Happy World Championship season everyone! Despite the big event happening and Poland’s best players being in Ostrava, Czechia. It has not stopped Polish teams from making moves, if anything they’re even busier. This includes quite a few members of the national team.

Beginning of the Offseason (Week 1)

Week of April 22nd (Week 2)

Week of April 29th (Week 3)

Cracovia Krakow

• Former top goal scorer Jakub Bukowski is the newest high-profile Pole to join Cracovia. Bukowski was a standout player in his first two professional seasons in Poland, including leading the league in goals with 29 in 2022. However, the past two seasons have not been as fruitful in a lower role on GKS Tychy. 
• Damian Kapica is returning to Cracovia after a season away with hometown club Podhale. Kapica, one of the best Polish players during the 2010s, remains a top scorer despite battling injury issues. He has 600 points (265G-335A-600PTS) in 611 THL games. The 31-year-old winger is a three-time THL Champion.
• The offense isn’t the only thing getting a Polish boost. The team picked up national team defenseman Jakub Wanacki. The 6’4 stay at home defenseman is one of the best in his own zone in Poland. A three time THL championship, he is currently only ten games away from hitting 600 in the league.

GKS Katowice

• As he represents Poland at the 2024 IIHF World Championships, Katowice inked Arkadiusz Kostek to a one-year deal. The national team defender has played with JKH GKS Jastrzebie over the past six years after coming over from Opole. Last year, as Jastrzebie’s assistant captain, he assisted on nine goals in 32 games. 
• The defense in Katowice is looking strong with the Kostek addition and is now retaining Santeri Koponen. The 26-year-old Fin led all defensemen in regular season scoring, posting 33 points (11G-22A-33PTS). He unfortunately missed most of the playoffs with an injury. 
• Aleksi Varttinen will officially stay with Katowice for a third season. The Finnish defender came over from Sport in the Liiga at the 2023 transfer deadline. The two-way defenseman has been one of the highest-producing players at his position. He has 47 points (6G-41-47PTS) in 79 games over his season and a half in Poland.

GKS Tychy

• We often see top clubs in Poland poach impactful imports from teams below them in the standings. Tychy kicked that off for 2024 by grabbing Danila Larionovs from KH Torun. The 23-year-old Latvian had a strong first year in Poland, scoring 15 goals in 44 games. 
• Tychy was also able to take players from top clubs. After three years in GKS Katowice, Joona Monto is heading to one of their top rivals. Monto posted career highs in every category last year, with 52 points (21G-31A-52PTS) in 58 games. 
• Tychy also grabbed defenseman Olli-Petteri Viinikainen from their opponent in the bronze medal series, JKH GKS Jastrzebie. This will be the former Liiga defenseman’s third season in Poland. The 25-year-old defenseman has recorded 17 points (7G-10A-17PTS) across 97 games. 
• Tychy was not just grabbing new imports but also retaining with Olli Kaskinen. The 25-year-old Fin will return for a third season in Tychy. Over his first two years in the THL, he has scored 23 points (5G-18A-23PTS) across 93 games. 
• The big roster-building week continued with a Pole in national team defender Mateusz Bryk. Bryk has been a key defender for Poland at the 2024 World Championship, scoring against Latvia. In Poland, he has long been one of the best defenders in the THL, appearing for both GKS Tychy and JKH GKS Jastrzebie. This year will be the 34-year-old three-time champion’s 17th season in the THL.

JKH GKS Jastrzebie

• While they have lost four defenders this week, they are bringing in one of Poland’s top prospects. Jakub Ślusarczyk will return to Poland after a strong junior career in Czechia. The 21-year-old played mainly with HC Vítkovice U20 last year but did get in one game with the top senior club in the Tipsport Extraliga. I love this move for the player and his development, as he will get a strong chance to play good minutes in senior hockey under national team head coach Robert Kalaber.

KH Torun

• Veteran defenseman Jakub Gimiński will continue his time in his hometown. Last year as the assistant captain, he provided strong play in his zone. His play helped Torun reach their best regular finish over the past four seasons. 2025 will be his 15th season in Poland’s top league

Podhale Nowy Targ

• After a big offseason last year, Podhale Nowy Targ has not slowed down. The living legend Marcin Kolusz is heading back to his hometown club. One of the best Polish players of all time, Kolusz has played in Canada, Czechia, Finland, and Slovakia, along with a lengthy career in the THL. The 39-year-old defender showed no signs of slowing down with 30 points (13G-17A-30PTS) last season for JKH GKS Jastrzebie. He is currently serving as the assistant captain for Poland at the IIHF World Championship. 
• Kolusz is not the only national team defender that Podhale grabbed from Jastrzebie. Patryk Wajda will return to his hometown club on a one-year deal. It will be his 19th season in the THL for the seven-time THL champion. He currently sits tenth all-time in games played in the league. Wajda is representing Poland at his 12th World Championship this year. 

STS Sanok

• No moves yet this offseason for Sanok

Unia Oswiecim

• Former Polonia Bytom captain Łukasz Krzemień will stick in Oswiecim now for a sixth season. A key member of the middle six, Krzemień has continued his steady production with 23 points (5G-18A-23PTS) across 57 games. He won his first THL Championship with the club in 2024. 
• The club also announced the expected return of club mainstay Peter Bezuška. The Slovak defender is second all-time in games among foreign players for the club at 423. It will be his tenth season in the blue and white, and he has played for them since 2015. He was the second longest-tenured player on the 2024 championship roster.

Zaglebie Sosnowiec

• Defenseman Michal Narog will continue his development in Sosnoweic. The 22-year-old has played with the club for four years after playing his junior hockey in Torun. Narog scored once and assisted on five in 45 games this past year. 
• The club locked up Ukrainian national team defender Vitali Andreykiv on a one-year deal. This is his second stint in Poland. Andreykiv played in Poland with Bytom (2015) and Sosnowiec (2016). He returned to Sosnowiec in 2023 and has played in 90 games over the past two years.
• Sosnoweic finished off their week by adding Ukraine national team winger Illia Korenchuk. Korenchuk will be playing for his third team in Poland in his third season. The 29-year-old saw his production drop after switching to Tychy from Torun. He went from 43 points in 2023 to only 21 in 2024

Polish Players Abroad

• Adrian Gromadzki will move from the junior club to the senior level for HC Dynamo Pardubice. The 20-year-old signed a one-year deal, with an option to extend, with HC Dynamo Pardubice B in the Chance Liga. The young forward played in his first two games at Czechia’s second level last year. At the u20 level, he had his best year yet with 41 points (18G-23A-41PTS). Gromadzki also represented Poland in the Division 1 Group B U20 World Championship.

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