Last year, there was a lot of hype for team Poland as they headed into the Division 1 Group B World Championship hosted in Latvia. Poland’s club in the Austrian-based European Women’s Hockey League (EWHL), Silesian Metropolis, had a fantastic year and finished at the top of the standings. The team also made a big move in hiring Canadian Joe Butkevich. Under their new head coach, there would be a hot start with a four-nations tournament win that saw Poland finish above higher IIHF-ranked countries, including Denmark. Unfortunately, the World Championship would go south fast as Poland could not find any offense. At the end of the event, Poland only scored six goals in five games and was relegated to Division 2 for the first time since 2016.

The disappointing results led to a significant coaching refresh. Joe Butkevich was out as head coach, while Jaroslaw Rzeszutko would not return as assistant coach. Arkadiusz Sobecki, who has worked as a goaltending and assistant coach for the national team, will now take over as head coach for the national team and Silesian Metropolis. Sobecki is also the goaltending coach for GKS Katowice and has worked in the same role with the Men’s senior and U20 national teams. Sebastian Klaczynski and Tomasz Cichon are joining him on the staff as assistant coaches. 

A new coaching staff wasn’t the only change for the national team players. The women’s hockey league decided to do away with its Polonia Bytom playoff-only experiment. Polonia Bytom, who has won the TLHK nine years in a row, only joined league play during the playoffs for 2023-24. SMS Bytom, a team of U18 players, instead played in their place during the regular season. This change allowed Bytom players, who make up most of Silesian Metropolis, to focus exclusively on their EWHL season. 

With all the change in place, how has the lead-up been to the Olympic Qualifiers? While on the EWHL side, Silesian Metropolis has taken a step back and currently sits eighth in the eleven-team league. They did bounce back in their final games before the qualifiers by taking two straight games against the EC Graz Huskies. The big concern for me is that the offensive side is still struggling, with Metropolis only having 24 goals in 12 games. A two goal per game average is well below their average of 2.86 last year. It doesn’t help that the team’s second-leading scorer, Malgorzata Zakrzewska, is not eligible for senior IIHF competition as the 14-year-old prodigy is too young. 

The national team would only get together as a whole squad before the Qualifiers for two games versus Great Britain in November. Great Britain is ranked 21st in the IIHF world rankings, just one spot behind Poland at 20. It was a perfectly even matchup, and the results reflected that. Poland would win the first game 3-2 in overtime but lose the second game in a shootout 4-3. These results are the same as when Great Britain and Poland played at last year’s World Championship, in which Poland won 3-2 in overtime. Great Britain won against Italy and Slovenia in that tournament to stay in Division One. 

Poland showed it could still be a Division 1 team in those two games, and the fight for promotion will happen later this year. The current focus is on the Olympics and round two of Qualification, which will be hosted in Bytom, Poland. The group will feature Chinese Taipei, Mexico, and South Korea. The first two are in Poland’s World Championship group for 2025. But who will wear red and white in front of their home crowd? 

The Roster 

Goalies

Martyna Sass (Projected Starter), Agata Kosinska, & Nadia Ratajczk

There are no surprises in net. The Wall of Sass is projected to be Poland’s starter as always. Sass has played well once again in the EWHL and is, in my opinion, one of the best women’s goalies in Europe. Veteran backup Agata Kosinska is back for her 13th IIHF event with the country! Young emerging goalie Nadia Ratajczk joins the team, after spending the past two years in Sweden, for her senior roster debut. It would not surprise me if Kosinska or Ratajczk started one of Poland’s first matches. 

Defensemen

Wiktoria Gogoc – Patrycja Sfora  

Dominika Korkuz – Joanna Strzelecka

Natalia Nosal – Wiktoria Kedra

Nikola Isztok – Anna Kot 

On defense, there are two significant absences that stand out. Veteran defender Klaudia Chrapek will miss the event due to an injury, while Julia Zielińska will be unable to appear due to her club commitments in the NCAA. Both defensemen are among Poland’s best and cause some significant line reshuffling. The top four is loaded with veterans who have been through it all with Poland, while the button four shows the team’s future core. Iztok is the only addition from last year’s world championship squad. This group will not be Poland’s strength, but they should be able to hold their own in that crucial final match versus South Korea. 

Forwards 

Wiktoria Sikorska – Tatiana Onyshchenko – Karolina Pozniewska

Olivia Tomczok – Ewelina Czarnecka – Magdalena Lapies 

Maja Brzezinska – Ida Talanda – Wiktoria Dziwok 

Weronika Huchel – Alicja Mota – Aleksandra Gorska

The top line is going to do a lot of carrying on offense like they did at the World Championship, and it makes sense because they are three premier players. Still, Poland will need someone to step up and chip in the depth scoring at these events. Brzezinaka and Lapies are two to watch; both young players have dominated in Poland and during their junior hockey days. Can they be stars at the IIHF level? Veterans like Czarnecka and Tomczok cannot be counted out either. Poland might see their Olympic hopes crash if it is a top-heavy offense like the World Championships. If the group can find their finishing ability and chemistry, they can become the favorites in the three-game tournament. 

Predictions

December 12 – Game 1: Chinese Taipei vs. Poland

Chinese Taipei is Poland’s first rival in the tournament and the lowest-ranked IIHF team in the group, at 26. They finished fourth for a third straight season at their last World Championship in Division 2 Group A. Goaltending is their strength with veteran Tzu-Ting Hsu, who formally played in NWHL. They also have their starting goalie of future, Ai Chung, who played in the NCAA Division Three, and someone Poland is very familiar with from the Chinese Taipei run at the U18 Division 1 Group B level. The team can struggle to find its offensive footing but has a strong defensive core led by former Toronto Six defender Cristine Chao. This team has some big names but a lack of depth. Still, it will be a match-up that might be closer than I expect, but I still expect a Polish win! 

December 13 – Game 2: Mexico vs. Poland

Mexico is ranked a spot higher than Chinese Taipei at 25. The Mexico hockey federation has struggled with many issues, but the women’s team has continued growing. At their World Championship last year, they finished with a second straight bronze medal in Division 2 Group A. Veteran Claudia Tellez has continued to lead the national team in scoring with strong support from the Rojas twins. Outside their top line, Mexico needs to find who on the rest of their team can contribute; of goals scored by forwards, their top line outscored the rest of the team 9-2. They should be fine in the net with either veteran Monica Renteria or Utah University goalie Miranda de Antunano. I think Poland has the better depth across the lineup, and I expect Poland to pick up their second win. 

December 14 – Game 3: South Korea vs. Poland

This is the big game of the tournament with 18th-ranked South Korea, two spots above Poland. South Korea was relegated from Division 1 Group A at their world championship last year. South Korea quickly rose, going from a D1B fifth-place finish in 2022 to gold and promotion in 2023. The momentum slowed in 2024 as South Korea only scored one goal in five Group A games. A big part of that initial promotion was goalie Eun Bee Huh, who retired after the tournament, where she posted a .952 save percentage. Hee Won Kim, who finished third on the team in points, didn’t return in 2024 either, leaving some significant holes in the South Korea roster. It is a team transitioning from a quick rise and fall. When these Poland and South Korea played in 2023, it was a four-goal shutout win for South Korea despite Poland winning the shot battle. In this final game, I see Poland revenging its 2023 loss from Korea, picking up a third win and promotion to the final qualification round.

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Thumbnail Photo via polskihokej.eu