Every year, it feels like the hockey season goes by faster and faster. We are already just days away from the PHL playoffs and over two months from the Division 1 Group A World Championships. The state of Polish hockey is in a very rough spot. Fan support and interest are at their highest in recent times. There are also a few good things happening on the youth hockey side. Unfortunately, those few positives are weighed down by an abysmal financial situation and a league with fewer Poles than ever. At the same time, there is a significant talent gap between the top teams and the bottom of the league. It is time to start taking inventory of the Polish national team for 2025. We start our inventory by looking at who will be between the posts in red and white.

Goaltending is not immune to the development challenges of Poland; they may face them the hardest. For the 2010s and early 2020s, Poland didn’t have to worry about goaltending as John Murray, Przemyslaw Odrobny, and Rafal Radziszewski dominated the crease. From 2010 to 2025, only 19 IIHF appearances have been made by other goalies, most of those appearances also being against weaker opponents. That chain of goaltenders is ending soon, and someone will soon have to take over the number-one spot for Poland. The depth has become thin as few Polish goalies play until their 30s. Only six who represented Poland U20 during the 2010s are even active. It has created a need that imports have partly filled.

Goalies 35 and over 

Player	Age	Team	League
John Murray	37	GKS Katowice	PHL

It’s just the Polish legend Jasiek Murarz in this category. At 37 years old, the import star is close to the end of his career, but there has been no slowdown yet in Poland’s number-one goalie. He showed that with massive games at last year’s World Championship and saved 20 out of 21 against Slovenia at this year’s Sosnowiec Cup. He also has stated a commitment to the national team as long as the team feels they need him. Still, as we look at the five-year outcome, there is not a strong chance that the netminder will be playing at 42. When Murray hangs up his skates, he will do it as one of the best to guard the net in the history of Team Poland.

Goalies 30 to 34

Player	Age	Team	League
Dawid Zabolotny	30	Bietigheim Steelers	Oberliga
Robert Kowalówka	31	Unia Oswiecim	PHL
Tomáš Fučík	30	GKS Tychy	PHL

Fučík and Zabolotny got the call for Poland at the World’s last year, forming a trio with Murray. 

• Fučík (31) has been one of the best goalies in Poland for a while and has a career story similar to Murray’s in a few ways. The Czech import turns 31 in March and will likely step into the number-one role after Murray is done. His play at the World Championship was excellent in limited action, especially in a stellar game against Slovakia. So far in 2025, his one start for Poland was a solid appearance against Italy, where he stopped 22 of 24 shots.
• Of the trio who appear for the national team in Czechia, Dawid Zabolotny (31) is the only one who plays abroad. He has spent the last two years in Germany, the DEL2 in 2024 and the German Third League in 2025. He is also the only one of the World Championship trio to develop in Poland; he moved to Poland when he was young after being born in Frankfurt, Germany. Like Fucik, he turns 31 this March. Poland should be in good hands for five years unless Fucik and Zabolotny drop off. 

Goalies 26-29

Player	Age	Team	League
Kamil Lewartowski	27	GKS Tychy	PHL
Mateusz Studziński	27	KH Torun	PHL
Michał Kieler	29	GKS Katowice	PHL
Michał Łuba	29	Dunkerque	France2
Paweł Bizub	25	Podhale Nowy Targ	PHL

The options in this next group are all interesting, but I’m not exactly sure what to make of their national team futures. All of them spent a long time as backups in Poland. Most goalies like that have retired in their early 20s, but these five have stuck with it despite limited action. With a young player in the next group usually taking the role of third or fourth goalie for Poland, these players have been battling for the fifth spot on the depth chart. 

• Lewartowski (27) has only played more than 10 PHL games in a season once. His limited numbers have been okay to good with GKS Tychy as a backup. He made national team appearances in 2022 and 2023 but none lately. 
• Studziński (27) has slightly more action in the PHL, mainly with KH Torun. After an excellent playoff run in 2024, he pushed for a more significant role with Torun this year. The results have been mixed, but they showed flashes of how he can start at this level. He was named to team Poland in 2025 for games against Ukraine but did not play. 
• Kieler (29) once looked to be gaining a more significant role with the national team. However, he has not played with the senior squad since 2022. He has been solid as a backup for GKS Katowice and looked great against the Danish Aalborg Pirates at the Continental Cup. Kieler is a major victim of the lack of spots for Polish goalies. 
• Bizub (25) may have the most PHL experience of all these players. With the poor team situation of Podhale Nowy Targ, he has been the starter or split starter over the past four seasons and appeared in over 100 games. He looked like he could be a decent starter during Podhale’s playoff run last year. It is hard to judge a goalie fairly when they’re almost constantly under siege, which is the case with him and Podhale. 
• Łuba (29)  is the wildcard of this group. He hasn’t played in Poland since 2019. Over the past six years, he has been one of the best goaltenders in the French second league, twice named the best. In past interviews, he expressed an interest in playing for Poland, but there appears to be ghost silence between him and the national team lately. 

I think there is a lot of talent in this group who, in part, have been crushed by Poland’s lack of opportunities for goalies. Thanks to imports in Fucik and Murray, Poland has been able to go without needing someone from this generation. Over the next five years, I think Poland will need one of these players to step up into the number three or four role. Right now, I believe Kieler and Studzinski are the lead candidates. 

Notable 20-24

Player	Age	Team	League
Filip Świderski	23	STS Sanok	PHL
Maciej Miarka	23	JKH GKS Jastrzebie	PHL
Szymon Klimowski	22	Podhale Nowy Targ	PHL
Mikołaj Szczepkowski	21	Zaglebie Sosnowiec	PHL
Jakub Ciucka	20	Naprzod Janow	MHL

The big name of this group is Maciej Miarka. 

• Miarka (24) has cemented himself as a top-four name on the Polish depth chart. He is the only Polish-born and trained goalie to play multiple IIHF games for Poland since the late 2010s. A split starter with JKH GKS Jastrzebie, he could be Poland’s future number one if he gets more time as a primary starter in the PHL. 

The rest of the group features intriguing names that haven’t gotten a lot of good work. 

• Świderski (24) has been a backup and split starter for Sanok. The numbers haven’t been great, but neither is the situation, with his team only winning four games in 29 starts. 
• Klimowski (22) is in a similar situation but with Podhale. The results in the PHL have been rough, but he has been the top goaltender in the second league. He was Poland’s starter for their Universiade team, but his situation there was close to what he faced in Podhale. I wish I could see him play in a better environment. 
• Szczepkowski (21), the backup for Sosnowiec, has continued steadily growing his game. He is much better than during his time with Poland U20. He could be a starter in Poland, but he may fall into the eternal backup role on good teams that many have fell into. 
• Ciucka (20) is undersized for what coaches will want. He has been lights out this year for Janow in the MHL. Plenty of young goaltenders have recently become trapped in the MHL, with only a few yearly PHL appearances. Ciucka has yet to break into the top league, but he deserves the chance. 

Poland will need one of these names to join Miarka on the national team, but it’s not urgent. Nine Polish goaltenders aged 20-24 appeared in the PHL this year, but only four played in more than five games. One of those nine goalies also already announced his retirement. All the names I listed as notable, outside Ciucka, are the only four to have played more than 200 PHL minutes this year. Szczepkowski has the best chance to be an impactful player, but the odds are low across the board with the current situation and development opportunities. 

Notable U20s 

Player	Age	Team	League
Alex Odrzywolek	17	IceHawks HC U18	Austria U18i
Bartosz Brynczka	17	New Jersey Jr. Titans 18U AAA 2	AYHL 18U
Igor Tyczyński	18	SMS I Katowice	MHL
Jakub Wieczorek	18	SC Bern Future U20	U20-Elit
Jan Kusak	17	HCM Warriors Brno U20	Czechia U20 2
Juliusz Ceglinski	17	VHK Vsetin U20	Czechia U20 2
Kacper Michalski	17	JKH GKS Jastrzebie II	MHL
Mateusz Majewski	18	Kölner Junghaie U20	DNL U20
Szymon Chabior	17	MOSM Tychy	MHL
Tobiasz Jaworski	17	SMS I Katowice	MHL

One of the reasons I remain hopeful about this goaltending situation in Poland is a great U20 class. Of these notable names, six-play abroad from Poland. It is hard for goalies to find spots away from their home countries, so I applaud all these players for taking the step. Let’s talk about the harsh reality in Poland, where outside teams that struggle with money in Sanok and Podhale. There is not a single Polish-trained and developed starter. Every playoff team’s goalie with the most games played will be a player born outside Poland. Goaltenders don’t gets chances in Poland, so I am glad to see plenty outside of Poland. 

• Jakub Wieczorek (18) is currently my top-ranked U20 goalie for the future. With a Swiss player license, he doesn’t count against import limits in the country. He starts for SC Bern U20 in the top level of junior hockey and gets to work with goaltending coach Lars Lenze. Lenze has also worked internationally with Swiss goalies. He is the U20 player I think we are most likely to see at the senior level for Poland within the next five years. 
• Igor Tyczyński (18) is Poland’s best U20 goalie right now. I give the nod to the Wiecrozek for the future due to the conditions in which they will be supported with for the end of their junior development. Tyczyński has split his season in the MHL with Naprzod Janow and SMS I Katowice. He has posted excellent numbers in both places and currently has a .946% SV% on the season. He needs to face tougher competition, whether that is senior games in Poland or abroad. 

Of the remaining goalies, I don’t see an impact within the five following years, but you should remember their names. Tobiasz Jaworski is who I expect to start for Poland at this year’s D1B U18 World Championship. It’s a crowded fight in Poland for net time right now. Hopefully, some of these young players will be able to stay abroad. 

Import Options

Player	Age	Team	League
Patrik Spěšný	28	Zaglebie Sosnowiec	PHL

If Poland wants to return to the import route, there is only one option right now. 

• Spěšný (28) has been in Poland for eight years and has now played over 250 PHL games. He has been a solid to good starter since he came over from Czechia at the age of 20 at the end of 2018 season. He currently also works with young goaltenders in Sosnowiec. Given how long he has been a part of Polish hockey, it would not be shocking to see him join the team. 

5 Year Outlook 

Poland is in an okay place right now for goaltending. They should be more than fine with the trio of Fucik, Miarka, and Zabolotny. I don’t know if any of them can be like John Murray and steal five straight games, but the trio will never be the reason Poland loses a tournament.

What is behind the top three is where I get worried. Right now Poland has a lot of good junior prospects, but the immediate cupboard is bare. You never know when an injury will strike or a player’s ability could fall off. Depth needs to be built in Poland, but the current realities of the league don’t allow for that. Poland will need to raise the stock of its U30 goalies and improve its development for junior ones. If those factors don’t change, Poland will have to rely entirely on what imports they can acquire to stay at the current level. That is not a bet I want to take. Any goalie must spend at least two consecutive years in a league that faces an uncertain future. Poland must find more opportunities for its own to play at the senior level.

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