While most teams were quiet this week, a few clubs made some big splashes. GKS Tychy and JKH GKS Jastrzebie were especially busy with some huge Finnish signings. We have also started to see where some of Poland’s best junior players will suit up next year.

Beginning of the Offseason (Week 1)	Week of May 6th (Week 4)
Week of April 22nd (Week 2)	Week of May 13th (Week 5)
Week of April 29th (Week 3)	Week of May 20th (Week 6)

Cracovia Krakow

• Cracovia has re-signed another young player, 21-year-old Michał Jaracz. He played in a career-high 27 games last season, going pointless. The youngster also spent 12 games last year in the MHL, picking up three assists. He represented Poland at the 2022 U20 D1B World Championship. 

GKS Katowice

• No moves this week for Katowice.

GKS Tychy

• National team defenseman Bartosz Ciura is returning to Tychy on a one-year deal. The stay-at-home defenseman has spent most of his career in Poland with GKS Tychy but did play a season abroad in Czechia with HC Frýdek-Místek. He will cross the 600 THL game mark early this upcoming season. The three-time THL champion made the World Championship roster for Poland this past year but unfortunately suffered an injury in game one versus Latvia, ending his tournament. 
• Matias Lehtonen is returning to Poland after a season in France. The former two-time THL champion with GKS Katowice has signed a one-year deal with GKS Tychy. Before coming to Poland, he played for three years in Finland’s top league, the Liiga. He was a clutch playoff performer in Poland with 27 points in his two THL postseasons. 
• Another Finn joining Tychy this week was offensive defenseman Aapo Ahola. Ahola has recorded over 40 points in each of the past two Mestis seasons. In his career, he has 186 points in 249 Mestis games. After serving as an assistant captain with Hermes last year, this will be his first season outside Finland.

JKH GKS Jastrzebie

• A significant defensive addition is coming to Jastrezbie with Taneli Ronkainen. The 6’0 defender played in the Liiga from 2016 to 2023, winning a championship in 2018. The stay-at-home defenseman played last year in the ICEHL with Slovenian club HK Olimpija Ljubljana. 
• Another member of the 2018 Liiga Kärpät championship team is also coming, as Aleksi Mäkelä signed a one-year deal with JKH GKS Jastrzebie. The two-way defender played in the Liiga for seven years. Most recently, he played in Italy and Scotland. He recorded 18 points (2G-16A-18PTS) in 55 games with the Fife Flyers last year.

KH Torun

• No moves this week for Torun.

Podhale Nowy Targ

• Podhale has added to its North American core with Alex Szczechura, who has re-signed. Szczechura has played in Poland since 2015. The former Ohio State forward received Polish citizenship at the beginning of last season. After a down year with Oswiecim in 2023, he rebounded with 33 points (12G-21A-33PTS) in 44 games. A veteran of over 400 THL games, he is second all-time in games played by a North American in Poland.

STS Sanok

• There are no moves yet this offseason for Sanok.

Unia Oswiecim

• No moves this week for Oswiecim.

Zaglebie Sosnowiec

• Dominik Nahunko will be staying with Zaglebie Sosnowiec for a sixth straight season. It was a career year for the hometown forward as he recorded 31 points (14G-17A-31PTS). Nahunko had previously played with GKS Katowice and JKH GKS Jastrzebie. He represented Poland at the U18 and U20 IIHF levels during his junior days.

Polish Players Abroad

• Czech club HC Vítkovice has picked up two Poles and retained two for their junior system. 15-year-old forwards Leon Stryczek and Piotr Kusak will play for their U17 club. Poland U18 standouts Mateusz Majkowski and Olaf Zachariasz will play for the U20 squad. Zachariasz had 29 points last year for HC Vitkovice on their U17 squad. The 6’1 center also had three goals and an assist for Poland U18. Mateusz Majkowski is coming over from the HC Prouba system. He was named the best defenseman at the Division 2 Group A U18 World Championship tournament. 
• Women’s national team goalie Nadia Ratajczyk is staying in Sweden’s Division 1 league with Järnbrotts HK. Ratajczyk spent last year with Team Uppsala HC, playing at the junior, division 1, and HockeyAllsvenskan levels.

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