both missing the playoffs was a big blow to the squad. They were easily defeated in the playoffs, losing in two games and getting outscored 13-2.

MVP: Demian Tychenko

7. GAS Olivia Gdansk. Regular Season Record: 15-11-0-2. Playoffs: Quarterfinals Loss

Another team to rise from the ashes of a failed Stoczniowiec Gdansk. This rebirth was led by two long-time members of the Gdansk hockey community, Krzysztof Lehmann and former star Czech import Josef Vítek. Gdansk is a great hockey town, and I am excited to see their senior and junior players have another chance to play. The first year was quite the improvement from Stoczniowiec Gdansk. The team added 11 more wins and made the playoffs. The club was led by one of the most interesting import additions of Belarusian Denis Plastinin. Plastinin played 19 games at the top level of Belarus last year while also having a point per game season at the second level. Veterans Gilbert Leśniak and Oskar Lehmann both held the blue line steady. The team’s goaltending was inconsistent throughout the season, and they tried to address this by adding Finnish goalie Riku Törnqvist for the playoffs. Ultimately the team would be eliminated in two straight games.

MVP: Denis Plastinin

8. MKS Cracovia. Regular Season Record: 13-10-2-3. Playoffs: Quarterfinals Loss

Junior and youth hockey was initially on the cutting block by Cracovia and was not supposed to happen due to financial issues. The backlash from fans and players brought them back, and there is now a renewed focus on youth players from the club. For a team revived close to the last minute, they had a solid year, being the last team in the playoffs. They were once against, led by long-time imports Kirill Yastrebov and Nikita Shatilov. Yastrebov led the league in scoring with an outstanding 71 points (36G-35G-71PTS) in only 26 games. Oskar Polak and Szymon Bieniek had a short but strong showing for this team. In the playoffs, the club stole game one from Polonia Bytom in their series. Unfortunately, they would lose the next two matches and be eliminated.

MVP: Kirill Yastrebov

9. MOSM Tychy. Regular Season Record: 13-11-1-3. Playoffs: Missed

Our first team out of the playoffs, Tychy, continues improving in the MHL. This was a strong first year under former GKS Tychy forward Michal Belica. A very young defense was their biggest issue, as the team allowed 101 goals which was fifth last in the league. No true star broke out in the offense, but a strong top six kept them in games throughout the year. Nikodem Wroblewski took a big step forward this year, while Szymon Kucharski again led the team in points. Igor Ratajczak showed a strong two-way game and averaged over a point per game for the first time in the MHL. Their very young roster means the team will likely be sticking together for next year. A little more experience could be enough to push them into the playoffs.

MVP: Szymon Kucharski

10. UKS Zaglebie Sosnowiec. Regular Season Record: 12-11-4-1. Playoffs: Missed

I’m surprised that Sosnowiec had a poor year and had the same finish as last year. Patryk Jarosz was once again one of the league leaders in points after posting 46 during the regular season. Veterans like Aleksander Gniewek, Andrzej Stojek, Karol Wąsiński, and Oskar Rzekanowski also had solid seasons. Many young players were unavailable to the team for the full season, plus a down year from Maksymilian Kura. Those two factors were the main culprits in missing a few points that could have meant the playoffs. On the bright side this year a player wasn’t arrested for being a russian spy.

MVP: Patryk Jarosz

11. JKH GKS Jastrzebie II. Regular Season Record: 9-14-4-1. Playoffs: Missed

In their second season back, JKH GKS Jastrzebie II showed a lot of improvement despite missing the playoffs again. They went from a -58 goal average to a +14 this season. 16-year-old Kacper Michalski was stellar in net and finished third in the MHL in save percentage. The team was much better when veterans like Dominik Jarosz, Marcin Plachetka, Michal Zajac, Patryk Pelaczyk, and Szymon Kiełbicki appeared, but none played more than ten games. 17-year-old defender and top prospect Jakub Onak led the team in points with 26.

MVP: Jakub Onak

12. LZHK Fabrykanci Lodzkie. Regular Season Record: 9-16-1-2. Playoffs: Missed

Hockey in Lodz is still rebuilding, and with that, to stay competitive, the team tried players from ten countries outside Poland. It kept them out of last place, but not very competitive. The team is led by former UHT Sabres Oswiecim head coach Lubomir Witoszek. The team’s goal is to compete in the EUHL, so it makes sense to bring in Witoszek. The club relied on their Russian trio of Eduard Shibelbein, Ivan Tsyran, and Vladimir Petrovsky. All three are no strangers to the lower leagues of Poland. Hopefully, we will start to see more young Polish players. This was still a better season than last year, when the team won four games.

MVP: Eduard Shibelbein

13: UKS Niedzwiadki Sanok. Regular Season Record: 5-22-1-0. Playoffs: Missed

From back-to-back championship years to third last in the league, the situation with the top club in Sanok caused most of the best players to be called up to the parent club on almost a permanent basis, especially at the end of the year. Many U18 players took on big roles in the MHL club. Some, like Krzysztof Stabryla and Kacper Niemczyk, succeeded in those expanded roles. Hopefully, things get back to normal in Sanok soon.

MVP: Krzysztof Stabryla

14. SMS Torun. Regular Season Record: 3-23-1-1. Playoffs: Missed

SMS Torun is the second team from the city of Torun. They’re a U18 squad in the league and usually finish towards the bottom. Still, the Torun system has prepared players well to play in MHL and THL recently. A few players showed they’re ready for U20 hockey this year. Adam Sawicki, Jacek Juchniewicz, Jeremi Prokurat, Marcel Karnas, and Michal Nawrot all showed well.

MVP: Michal Nawrot

15. SMS Bytom. Regular Season Record: 1-27-0-0. Playoffs: Missed

SMS Bytom, like Torun, is a secondary club for another MHL city. This team had it rough. They were a last-minute replacement for HC Krynica. Krynica did not submit the proper paperwork and had an insufficient roster. SMS Bytom was brought in to keep the league’s schedule intact. They only scored 25 goals while allowing 330. Oliwier Zaranski led the team in scoring with six points, hopefully he earned a shot with the main Bytom team. Starting goalie Matvei Kuznetsov had to make an average of 38 saves per game and endured a lot.

MVP: Matvei Kuznetsov

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