On May 5th, 2002, Poland played Japan in an almost pointless game. It was the final game of the 2002 IIHF World Championship relegation round. Poland would win 5-2, but since Japan was the Far Eastern Qualifier, they would be saved from relegation. Poland was then relegated in their place. I don’t think anyone thought that after the buzzer sounded on a Polish victory, it would be another 8,042 days until Poland played another game at the top level of the IIHF World Championships. Between those 8,042 days, so many things happened to Polish hockey that saw it on the brink of death and hopelessness so many times. Now Poland has returned after unprecedented back-to-back promotions from Division 1 Group B to the Elite Division. 

On that 2002 Polish squad was a 23-year-old Leszek Laszkiewicz at his then-fifth World Championship. Laszkiewicz looked like the next great Polish forward and played in the German top league before he was even 20. A player like him gave hope that Poland would return to the Elite soon. He would represent Poland at the next 13 World Championships, playing in 18 events in his iconic career. Only one of those World Championships was at the top level. He is now the general manager of the Polish national team and played a hand in picking the squad to finally bring Poland back 22 years after his and the country’s last appearance. 

Those 22 years comprised almost all of Laszkiewicz’s professional career. A career that saw him record over 1,000 points and win eight championships in Poland’s top league. He is one of the greatest Poles ever to play this great sport. Yet his name is one known outside of Poland by only the true sicko fans of international hockey. That is the consequence when the Polish federation was stuck a step below the top. Laszkiewicz is not the only one. Longtime stalwarts of the national team like Adam Bagiński, Krzysztof Zapała, Mateusz Rompkowski, Mikołaj Łopuski, Przemysław Odrobny, Rafał Radziszewski, and Tomasz Malasiński all spending over or close to a decade with the national team and never reaching that top stage. They gave their all to Polish hockey, and in the end, it kept the sport going so that a new generation could break through. 

If Poland doesn’t want to wait another 22 years, it all rests on this tournament. That doesn’t just mean finding a way to stay in the Elite. It means taking advantage of the opportunity that has been presented to Poland. The World Championship is taking place in pretty much your backyard. Fans from Poland will be making the short trip to Ostrava. Some hockey diehards, some casual fans, and others don’t even know what icing is. The national team has received more attention than ever in my time covering the sport. This is a chance to showcase and promote Polish hockey and its players worldwide. If Poland misses this opportunity, we might not wait another 22 years, but we’ll have to wait forever. 

What Happen in 2024

Poland was promoted to the Elite Division after taking silver at the 2023 Division 1 Group A World Championship. That is quite an accomplishment since Poland was just promoted from Group B in 2022. At the tournament, Poland finished with four wins and a single overtime loss at the hands of Great Britain. Their biggest win came over Italy’s future Olympic squad, coached by the former New York Ranger’s head coach, Mike Keenan. The win was the most significant moment for Polish hockey of the century, and it felt like there was finally light at the end of the tunnel. The promotion almost felt inevitable after Poland had a strong year during the non-IIHF competition, which included wins over France, Latvia, Hungary, and Slovenia. With promotion to the Elite, Poland would face stronger lineups on the road to the World Championship. We were going to see if Team Poland was for real or if this was all just a fantasy. 

The year started with a trip to the EIHC International Cup during November, which admittedly is not the level of competition most people wanted to see Poland take on. The tournament featured Estonia, Latvia U20, and Lithuania. Poland would take the gold at this tournament with a goal differential of +12, winning each game by four goals. It was good to see the eagles easily win against a young Latvia squad and countries in Division 1 Group B, but we needed to see if Poland could stand up to their Elite division peers. 

Poland got their shot at that during the Österreich Cup in Austria. Italy got their rematch with Poland but would come up short again. Poland controlled the game and picked up a 3-1 win over a team that only added more North American import talent. This win sent Poland to the cup finals versus Austria. Poland would unfortunately lose this match 1-0 in overtime. Poland kept it close, and it was not easy for the Austrian squad. It proved to me that Poland felt ready for the Elite. I am not personally looking for Poland to win this year. I want them to stay competitive to show there is hope for Polish hockey. That is exactly what Poland did in this game versus Austria. 

As the year turned over to 2024, I had no idea where the hope would go. Poland was slated to play some IIHF hockey with a chance at advancing to the final round of Olympic Qualification. It felt like Poland got placed in a dream group with Estonia, Ukraine, and South Korea—all opponents Poland had recently defeated on their journey back to the Elite. In a friendly match before the tournament, Poland played South Korea and beat them 6-0. The days after that big win would be an unfortunate turning point for the national team and would see their momentum halted. 

Poland opened the qualifiers by defeating Estonia 4-0 while not looking the greatest. The following two games would be the worst the national team has looked under head coach Robert Kalaber. Poland would fall to Ukraine in a shootout 3-2 and then later lose in overtime to South Korea with another 3-2 final. Due to the IIHF suspension of Belarus and Russia, Poland only had to place second in their group to move on, and they failed to do that. In their final two matches, this Polish team looked terrible and dead in the water. While talking to those around the squad, I noticed a lot of anger and blame, mainly aimed at veteran players feeling too safe in their spots. 

Still, while the Qualifiers were a wasted opportunity, not all hope was lost. Significant players like Alan Łyszczarczyk, John Murray, and Patryk Wronka were missing. Poland picked up steam last year with exhibitions right before the Worlds. That seemed to be the case this year as well. Poland opened their road to the World Championships with two matches over Hungary. Hungary has been a tweener team, constantly getting promotions at D1A before being relegated from the Elite the following year. This year, at the D1A Worlds held across April and May, Hungary again earned promotion to the Elite. This makes Poland’s two wins against them all the more impressive. Poland won game one 5-2 and picked up the second win with a 6-2 final. The squad feels unstoppable when Poland gets off to a hot start, as they did in these matches. In addition to the two wins being big, Poland again played without many key players who were absent due to the ongoing Tauron Hokej Liga (THL) finals. 

Zygmunt creates a 2 on 1 and gets the puck over to Komorski who finishes with a perfect shot! 3-1 🇵🇱 pic.twitter.com/B5XuEu9N9W

— Polish Puck (@PolandHockey) April 12, 2024

With reinforcements coming, hope was instantly restored, but that might have just been a mirage. Poland would play in six more games after their opening series versus Hungary. The next would be hosting a rebuilding Slovenia squad. Poland would fall in both these games with 2-0 and 3-1 finals. This was disappointing, but Slovenia is the other squad that earned promotion to D1A in 2024. In both games, the shot battle was in favor of the host. Poland kept it close with another team that bounces between the Elite and Division 1. 

The next trip would be to Great Britain, a familiar rival and one that Poland fell to last year. Both squads are preparing for the Elite in what promised to be competitive matches. Great Britain proved the previous year was no fluke with two wins over Poland, one in a shootout ending 2-1 and the other in a 3-1 final. The Brits always feel like they have Poland’s number, and the red and white just can’t find a way to beat them. 

The national team felt like they started to take on water. The veterans feeling as slow as ever, young players trying to do too much, while the goaltending core did its best to keep them in games. The offense dried up after opening the road to the World Championship with 11 goals versus Hungary. As the struggles mounted, Poland moved into its most demanding challenges in two countries that are mainstays of the Elite Division, Slovakia and Denmark. The Slovakia game felt like Poland didn’t belong at the same level. The Slovak team quickly got off to a 4-0 lead in the first period and coasted the rest of the way to a 6-1 final. It raised more questions about the roster than it generated answers.

Poland opens the third with a goal! Pasiut from Wronka and Ciura

4-1 🇸🇰 pic.twitter.com/MVMeTnJGxC

— Polish Puck (@PolandHockey) May 3, 2024

It all came down to the final match with Denmark. Denmark was not bringing the strongest roster to the Worlds, and none of their NHL players opted to come along. Poland would see the 25 players that Denmark was taking to the Worlds, as the Danes planned to fly right to Czechia from Sosnowiec. It seems that Poland saved their best in the end, as the red and white players played their best game, in my opinion, against Denmark. That still resulted in a 3-1 loss, but this game was only 1-0 for Denmark after 40 minutes. It was a couple of weak goals trickling in against Poland, while failing to capitalize on a 35-23 shot advantage. Poland showed they can hang with a stalwart of the Elite Division.  

In the end, this warmup period was a mixed bag. In three games, Poland looked strong. Four matches were kind of toss-ups where Poland didn’t play their best, and then a single match versus Slovakia showed what rock bottom could look like for Poland. One common issue existed in every match outside the two versus Hungary. The red and white couldn’t find a way to finish. The lack of goal-scoring is almost impossible to overcome. The roster would determine whether this was just going to be a stretch of bad luck or a trend.  

2024 Roster Breakdown 

This is a transformed team Poland in both positive and negative ways. Five players in the Division 1 Group A squad that won gold did not make this year’s roster, two due to injuries sustained late in the season. Seven players will join the team after not playing at last year’s event. It wasn’t just members of that D1A team who failed to make the cut; stars like Aron Chmiewlewski and Damian Kapica were not selected. The biggest surprise cut from last year’s squad was top defensive forward Filip Starzyński.

Poland has the oldest average age at the tournament, 30.8; they’re the only team above 30. Poland’s average height is the second shortest, while they’re the third lightest in terms of weight.

Coaching Staff

Slovakian head coach Robert Kalaber is in his fourth season leading Poland. He has been the head coach of the Polish club JKH GKS Jastrzebie since the 2015 season. He will be assisted by Tomasz Demkowicz and Grzegorz Klich, head coach of Naprzod Janow. Marek Batkiewicz will work with the goalies, while Ireneusz Jarosz, assistant coach of GKS Katowice, and Sebastian Owczarek will work as video coaches. Polish hockey icon Leszek Laszkiewicz, General Manager of JKH GKS Jastrzbie, is the team’s General Manager. Roch Bogłowski, manager of GKS Katowice, is the national team’s manager. 

Goalies

There are no surprises in the net. Poland will be running with their two import stars. I am surprised that Zabolotny got the third-stringer spot over Maciej Miarka. It has nothing to do with talent or performance. I thought Poland would want to take the young Miarka to let him soak in the experience. Every game will need Poland to play their best, so I doubt the third goalie would get much action. Still being able to split starts between Fučík and Murray will allow Poland to keep their goalies fresh while facing plenty of high shot counts. 

John Murray – The American import is a legend in Polish hockey. At 37 years old, he has played in Poland for ten years after a few years in the US minor league system. This past year, the Pennsylvania native posted a .918 SV% in 30 games with GKS Katowice, helping the club to a third straight finals appearance. He remains one of the best goalies in Poland and is a six-time THL champion. He is expected to be Poland’s primary starter at the tournament. This will be his fifth World Championship for Poland. 

Tomáš Fučík – Fučík will likely split the starts with Murray to ensure both stay fresh. The Czech goalie will also be an import who only recently acquired his Polish citizenship. He has played almost all of his senior career in Poland, recording a .934 SV% across six THL seasons. He has played with GKS Tychy over the past three years. This will be his first World Championship for Poland. 

Wszystkie formalności załatwione😊 Bramkarz Tomas Fucik otrzymał paszport🇵🇱 pic.twitter.com/5nvmZl06b8

— PZHL – PIHF (@PZHL) May 8, 2024

Dawid Zabolotny – Zabolotny will serve as Poland’s third-string goalie at the tournament. He has extensive experience in both the THL and the third level of German hockey, the Oberliga. This past year, he played for EHC Freiburg in the second level of German hockey, the DEL2. This will be his third World Championship for Poland. 

Defensemen 

The defense also lacks surprises, which is disappointing. Poland has a very old defense with only one player under 30. I would have liked to see a young player breakthrough. Oskar Jaśkiewicz (27), Kacper Maciaś (21), and Marcin Horzelski (28) all were part of the final round of cuts. I hoped to see Mateusz Zielinski (26), but he was cut early in camp due to an injury sustained during the THL playoffs. This group won’t be the strength of Poland and will be heavily outmatched at times. Still, they should hold their own in a few matches. 

Mateusz Bryk – A veteran of 781 THL games, Bryk returns to the national team after not being a part of the D1A gold team in 2023. The four-time THL champion spent the past season with GKS Tychy. He has mostly been slotted into the second and third pairings on the road to the Worlds. This will be his eighth World Championship for Poland. 

Bartosz Ciura – A stay-at-home defender who is not afraid to get physical, Ciura can play up and down the defensive lineup. He has played most of his career in the THL, becoming a three-time Champion, but also spent a season in the Chance Liga, the second level of Czechia. The 31-year-old suited up for GKS Tychy in Poland this past year. This will be his fifth World Championship for Poland. 

Pawel Dronia – The Polish defender with likely the best career resume. Dronia has played most of his career in the second level of German hockey with the Ravensburg Towerstars. Last year, he returned to the national team after a three-year absence. The two-way defender is a three-time DEL2 and one-time THL champion. This will be his sixth World Championship for Poland. 

Kamil Górny – You might sense a trend, but this is a veteran-rich Polish defense. Gorny adds to that at 34-years-old and 823 THL games to his career. He has long been a leader for JKH GKS Jastrzebie on and off the ice. This will be his fifth World Championship for Poland. 

Marcin Kolusz – An active legend of Polish hockey, Kolusz was the last Polish player to be drafted when the Minnesota Wild took him in the fifth round of the 2003 NHL draft. He has been among the best players in Poland, winning three THL championships, but has also spent time in Canada, Czechia, Finland, and Slovakia. Even at 39 years old, he is still an extremely smooth skater and strong passer. Given his experience at both forward and defense, he is the perfect powerplay quarterback. He will be serving as an assistant captain, and this will be his 16th World Championship for Poland. 

Arkadiusz Kostek – Kostek served as an assistant captain for JKH GKS Jastrzebie this past year. The defender came up in the Opole system and earned his way into being a national team regular. At 29, he is the youngest member of Poland’s defense and the only one under 30. This will be his fourth World Championship for Poland. 

Maciej Kruczek – A long-time part of the Cracovia leadership group, Kruczek has spent the last three years with GKS Katowice. The second oldest defender on team Poland, he is a four-time THL champion and veteran of 552 games. This will be his sixth World Championship. 

Patryk Wajda – One of the most reliable defenders of the century, Wajda is also one of the most accomplished players in Poland. Across 18 years in the country, he is a seven-time champion. The Nowy Targ native is a very smart defenseman who works best in his own zone. He will likely play in the bottom pairings for Poland with few offensive zone starts. This will be his 12th World Championship for Poland.  

Jakub Wanacki – The tallest player on team Poland, at 6’4, is a stay-at-home defender who uses his size well to clog up lanes and take away shots. He does not contribute much offensively and hasn’t recorded a point in his senior IIHF career. He has played for GKS Katowice for most of his career, including the past three seasons. This will be his fifth World Championship for Poland. 

Forwards

The forward group featured some good and puzzling surprises. Despite that there are not too many players I would want to remove from the lineup. I am really happy to see Patryk Krężołek and Krzysztof Maciaś get their chance. Maciej Urbanowicz is the puzzling one for me. I don’t think his camp was great, and at 37 years old, his speed will be an issue with how fast the top group is. It also comes with stars like Chmielewski and Kapica failing to make the roster. With Chmiewleski’s experience and talent, it makes no sense to leave him off. I think his potential impact is worth what could be the floor. There are reports of him not being 100% and showing a lot of rust, but I don’t think he was outside Poland’s best 13 forwards in those performances. I believe that the final spot could have been used to add a player with more substantial experience outside Poland, like Chmielewski or Damian Tyczyński, or with a more niche impact, like faceoff and defensive specialist Filip Starzyński.

Krystian Dziubiński – The captain of the national team, Dziubiński is one of the best two-way players in Poland. I wish he could have had a larger run outside his home country. He played American junior hockey and spent a year in the Belarus top league. He has recorded over 600 points in his THL career and is often among the league leaders in points. Expect him to stick in the top six for Poland, taking on key matchups. This will be his ninth World Championship for Poland. 

National team captain Krystian Dziubiński comes in 12th for 2023 Athlete of the Year. He finished with just under 25,000 votes.

He was the first hockey player up for the honor since 1997 (Czerkawski) https://t.co/avYUIYcyIM

— Polish Puck (@PolandHockey) January 8, 2024

Bartosz Fraszko – The Torun native and former KH Torun player has developed into one of the stars of the THL with GKS Katowice. He posted seven points in five games in his World Championship debut with Poland last year. A strong playmaker who isn’t afraid to shoot the puck, expect him in Poland’s top six. This will be his second World Championship for Poland. 

Filip Komorski – One of the top goal scorers in Poland, he also serves as the captain for GKS Tychy. In his 14 career games at the World Championships, he has 11 goals. Kalaber revealed he was close to missing the cut for the roster in a battle with Filip Starzyński that came down to the end. Komorski has shown his goal-scoring talent isn’t limited to Poland after a 20-goal season in Czechia’s second level. This will be his fourth World Championship for Poland. 

Patryk Krężołek – At 25, he will make his national team debut, which fans should be excited about. This guy is a sniper who also knows how to be a solid net-front presence. He tied for first during the THL regular season in goals with 22. The Zaglebie Sosnowiec star left GKS Katowice for more of an opportunity and proved he made the right choice. This will be his first World Championship for Poland. 

Alan Łyszczarczyk – Łyszczarczyk is one of the best playmakers the country has ever seen. He had strong seasons in the Ontario Hockey League as a junior before turning professional with a couple of seasons in the ECHL and Czech Second League. In his return home to the Polish league, Łyszczarczyk has been one of the top producers. His play can sometimes be inconsistent, but make no mistake, he is dynamic when on his game. This will be his fifth World Championship for Poland.

Krzysztof Maciaś – Poland’s current top prospect and the first U20 player to represent Poland at the Elite Division since Mariusz Czerkawski in 1992. Macias played in the Western Hockey League with the Prince Albert Raiders this past season. He improved as the year went on, which was the same for the national team camp. Macias proved that even at 19 years old, he is one of Poland’s top 13 forwards. This will be an excellent opportunity to boost his stock for the NHL draft or a potential professional career. This will be his first World Championship for Poland. 

The Polish prince strikes!

Krzysztof Macias comes out of the penalty box and drives the Saskatoon net to get Prince Albert on the board in Game 3 🚨@PARaidersHockey | #FeedtheFuture pic.twitter.com/G16s37T8Ck

— The WHL (@TheWHL) April 3, 2024

Mateusz Michalski – One of the best defensive forward and penalty killers on the Polish roster. Expect him on the ice when Poland needs a defensive stop. This year, the longtime Podhale Nowy Targ player was a key forward for GKS Katowice. Despite his defense prowess, he has been a clutch player for Poland on the international stage, recording 11 points in 19 World Championship games. This will be his fifth World Championship for Poland. 

Dominik Paś – This is a player many clubs scouting the Worlds will fall in love with. Pas is an excellent two-way player who strongly emphasizes his defensive game. Even at 24 years old, Poland has long recognized him as one of the best players in the country. He might never be a star outside his home country, but you will see one of Poland’s most impactful players when you watch him. This will be his third World Championship for Poland. 

Grzegorz Pasiut – A national team leader with quite an accomplished career. Pasuit is a power forward from the center spot. He has long been one of the best players in Poland, having won seven championships and added two championships in Belarus. He is close to a point-per-game player in his 800-game THL career. At 37 years old, he is not the same player as in his prime, but he will still be able to contribute. He will serve as an assistant captain, and this is his 12th World Championship for Poland. 

Maciej Urbanowicz – At 37 years old, Ubranowicz will represent Poland at the Worlds for the first time since 2018. The captain of JKH GKS Jastrzebie should provide leadership in a lower-line role. He will break the 900-game mark during the next THL season and has three championships. This will be his tenth World Championship for Poland.

Kamil Wałęga – One of the most promising young players in Poland, the 23-year-old is skilled and a hard worker. After making a name for himself early in Poland, he moved to the Slovak league before earning a contract with top Czech club HC Oceláři Třinec. Walega has been one of the leaders in scoring for the national team over the past few seasons. His experience against stronger players in Czechia and Slovakia will be key for this tournament. This will be his third World Championship for Poland. 

Patryk Wronka – Wronka is the second shortest player at the tournament, behind only Montreal Canadians’ forward Cole Caufield. Don’t let his size deceive you. He is one of the best skaters and puck handlers in Eastern Europe. He always creates a way to find and get the puck to the open man. Before the D1A game last year versus Italy, Mike Keenan called him public enemy number one and told his player to shut Wronka down at all costs. Italy discovered how hard that was as Wronka set up a few Polish goals. He is the most exciting player on Poland. This will be his sixth World Championship for Poland. 

Paweł Zygmunt – Poland’s biggest forward at 6’3, Zygmunt is also the only Polish player to consistently play in another country’s top league. This past year, he played 50 games for HC Litvínov in the Tipsport Extraliga, recording four goals and one assist. He is still a developing player at 24 years old, playing catch-up in the skating area. His experience at a strong level, size, and offensive instincts make him one of the best forwards wearing red and white. This will be his third World Championship for Poland. 

2024 World Championship Predictions

Predictions are a lot less fun this year. The harsh reality is that Poland is on a lower level than its opponents. The goal at this tournament is not to win a bunch of games or pull off a miracle on ice-esque upset train, beating the USA, Canada, and Sweden en route to gold. (If anyone could do that in net, it’s John Murray…) It’s to showcase and promote the best and younger members of the Polish national team. The goal of the results is to stay competitive with a few countries. On the bright side, I have to project most teams will sit their top goalie versus Poland. Any win will be considered an upset, but there is one game where it won’t be regarded as a significant upset. 

May 11th – Poland vs. Latvia: 4-1 Loss

Poland opens the tournament with last year’s bronze medalist. It is wild to think back to 2023 when Poland played Latvia in two exhibition games. Poland defeated Latvia 5-3 on April 6th. It was their first win against Latvia since the two countries met in hockey for the first time 85 years prior. The two teams would play again, and Poland lost 2-0. Still, they played well, and 14 members of the Latvian team Poland played were also a part of the bronze medal team at the Worlds. This is a veteran Latvia squad with players from all around Europe’s best leagues. Polish players have a lot of experience playing against Latvian players and former members of the Latvian national team. Latvia won’t have a full roster for game one as they wait for potential NHL reinforcements and one player serves out a suspension. Weirdly, both countries were also once led by Ted Nolan. I have Poland losing this one with a 4-1 final, with the last goal being an empty netter. 

May 12th – Poland vs. Sweden: 11-0 loss 

Did you know that 20% of all Ikea furniture is made in Poland? Poland is the second largest producer of Ikea furniture. In exchange for that, Sweden should just let Poland have this one. They don’t need it, and Poland has boosted their economy. This game has a chance to be brutal. Sweden is loaded this year with a roster boasting the names of Erik Karlsson, Victor Hedman, Rasmus Dahlin, and Joel Eriksson Ek. 18 NHLers have been announced along with some stars of the SHL. It will be surreal to see Polish players play against these names.

May 14th – Poland vs. France: 5-3 Loss 

France is one of the games that Poland will look to keep close, and it could be a game to watch for that upset. France is taking a squad with 13 players playing in the top French league, which is close in level to Poland’s. Unfortunately, Stéphane Da Costa, who is half-Polish, will return to the lineup after posting 54 points in 60 KHL games. The Seattle Kraken’s Pierre-Édouard Bellemare and a handful of players from Switzerland’s top league will join in. Their one weakness could be in the net, which provides the second most likely upset opportunity for Poland if Murray or Fucik pitch a shutout. I don’t see it, just given the top-end players of France. 

May 15th – Poland vs. Slovakia: 5-1 Loss 

We just saw this game in the World Championship lead-up, and it didn’t go well for Poland. The red and white got off to a terrible start, but this will also be a more complete Slovakia lineup. I don’t see any way for Poland to improve on this result; Slovakia should want to do well at the event, given its closeness to their home. In your fun meaningless fact for this game, since being selected second overall in the 2022 NHL draft, Nemec has three NHL goals. After this game, he will have played Poland three times at the senior level. 

May 17th – Poland vs. USA: 9-2 Loss

For years, I have poked fun at the poor turnout Team USA gets for the World Championships. So, of course, the year Poland returns, team USA is loaded. I take full blame for that. USA is bringing a squad packed with NHL talent and top prospects, headlined by Brady Tkachuk, Cole Caufield, Johnny Gaudreau, Trevor Zegras, and Zach Werenski (Who could be a double agent?). Poland will hope not just to be crushed in this one. On the bright side, Poland will likely face the young 19-year-old backup Trey Augustine. It is not a formula for an upset, but at least one to maybe add a few goals. 

May 18th – Poland vs. Germany: 6-2 Loss

I view Germany the same way as I view Slovakia. They have so much depth and experience at the top level in that lineup. Then you add Buffalo Sabres star JJ Peterka and one of the top scorers in the Swiss league, Dominik Kahun. Poland will look to keep this somewhat competitive, but that will be a challenge. There isn’t a spot that seems weak in a way that Poland could exploit. While I’m not about honoring the veteran players at the Worlds that much, I just hope Dronia has a good game, given his lengthy career in Germany playing in the DEL and DEL2. 

May 20th – Poland vs. Kazakhstan: 2-1 Overtime Win

This is your Stanley Cup game seven if you’re Poland. A win here might not guarantee staying at the top, but that doesn’t matter. This is the game where Poland will have the best shot at winning. The last time these two teams faced Poland won 3-2 at the 2022 Olympic Qualifiers after an incredible game by Murray. Before that, a Division 1 Group A World Championship match ended 2-1 in overtime with a single-shot difference in favor of Kazakhstan. All the naturalized players who were KHL stars for Kazakhstan are gone from this roster. Poland played them well when the lineup was better on paper. This is your chance if you’re Poland; don’t make the fans wait another 22 years. Show that you belong at this event. I have covered this team for a decade plus. I have seen most of the roster during their earliest days of their senior careers. I know they can win this one. If they win this one, I think it has a chance to take hockey to new heights in Poland. If they lose, who knows where it will all go next? Maybe this was all just a fantasy.

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