Over the weekend Polish forward Jakub Lewandowski transferred to Northern Michigan University for the 2024-25 season per Jared Rubado, the Bemidji Pioneer’s college hockey writer. Lewandowski had entered the NCAA transfer portal in April. This is a chance at a fresh start for Lewandowski who played sparingly this past season for Bemidji State. He only appeared in nine games in his junior season, scoring once and assisting on another. This will likely be his final and senior year of NCAA hockey.

There were expectations Lewandowski could slot into the top six at Bemidji for the 2024 season. An early-season injury would see him miss most of the beginning of the year. He would return on December 15th, playing five games between December and January. After the injury, he could never find a permanent spot in the lineup, and the club turned to younger players. In his three years at Bemidji State, he recorded 13 points (7G-6A-13PTS) in 61 games. In all three years with the college, he made the CCHA All-Academic Team. He was an AHCA/Krampade All-American Scholar in 2023 and a CCHA Scholar-Athlete in 2024.

The 22-year-old was once the top Polish prospect and received some NHL draft consideration early in 2020. Before committing to Bemidji State, he could only play in five Czech junior games during the covid-shorten 2021 season. He played 18 games in his freshman year, with mostly lower minutes, before exiting the lineup. His sophomore year showed more promise, playing in 34 games and posting seven points. He is still young, only turning 23 in October, and has good size at 6’3. The lack of consistent playing time due to injury, coaching decisions, and other world factors has hurt his development.

In Northern Michigan, he should have plenty of opportunities to earn playing time. It was a rough offseason for the club who compete in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA). The team finished eighth last year in nine team conference and saw 14 players enter the NCAA transfer portal. In June head coach Grant Potulny resigned from his position after seven seasons to pursue a professional opportunity with the New York Rangers organization. Canadian coach Dave Shyiak took over the role in July after previously serving as head coach of Alaska-Anchorage from 2006 to 2013. He most recently was an associate head coach for St. Cloud State (21-24) and Western Michigan (15-20). Lewandowski will be the second Polish player in school history as former national team forward Filip Starzyński played for the school from 2015 to 2018.

Lewandowski’s seven points during his sophomore year were the most recorded by a Polish player in a single NCAA season, while his 13 career points are the most by a Polish player. Even making it to the top level of college hockey is rare for Polish players and I still believe Lewandowski will no doubt be a great player for the national team in the future.

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