A legend of the Polish hockey league has called it a career as Alex Szczechura hung up his skates earlier this month. A Canadian with Polish heritage through his father’s parents, Szczechura first came to the league in 2016 and would always remain among the league’s top scorers across his ten years. In an ever changing league and sport, the North American duo of Alex Szczechura and Mike Cichy were constants and always at the top.

Born in Brantford, Ontario, he played in the local junior program until he moved to the Penticton Vees of the BCHL. In one season with the Vees, he finished fourth on the team in scoring with 63 points. Following his successful BCHL season, he would commit to play division one hockey for the Ohio State Buckeyes. From 2010 to 2014, he was a crucial part of Ohio State, posting 66 points (31G-35A-66PTS) in 125 games. For the 2015 season, Szczechura only had a brief stint in the ECHL, recording a goal and two assists in seven games with the Rapid City Rush. Those seven games in the ECHL would end up being the only professional games of his career outside Poland. 

In the mid-2010s, North Americans became more common in Poland’s top hockey league. The small club of Orlik Opole was looking to make a splash in 2016 after bouncing between the top two levels for the first half of the 2010s. The club made two moves that would go on to change Polish hockey forever. The first was grabbing American import Mike Cichy from STS Sanok. Then Opole found another NCAA alumni to pair him with in Alex Szczechura. The two had faced off in the NCAA. Szczechura cited one of the best memories of his college hockey days being a hattrick against Cichy’s Western Michigan Broncos. Alex’s brother Paul had played for Western Michigan before moving on to the NHL.

Cichy and Szczechura would rewrite the record books of Polish hockey in their first season together. Szczechura would often setup Cichy for goals as the two displayed a Henrik and Daniel Sedin like chemistry. The two put up big numbers during the regular season with Opole, but the massive one-two punch wasn’t enough to set Opole up for playoff success. The pair was loaned to Sanok for the playoffs to continue their historic season. Cichy set the single-season scoring record with 113 points, while Sczechura came in sixth all-time with 90 points. The two would continue to stick together for another year with Orlik Opole, but both had their eyes set on joining the Polish national team. 

The pair would debut for Poland in November 2016 during a Euro Ice Hockey Challenge in Hungary. Szczechura would score his first goal in the red and white in a 3-2 victory over Japan. Unfortunately, their national team careers would be short-lived as they didn’t fit in with the staff’s plans and eventually abandoned their national team goals. Szczechura would not even receive his full Polish citizenship until 2023, despite first submitting his application in 2016. Szczechura would finish with two goals and two assists in eight games with the eagle on his chest. 

Sczechura would join GKS Tychy for the 2017-18s season, and it would kick off a dominant run. The club claimed three straight PHL championships with the Cichy Sczechura duo and fellow long-time American import John Murray. They would also win the 2017 Polish Cup and the Polish Super Cup in 2018 and 2019. During 2019 and 2020 championship runs, Sczechura led the league in playoff scoring. He would also significantly impact European club competitions, being a leading scoring for Tychy at the Continental Cup and the Champions Hockey League. However, one of the best moments of his time in Tychy came in 2021 when his older brother, former NHL and KHL forward, Paul Szczechura joined him in Poland. The two played together for the first time in their professional careers as they helped Tychy to a bronze medal.

Szczechura’s home would be in Tychy until 2022. That offseason, he moved, with Cichy, to Unia Oswiecim. It would be a short time in the blue and white, as Sczechura posted PHL career lows with 24 points in 45 games. It was the only time he didn’t hit forty points in his PHL career when playing an entire season. Cichy and Szechura would pair up for their final season together in 2024 and make another move, this time to Podhale Nowy Targ. Sczechura would rebound with 33 points in 44 games and helped Podhale make the playoffs after the club had missed out two years in a row. This offseason, Cichy left Poland to sign in the United Kingdom. At the same time, Alex Sczechura re-signed with Podhale Nowy Targ to hit the decade mark in the THL. The club saw quite a few financial struggles during the year, but the Brantford native did his best, posting 10 points in 12 games. With the situation worsening, Szczechura chose to end his professional hockey days. 

In total, Szczechura finished with 155 goals and 290 assists for 445 points across 428 games in Poland. Since he entered the league, those numbers have seen him place sixth in goals, third in assists, and fourth in points. He finishes with three PHL championships, two Super Cups, and one Polish cup in his trophy case. We here at Polish Puck wish him the best in his post-playing days! 

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