We move into the top ten with quite a few players that played outside of Poland for their pivotal development years. This group of players all look like possible national team forwards, but can they become impact players for their country?

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.

10 – Michal Kusak (F), 20, HC Motor České Budějovice U20, (12, +2)

Kusak moves into the top ten after his final U20 season. It was a career year for him in the Czechia U20 league as he posted 44 points (14G-30A-35PTS) in 53 games. Those 44 points were 20th among players in their draft plus two season. When we look at production matches, we see that 11.76% of his matches went on to become regulars in the Czech top league. Most of his matches, 44.12%, went on to play in the second level or a THL quality league. Kusak could be a player that finds a spot outside of Poland, while his floor is a solid THL player. The key for Kusak is to be consistent. That is a common report that you get on a lot of Polish players who go abroad. I saw the consistency issues with Kusak during his time with Polish U20 this year. At the IIHF D1B U20 event, Kusak scored two goals and two assists, leading team Poland. Three of those points came in the final game against Italy, where Kusak took over. He didn’t make the same impact in Poland’s four other matches, which included games against much lower-level opponents. He’ll stay in Czechia for 2025, getting his first taste of senior hockey at the lower senior levels and an overage season in the Czech U20 league. 

9 – Jakub Slusarczyk (F), 21, HC Vítkovice U20, (5, -4)

Number nine is another player that developed in the Czech system. After a solid final U20 season in 2023, Slusarczyk earned a contract with HC Vítkovice. In 2024, he would only get to play one game in the top Czech league, spending most of the year as an overager in the Czech U20 league. At the junior level, he scored 24 goals and assisted on 23 in 55 games, giving him a slight production increase. His 47 points were 37th among all skaters in the league. He also got in seven games at the Czechia third level, posting five points (1G-4A-5PTS). Despite efforts to find another spot in Czechia this offseason, he wasn’t able to. He will return to Polish club hockey for the first time since 2018 after signing a one-year deal with JKH GKS Jastrzebie. He is an undersized young winger, and I think if he can get good ice time in THL, this is his best move. Slusarczyk needs to play more, and the THL has improved him enough to get back to Czechia if he succeeds. 

8 – Michal Zajac (F), 23, JKH GKS Jastrzebie, (14, +6)

Zajac climbs into the top ten for his final time on the rankings. He has been a consistent top U23 producer in the THL, steadily making gains. In his first year with JKH GKS Jastrzebie, he posted 11 points (5G-6A-11PTS) in 47 games. While it is a slight decline from his career highs with KH Torun in 2023, him keeping close on a much better team is a good sign. His 50 points during his U23 career are the 8th most by a Polish U23 skater since 2015. He should be joining the Polish national team at non-IIHF events soon, and his continued development under Kalaber should only aid in that more. 

7 – Krzysztof Bukowski (F), 22, STS Sanok, (10, +3)

After developing in the Swiss junior system, Bukowski made his first return to Polish club hockey since 2017. His brother, Jakub Bukowski, had made a quick impact after coming over, and Sanok had to be hoping that Krzysztof would do the same. He would finish with four goals and six assists in 38 games. That put him in a five-way tie for fifth place in scoring on the club. It was a promising rookie year for a player with a rough club situation. Reports we got from Poland were mixed on the player; some complement his smarts, but others could not predict his actual ceiling. Sanok, once again, will be a club with a limited budget, and Bukowski should have every chance to jump up the lineup and be the offensive leader the team needs. 

6 – Adrian Gromadzki (F), 20, HC Dynamo Pardubice U20, (7, +1) 

Gromadzki moves up one more spot after a strong year in Czechia. The 6’2 forward spent most of his time with HC Dynamo Pardubice U20, recording 41 points (18G-23A-41PTS) in 47 games. His 41 points were tied for the 18th most by a player in their draft-eligible +1 season. Of his production matches, 22.22% went on to be regulars in the top Czech league, while 44.44% were regulars in the second level. That kind of production and matches makes it no surprise that HC Dynamo Pardubice signed the young forward to a one year deal with an option to extend. He will be playing some games in the Czech third and U20 leagues but mostly spend his time with HC Dynamo Pardubice B in the Czech second league. In 2024, he also represented Poland at the IIHF U20 D1B tournament, where I would have liked to see more from him after he only scored once on nine shots in five games. His two-way traits and offensive potential thanks to a strong shot make him one of the most critical players to follow over the next few years, as the national team needs to find top six players.

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