We move on to the next block of the rankings. This group and tier comprise mostly of the best U20 players that I see with top-six potential in Poland or who may have a chance to move abroad to play in a stronger league. There are also a few players over 20 who have started to take on key roles for their senior clubs in Poland!
Players had to be under the age of 23 and at least 16 years old on June 1st, 2024. We are only judging play that occurred before that date as well. Players are evaluated based on a combination of career history, current play, and potential. Skaters must have played at least five games to be considered. While the ranking is only my opinion, numerous coaches, staff, and players contributed their thoughts on players. 175 players were considered for the list and reviewed. Eighty players received a ranking.
Rank – Player Name (Position), Age During Next Hockey Season, Team (Ranking in 2023, change in rankings). NR – Not Ranked in 2023
40 – Matthew McGovern (F), 17, RB Hockey Academy U18, (38, -2)
McGovern is a young and talented player who plays with a lot of swagger. He left Poland early in life to play in Czechia but switched to the Red Bull Hockey Academy in 2022. This past year, McGovern was mainly with the U18 squad but also saw a few games with the U17 and U20 squads of Red Bull Hockey. During his U18 season, he had 35 points (17G-18A-35PTS) in 36 games. Thirty-five points placed him 13th among players in their Draft -1 season in the Austrian junior league. McGovern also made his Polish junior national team debut with the U18 squad. At the Division 2 Group A U18 World Championship, he had three goals and one assist on 15 shots, helping the team to gold. He will return to Czechia next year to play in the top level of junior hockey with HC Sparta Praha U20.
39 – Rafał Drabik (F), 18, SMS PZHL Katowice (NR)
Drabik is one of my favorite U18 players of this past year, as he showed a ton of improvement. Throughout the international season, he was one of the most consistent players, leading the team at every event, IIHF or not. The 6’1 forward has excellent offensive instincts letting him score and set up teammates. He led the D2A event with seven assists, recording an assist in all but one game. He also had a great year on the club level, where Drabik’s 36 points (17G-19A-36PTS) tied for the most among U18 players in the MHL. I think Drabik has a bright future and would love to see him try his game outside Poland.
38 – Bartłomiej Stolarski (F), 18, SMS PZHL Katowice (NR)
Stolarski was my U18 player of the year and had a fantastic U18 and club season. A talented center, he was a standout, earning the top player award on Team Poland with three goals and three assists on 18 shots at the D2A U18s. The 5’11 forward is a player who will be ready to step in and significantly impact the U20 national team next year. He was third among U18 MHL players, scoring 29 points (9G-20A-29PTS). Good in the faceoff circle with excellent passing ability, he could be a top-line player in Poland.
37 – Karol Sterbenz (F), 21, Cracovia Krakow, (25, -12)
Sterbenz returned to Poland after a few years of developing in the junior systems of Austria and Slovakia. He recorded a goal and two assists in 34 THL games, all three points coming in an early season game against Podhale. As part of the Cracovia youth movement, he also appeared in eight MHL games, scoring twice and adding two assists. I wasn’t surprised by the lack of production, given he was not a top producer during his junior days in Slovakia. He still showed enough to keep himself in the lineup. Sterbenz is a hard player to put a ceiling on and will be a project for Cracovia, but there is enough there that he could one day be a top-six player. 2025 will be a big year for him as Cracovia focuses on Polish players over imports.
36 – Maksymilian Dawid (F), 19, SMS PZHL Katowice, (34, -2)
Dawid, the breakout star of Poland U18 last year, seemed to have a chance of establishing himself as a top prospect. Unfortunately, a move to the Czech junior system didn’t fully materialize. Still, back in Poland, the 6’2 center proved his worth with 43 points (23G-20A-39PTS) in 25 games between Katowice and Janow. His 23 goals were the most by a U20 player in the league. Dawid will be one of the most important players on Poland U20 this year, and they will count on him as a top offensive contributor. He has signed with GKS Katowice to start his professional career in 2025, and hopefully, he will get more than just an early-season bottom-six role.
35 – Piotr Ciepielewski (F), 20, Naprzod Janow (35,0)
After a breakout season in 2023, Ciepiewlewski was able to move to the top level of Finnish junior hockey. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out, as he would score only once in 15 games. I think a bit of it was bad luck for him there, as he did have 32 shots on goal. Shooting 3% should have eventually progressed to the mean, and zero assists off even rebounds feels more like a curse. Ciepielewski still made team Poland U20 and scored once in five games. At the event, he was still getting the puck on the net with 12 shots, tied for the most shots on team Poland. After one more match in Finland, he would make a late-season return to Poland with Naprzod Janow. Finishing off the season in the MHL, he made a quick impact, scoring eight goals and assisting on three in only nine games. He became a crucial part of Janow as they won the MHL championship. A dangerous forward that creates scoring chances in bulk had an up-and-down year. He is among Poland’s best young forwards and has the right mindset offensively. He just had some rough shooting luck this year. For 2025, he is turning professional with Zaglebie Sosnowiec.
34 – Tomasz Szczerba (F), 20, Podhale Nowy Targ (NR)
A Canadian with Polish roots aiming to represent the Polish national team Tomasz Szczerba is the top U23 import on the list. Szczerba previously played in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League and at the top level of German junior hockey. He started in Germany last year with Jung-Eisbären Regensburg U20, putting up seven points (3G-4A-7PTS) in eight games. He moved to Poland with Podhale Nowy Targ and mainly played in the THL. His six points (2G-4A-6PTS) led U20 skaters by four points. In his brief time in the MHL, he was even more productive, with 14 points (8G-6A-14PTS) in only nine games. It will be interesting to see if Szczerba can be deemed eligible for the 2025 U20 World Championship.
33 – Szymon Kiełbicki (F), 21, JKH GKS Jastrzebie (NR)
Kiełbicki can be described as a late bloomer. He failed to break out after a few years with MKS Cracovia Krakow, leading to a move to Bytom. His 2023 season with Polonia Bytom would earn him a THL deal with JKH GKS Jastrzebie. Making his THL debut in 2024, he was tied for eighth among U23 players in points with eight (7G-1A-8PTS). His seven goals were the second most by a U23 player in the THL. This scoring burst came from a hot streak spanning December until early February. He started to shoot more and founds results. He has good size and flashed his offensive skills this year, which quickly moved him up my rankings.
32 – Arkadiusz Karasinski (F), 21, Zaglebie Sosnowiec (57, +25)
I was a big fan of Karasinki last year and am so happy he could graduate from the MHL. The young forward came up in the Lodz system before playing for SMS PZHL Katowice and Polonia Bytom. In his first year of THL action, he scored five goals and added two assists in 44 games. His seven points were tied for 11th among U23 skaters in scoring. It was a solid debut year for the young forward, and I am excited to see if his skills will take another jump in the offseason. He has already re-signed with Sosnowiec on a deal for up to three years.
31 – Hubert Szarzynski (D), 18, Flemingsbergs IK J18, (29, -2)
Szarzynski played a lot of hockey this year, splitting his time between the Flemmingsberg and Nacka HK junior programs. Across various U18 and U20 levels in Sweden, the young defender posted 31 points (4G-27A-31PTS) in 60 games. Szarzynski’s 10 points in 23 games in the J20 Region tied for the fifth most by a U18 defender. He is an intelligent defenseman with solid passing skills, but he needs to work on his skating and is undersized. His smarts often make up for the skating with strong positioning instincts. He frequently played top-line minutes with roles on the powerplay for his Swedish clubs. For 2025, he will move to the Connecticut Jr. Rangers with their USPHL Premier squad.
30 – Jakub Wieczorek (G), 18, ZSC U20, (48, +18)
One of the top Polish goaltending prospects of the decade, Wiecrozek has continued to climb up the Swiss junior ranks. He plays with a Swiss player license, allowing him not to count as an import, which will only help him more in his junior and senior future. This past season, he played in the second level of Swiss U20 hockey with ZSC U20. In 15 regular season games, Wieczorek posted a 1.87 goal against average (GAA). He carried his strong play into the postseason with two shutouts and a 1.62 GAA in 10 appearances. Wiecrozek served as the backup to Igor Tyczynski at the U18s, getting in one game. which was an eight-save shutout versus Croatia. A very talented goalie with good size at 6’2, he is moving to the top level of U20 hockey in Switzerland next year with Bern U20. I expect him to immediately battle for the Poland U20 starting goalie role in 2025.
29 – Mikołaj Szczepkowski (G), 21, Zaglebie Sosnowiec (65, +36)
A product of the Gdansk system, Szczepkowski has developed into one of the best young goalies in Poland with Sosnowiec. 2024 was his best year yet as the 21-year-old goalie would play in 9 games, posting a .897 save percentage, the second-best among any U23 goalie. The season’s highlight was a match where he stopped 43 out of 46 against JKH GKS Jastrzebie. He also flashed his skills in the MHL, with a .920 save percentage in 9 games. He is more than ready to be a quality backup in the THL, and we will now see if he can become a starter.
28 – Olaf Zachariasz (F), 17, HC Vítkovice U17, (NR)
One of the best 2007 born Polish players, Zachariasz, comes in with one of our highest debut rankings. The 6’1 center moved to Czechia in 2022 and jumped to a stronger club each season. This year, with HC Vítkovice U17, he scored 13 goals and added 16 assists in 49 games. Zachariaz’s 29 points saw him placed 40th among forwards in their Draft Eligible -1 season. It was not a groundbreaking year, but his playoff run, which resulted in a point in five of the six games, showed his offensive improvement. With Poland U18, he came up big when needed with a hat trick versus Great Britain. Next season, he will move up to the U20 squad for HC Vítkovice.
27 – Mateusz Majkowski (D), 17, HC Poruba U17, (NR)
Offensive defenseman Mateusz Majkowski was one of the players who raised their stock the most during the U18 international season. The 6’0 defender was named the best defenseman at the D2A U18 tournament with one goal and five assists. The Tychy native also had a strong club year with 23 points (8G-15A-23PTS) in 35 games. He finished 12th among defensemen in their draft-eligible -1 season. He also received plenty of powerplay time at both stops. A defender with his offensive ability is a massive need for the national team. For 2025, Majkowski will move to the U20 level with a stronger club in HC Vítkovice.
26 – Kacper Prokopiak (D), 18, Unia Oswiecim (62, +36)
The big defenseman is up next, as Prokopiak looks like he will be a special player. The 6’5 Warszawa native got in 27 games this year with Oswiecim going pointless. It was great for him to get a lot of experience as well. He is more than ready physically for senior hockey, but needs to work on the smaller details of his game. The offensive side of his skillset was on display in the MHL with 24 points (7G-17A-24PTS) in 17 games. He also had a massive showing at the U18 Division 2 Group A tournament, scoring once and assisting on six. A two-way defender with good size is everything Poland needs on their defense right now. He is still very raw, but with his toolset, Prokopiak is one of the most important prospects for Poland’s future.
25 – Szymon Kucharski (F), 20, MOSM Tychy, (56, +31)
The top goal scorer of the 2023 MHL season didn’t achieve the exact scoring highs in 2024 but added a few new achievements to make his year stand out. Kucharski made his THL debut, getting in ten games with GKS Tychy. He was the standout player for Poland U20 during the 2025 international season. At the U20 D1B World Championship, he scored two goals and one assist which tied him for second on the squad in scoring. Kucharski is a very talented goal-scorer but is a bit undersized. It might be harder for him to break into a more prominent lower-line role, but the offensive skills are there for him to be a top-six forward.
24 – Jakub Onak (D), 18, JKH GKS Jastrzebie, (58, +34)
One of the best U20 defenders in Poland, Onak played significant roles for both the Poland U18 and U20 squads. He was an assistant captain for Poland U18, scoring once and assisting on three, helping the team to gold. During his club year, he spent most of the time in the second league with JKH GKS Jastrzebie II. He was third among all defensemen in points with 26 (8G-18A-26PTS). A talented two-way defender, he is under a long-term deal with Jastrzebie until he is 21. After playing six games last year, I could see him becoming a full-time THL defender in 2025. A player with an incredible work effort, Polish national team head coach Robert Kalaber sang his praises, “I will honestly say that I have never trained a man so committed to hockey. If he could, he would sleep on the ice.”
23 – Jonasz Hofman (F), 19, SMS PZHL Katowice (55, +32)
The first of the Hofman twins in our rankings, Jonasz comes in under his brother for missing some time during the club year. Jonasz did have a more significant international impact. The Hofman twins combined to be one of the top duos in the MHL this past year and were unstoppable with their line mate, Jakub Musiol. Jonasz came in third for U20 MHL points, scoring 48 points (22G-26A-48PTS). At the U20 World Championship, he added three assists to his impressive offensive season. If we compare the Hofman twins to another set of hockey twins, Jonasz is the Daniel Sedin of the two.
22 – Jakub Hofman (F), 19, SMS PZHL Katowice (54, +32)
If Jonasz were Daniel Sedin, then Jakub would be Henrik Sedin. Jakub is a skilled playmaker with 49 assists in 34 MHL games. Add in his 14 goals, and he was one of the top producers in the MHL regardless of age. Like his brother, he made Poland U20 and picked up one more assist to complete his impressive total. Both players are of good size and have great offensive ability. They will be exceptional players and have already signed contracts with GKS Katowice for 2025. They’ll likely split their time with Katowice and Janow.
21 – Jakub Musioł (F), 20, Naprzod Janow (80, +59)
The player on this list, that I feel, needs to play either in the THL or abroad the most next year. The talented forward was one of the best producers in the MHL after boasting 57 points (20G-37A-57PTS) in only 31 games. He did get one game with GKS Katowice to start the year, but he needs to get up with them more next year. He also made Poland U20 and put up an assist. I would have liked to see more from him on the international stage, and his lack of experience against top players plays a part in his offensive showing there.
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