The Mlodziezowa Hokej Liga (MHL) season has come to an end. It was another year of drama for Poland’s second level of men’s hockey. The league initially announced its schedule and plans for the year with 17 teams. Unfortunately, Sanok and Sosnowiec would withdraw from the competition before the first puck drop. Sosnowiec cited a lack of eligible players as their reason for opting out. Lodz’s team would suffer the same fate a few months into the season.

The league is where young Polish players spend most of their time. While the league is mainly full of Polish players under 23, quite a few senior players and interesting imports also appear in the MHL. This year, 361 players played at least five games in the MHL, with 259 being Polish. This means that just under 30% of the league comprises imports. Many of those imports are from Belarus or Ukraine, who have come to Poland since the war in Ukraine started. Many played under-18 hockey in Poland before playing in the MHL. Players from 14 different countries competed in the league this year. 

This year, the average age of teams in the league ranged from 16.95 to 22.50, a difference of 5.55 years. This is a slight improvement from last year, when the range was 16.72 to 22.42, a difference of 5.7. The oldest players in the league were 53, 35, and 34, while the youngest were 15. 

The MHL has received a lot of criticism for its poor development. Many PHL imports and coaches we have talked to have strongly criticized the level, and how it doesn’t prepare players for higher-level hockey like Poland’s top league. Players from the MHL also made up most of the Polish U20 and World University Games teams, which both put up disappointing results. 

The league is still the best way to look into the future of Polish hockey. It is a chance to see who may play for the junior national teams, and who is up next to play in the Polska Hokej Liga (PHL). It’s time to recap the 2025 season. 

1. Naprzód Janów Katowice. Regular Season Record: 20-6-2-0. Playoffs: Champions

Grzegorz Klich’s squad was able to repeat as champions this past season. It was a hard-fought playoff run as all but one of Janow’s wins on the title run were by a single goal. The fourth seed would defeat Tychy and Bytom in rounds one and two. This set up a final battle with Oswiecim. Janow would win the series 2-1, with Marat Soroka scoring the golden goal with ten seconds left in game three. This was a veteran-led team. Player-coach Alexis Svitac led the team in scoring with 58 points (29G-29A-58PTS).  Other key contributors on offense were Karol Mos, Ihor Nikolaevich, and the Soroka brothers. While Polish goalie Jakub Ciucka handled the bulk of the goaltending duties in the regular season, it was Ilya Soroko whom the club turned to for their playoff run. 

MVP: Alexis Svitac 

2. UHT Sabers Oświęcim. Regular Season Record: 22-6–0-0. Playoffs: Finals Loss

After a lot of controversies last year. There were a lot of changes in this squad that competes in both the MHL and the European University Hockey League. Former PHL star Alexei Trandin would take over as the team manager and be a player-coach. Then, the team made a colossal coaching hire in former Belarus and Poland head coach Andrei Sidorenko. The club also gained a talent-sharing agreement with STS Sanok. The changes paid off as the team went from a sixth seed eliminated in the quarterfinals to the third seed and one win away from the title. Poles were not common on this team, and only seven would play in 10 games or more for the club this year. The club received a big Polish boost for the playoffs, with quite a few players from Sanok. Alexei Trandin, with 68 points (27G-41A-68PTS), and Alexander Sadovsky, with 50 points (25G-25A-50PTS), were the team’s offensive leaders. Belarusian Anton Dyukov had a good year in goal, posting a .927 SV% during the regular season. 

MVP: Alexei Trandin

3. MKS Sokoły Toruń. Regular Season Record: 16-11-1-0. Playoffs: Bronze Medal Series Win

Torun had a fantastic postseason run after entering the playoffs as the seventh seed. They would upset second seed SMS I Katowice before falling to UHT Sabers Oświęcim in the semi-finals. It would be another significant upset in the bronze medal series as they took down top seed Polonia Bytom. An experienced squad, the team didn’t have many U20 regulars this year. Long-time Toruń players Dominik Olszewski and Jakub Wenker led the way. Newcomer Kacper Ziarkowski was outstanding in his first year back from Germany. This was the first year with Russian head coach Yegor Rozhkov, who played in the PHL and VHL. 

MVP: Jakub Wenker

4. BS Polonia Bytom. Regular Season Record: 25-2-0-1. Playoffs: Bronze Medal Series Loss 

It’s hard to call a season a disappointment when you only lose three games during the regular season. But this was not the finish Bytom wanted. The team breezed past Fudeko GAS Gdańsk in round one, outscoring them 12-3. They would only win one more game the rest of the playoffs, losing to Janów in the semi-finals and Sokoły Toruń in the bronze series. In the offseason, the team added Belarusian star Kirill Yastrebov, who had led the MHL in scoring the past two years. It was a feat he would repeat once again with 70 points (37G-33A-70PTS) in 32 games. The team had six others put up point per game or better seasons. The duo of Ayvin Eidsness and Mateusz Kolodziej were outstanding in the net. The club has finished first every year in the regular season since 2021, but still doesn’t have a championship to show for it. 

MVP: Kirill Yastrebov

5. SMS I Katowice. Regular Season Record: 23-4-0-1. Playoffs: Quarterfinal Loss

An extension of the Poland U18 squad, Gusov’s club saw its streak of bronze medals end. The young Polish team ran into a more experienced Toruń club, eliminating them in the quarterfinals. A well-balanced top six was led by Bartlomiej Stolarski and Rafal Drabik. The mid-season addition of Olaf Zachariasz was a significant boost. Ihnat Kashalevich and Wiktor Bieda were counted on to play big minutes on the defensive end. The goaltending was the two-headed monster of Igor Tyczynski and Tobiasz Jaworski. It is a strong season that has me looking forward to Poland U18 at the D1B World Championship. 

MVP: Bartlomiej Stolarski

6. MOSM Tychy. Regular Season Record: 21-7-0-0. Playoffs: Quarterfinal Loss

In their second season under Michal Belica, Tychy made the playoffs for the first time in a while. They would also win a playoff game, forcing Janów to a game three in which they lost by one goal. It was an impressive year, given that Tychy had a constantly rotating roster with 39 players appearing in a game this year.  Danis Barovski, Jakub Skrzypski, Nikodem Wroblewski, and Tymoteusz Petrazycki were the needed star constants in that ever-changing line-up. 17-year-old Szymon Chabior had a good year in net, and I look forward to seeing more of him. 

MVP: Tymoteusz Petrazycki 

7. JKH GKS Jastrzębie II. Regular Season Record: 20-6-2-0. Playoffs: Quarterfinal Loss

Jastrzębie was in a challenging spot this year with key contributors like Bartlomiej Stolarski, Patryk Hanzel, and Wiktor Zajac, often spending most of their time with the parent club or SMS I Katowice. The team also had to deal with the retirements of Marcin Plachetka and Patryk Pelaczyk, veterans who were both top scorers in 2024. Jastrzębie had players who stepped up and helped the club make its first playoff appearance in some time. Mikolaj Osiadly made a huge jump and led the team in scoring this year with 40 points (17G-23A-40PTS). Dawid Wawrzkiewicz was a huge addition, finding the back of the net 26 times. Jakub Onak was once again relied on heavily defensively. Kacper Michalski once again had a big season in goal.  

MVP: Dawid Wawrzkiewicz

8. Fudeko GAS Gdańsk. Regular Season Record: 12-14-0-2. Playoffs: Quarterfinal Loss

Unfortunately, our final playoff team of the year, Fudeko GAS Gdańsk, faced a stricter battle off the ice. The club, trying to keep hockey alive in the city, faced a fight as Marek Kostecki and GKS Stoczniowiec Gdansk returned to the Polish hockey map. Marek Kostecki controls Hala Olivia in a long-term agreement he signed with himself during his time in Gdansk politics. Kostecki eventually banned Fudeko GAS Gdańsk from the arena. This forced the team to play at the Torbyd Ice Rink in Bydgoszcz. On the bright side, the team secured a talent-sharing agreement with a remerging PHL club, Zagłębie Sosnowiec.

On the ice, they made the playoffs on the final day. A few key North American imports were huge contributors, with the leading being American Danny Mannarino.  Mannarino led the team in scoring with 32 points (11G-21A-32PTS). Marceli Stanczyk also had a great sophomore season. While on loan from Sosnowiec, Eric Kaczynski and Piotr Ciepielewski had significant impacts. On the back end, Captain Jakub Wala was a leader on both ends of the ice. 

MVP: Jakub Wala

9. KS Cracovia. Regular Season Record: 12-14-0-1. Playoffs: Missed

Cracovia would miss out on the playoffs by a single point. It was a transition year for Dominik Salamon’s squad. Of their top five scorers last year, only one would return full-time this year. The team made a transition away from imports, focusing on Poles in more prominent roles. Coming from Podhale, Kacper Malasiński was a big addition and would lead the team in scoring with 26 points (8G-18A-26PTS). When with the team, Antoni Dziurdzia also produced well. Overall the team lacked offense. A defense led by Damian Kapa and Marcin Pudzisz, along with Oskar Polak as the starting goalie, helped the team reach fifth place in goals against. 

MVP: Oskar Polak

10. GKS Stoczniowiec Gdańsk. Regular Seson Record: 7-18-2-1. Playoffs: Missed 

Our second team to miss the playoffs was a bit further away, sitting 12 points out on the final day. The team had struggled at both ends of the ice. It was primarily led by Belarusian imports who played with Fudeko GAS Gdańsk last year. Despite playing only 16 games, Alexei Furman led the team in points with 18 (12G-6A-18PTS). Dominik Buczek came over from Sanok and faced a lot of pressure in goal every game. Towards the end of the season, the team signed a talent-sharing agreement with Legia Warszawa. They even played one of their final games of 2025 in Warsaw. 

MVP: Adam Laskowski 

11. MMKS Podhale Nowy Targ. Regular Season Record: 7-18-1-2. Playoffs: Missed

A whole one point behind Gdańsk was Podhale. The team went from a bronze medal loss in 2024 to out of the playoffs in 2025. Due to the financial problems of the parent club, they were often without many of their best players. It was the first year under long-time club figure Gabriel Samolej. 16-year-old Maksim Melnichuk looks promising. This was his second year in the Podhale system, and he would lead the team in scoring for his MHL debut. 

MVP: Nikita Serhiyenko

12. UKH Unia Oświęcim. Regular Season Record: 5-22-1-0. Playoffs: Missed

UKH Unia Oświęcim returned to the MHL in 2025 after a bit of organizational split with UHT Sabres Oświęcim. PHL club Unia Oświęcim would share talent with them, but most would spend little time at the second level. Patryk Kusak returned to hockey after a year away and scored 16 points (13G-3A-16PTS) in 24 games. Filip Plonka and Ilya Bogdanov had their moments in net. With only 59 goals scored, they were the third lowest in the league. 

MVP: Patryk Kusak

13. SMS Toruń. Regular Season Record: 3-22-1-2. Playoffs: Missed

Toruń’s U18 squad comes in next. They are the youngest team in the MHL and the only team with an average age under 17. Jacek Juchniewicz, Jeremi Prokurat, and Leon Samborski looked good and will likely fight for a spot with MKS Sokoły Toruń next year. 

MVP: Jacek Juchniewicz

14. SMS Bytom. Regular Season Record: 3-22-1-2. Playoffs: Missed

Last year, SMS Bytom was a late substitution after Krynica had pulled out. The throw-together second team of Bytom had a rough year with a 1-27 record. The team had a much better season this year, even if they were still at the bottom of the league. Their goals for went from 25 to 44, while their goals against dropped from 330 to 212. 

MVP: Matvei Kuznetsov

15. ŁZKH Fabrykanci Łódzkie. Regualr Season Record: 5-23-0-0. Playoffs: Missed 

Łódzkie withdrew from the MHL on November 22nd due to financial issues. They have promised to return for the 2026 season. The team did manage to win a few games before leaving, but they were likely missing the playoffs. 

MVP: Jan Walczak

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Thumbnail Photo via polskihokej.eu