Photo Source: polskihokej.eu

The road to the World Championship for the men’s national team begins on Friday for Poland. They will play a weekend series vs. Hungary. Hungary will compete in Division 1 Group A this year after being relegated during last year’s Elite Division World Championship. Poland will not have a full roster as the THL finals are still being held between GKS Katowice and Unia Oswiecim. Game six of the finals will start two and a half hours after the puck drops on Poland vs. Hungary on Friday.

The following players will not be available to the national team due to the THL finals.

GKS Katowice: John Murray (G), Michal Kieler (G), Maciej Kruczek (D), Jakub Wanacki (D), Mateusz Bepierszcz (F), Bartosz Fraszko (F), Mateusz Michalski (F), Grzegorz Pasiut (F), Igor Smal (F)

Unia Oswiecim: Milosz Noworyta (D), Krystian Dziubinski (F), Lukasz Krzemien (F), Jan Soltys (F), Dariusz Wanat (C)

Poland also didn’t call up everyone from last year’s squad that was available to this training camp, we will have to see how that changes. Top prospect Krzysztof Macias will join the team for the next grouping according to reports. I would have liked to see the team start building chemistry and learn more about some veterans after a disappointing performance at the Olympic Qualifiers. The silver lining is Poland will have a chance to try a different-looking lineup against a top opponent. This Hungary team is going to be a tough matchup. They have plenty of players who play in strong leagues abroad, like Vilmos Galló (SHL) and Balázs Sebők (DEL). This Hungary team will mostly be the same squad that the country took to the Worlds last year. A majority also plays together in the ICEHL on the Hungarian squad Fehérvár AV19. With their talent and built in chemistry, this will be the best squad Poland has faced all year.

Patryk Krężołek

I like the idea of bringing in Krężołek. He led all Polish players in goals during the regular season. At one point, it seemed like he would be a lock for the national team until a few disappointing seasons with GKS Katowice. He has yet to make his IIHF senior debut for Poland. His time with Zaglebie Sosnowiec has revitalized his numbers. That is not just in the THL, as he has six points (3G-3A-6PTS) in six games during the 2024 international year. Pairing him with an elite playmaker like Łyszczarczyk could be explosive for Poland. At center, you could have Dominik Pas. Pas’ strong two way game will compliment both players as well. I think that line could slot into Poland’s top six easily.

Damian Kapica & Aron Chmielewski

We’re going to combine these two players. Chmielewski and Kapica were the stars of the national team at one point, but that feels so long ago. Kapica has missed plenty of time due to a multitude of reasons. He suffered a knee injury during last year’s training camp. If he can regain his form then he is a more than welcomed return to the lineup. He has not played for Poland since the 2020 season. This year, he missed some time but still posted 22 points (11G-11-22PTS) in 24 games. Chmielewski barely played this year in Czechia, and his role on the national team will now be much different. No longer will Poland look at Chmielewski as the star to carry the team. He will now be viewed as a shutdown checking forward primarily. In 2022, he only played one game at the Worlds but did a good job locking down Japanese star Yushiroh Hirano. Both players will look to prove in camp that they’re ready to contribute again.

In his first Tipsport Extraliga game since October 16th, Aron Chmielewski scored on the powerplay! He fired off five shots as well in his return from injury and now has 4 points (2G-2A-4PTS) in 12 games.

📹: Ondrova hokej pic.twitter.com/popv0mAiEs

— Polish Puck (@PolandHockey) February 26, 2024

Bartosz Florczak

We have covered here in the past how Poland’s defense is aging, and the cupboard is a bit empty. Florczak is the youngest defender on the roster, not in the reserves. The 6’0 defender played some big minutes for Sanok this year. With Poland returning much of their existing defense, Florczak has a chance to break through. Last year, his Sanok teammate Karol Bilas came close to cracking the national team roster until a shoulder injury during camp. Bilas is also out this year with another injury. This is the first year that Florczak earned senior national team appearances, and he has continued to be called up at different events. While it may not mean breaking into the World Championship squad this year, it could set him up nicely for the future.

Mateusz Zieliński

No defender has raised their stock more in Poland than Zieliński this year. I have heard more praise about him from import players and coaches than any other Polish defensemen in the THL. An injury in the THL playoffs cut his year short, but he seems ready to go for the national team. He made his IIHF debut for Poland at the Olympic Qualifiers, posting two assists in three games. The 26-year-old is a player with a chance to be a part of the national team defense for a while. I see no better time for his World Championship debut than on the biggest stage. Still, I don’t believe he is a lock yet. This is due to the number of veterans, and Zieliński will have to play well in the exhibition season.

Pretty good endorsement for Zieliński by Sanok and longtime Metsis coach Elmo Aittola https://t.co/UMSCWBbRAi

— Polish Puck (@PolandHockey) March 4, 2024

Tomas Fucik

While John Murray is still most likely goalie number one for Poland, it will be interesting to see how Poland splits up the starting duties. New import goalie Tomas Fucik already made his senior debut during the Österreich Cup with a more than quality start versus Austria. I don’t expect Murray to play all seven games during the group stage. Fucik has a chance to prove that, versus Hungary, he should be at least a split starter for Poland. Poland also has DEL2 goalie Dawid Zabolotny and young netminder Maciej Miarka pushing for starts. At 36-years-old Murray likely doesn’t need too many warm-up games, especially since his season with GKS Katowice is still ongoing. It is going to be a battle in the net until the Worlds start.

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