Last year was a hockey celebration 22 years in the making for Poland. It was the most attention hockey had received in the country in a long time. Unfortunately, the results would not be what Poland wanted as the team would fall in all seven games and be relegated to Division 1. The continued suspension of Belarus and Russia meant the window was still open for Poland to return. They would face a group almost identical to the one where they had won promotion in 2023. A rare elite promotion would have to come via a new generation. Most of Poland’s squad from 2023 and 2024 would not return for 2025. Some were due to injury, others to retirement, and a few to the coach’s choice. Could a new look squad bring Poland back to the top, or would it be another year in Division 1?  

The tournament started perfectly for the white and red. They would pick off the host Romania 4-1 and squeeze out a win versus Japan 2-1. While Poland secured all six points, other top contenders struggled, losing points. It gave Poland clear paths to gold and promotion, with their destiny in their own hands. 

In game three against Italy, the victor would likely secure a promotion spot. The Poles would strike first, but a series of penalties and turnovers in the second period would see Poland lose control. The rest of the game belonged to Italy, who cruised to a 4-1 win. A similar story would play out vs. Ukraine on day four. The white and red struck first, but Ukraine would be the one to take all the momentum for the rest of the game. The 4-1 loss to Ukraine would put their promotion hopes on life support. 

This meant Poland came into the final day needing a massive upset from Romania against Italy. The Italians showed they were ready for the 2026 Olympics with a dominant 7-1 win. This meant that Poland’s game against Great Britain was almost without stakes. Still, the team would be playing for a possible bronze medal. But without promotion on the line, the white and red didn’t seem to bring much energy. Great Britain skated around them and would win 3-0. Poland will remain in Division 1 Group A with a fifth-place finish. 

A Tight Tournament

I said that there are no easy games in this tournament. If you were to just pick the favorites in each game, you would go 10-5. That is not normal for an IIHF tournament. Every day, you had no idea what the results would be here. A big part of that is the shockingly great play of Ukraine, but on the final day they lost to Japan. That does not even count the fact that underdogs often forced overtime costing contenders points each day. Great Britain would go undefeated but needed three overtime wins. No team finished with a perfect record, while only one had more than 10 points. It was a competitive tournament where everyone lost tons of points. That only makes it sting even more that Poland couldn’t find a way to grab promotion.  It’s very rare at any IIHF level for the difference between first and fifth place to be one game. 

The New Generation 

“If you look at our defence corps from the past, it’s down to just four guys who have played at the senior international level. We can hope for the best from the young Polish players that they’re gonna learn from these situations and come back next time with a little more experience and understanding.” – John Murray to IIHF.com 

For Poland, it was a new generation, or so it was said the entire year leading up to the tournament by me, other media, and the national team itself. But was it really? While seven players made their World Championship debut and four more were in their second-ever tournament, Poland still relied heavily on its veterans. In the first four games, only Dominik Pas and Pawel Zygmunt were 25 or younger and played more than an average of 14 minutes a game. The new players on the national team, especially on defense, barely got to play. I’m not sure how many new players would have even came if it weren’t for injuries. It certainly seemed like the coach didn’t trust them. The white and red are in a transition, but they’re not handing everything over to the young players yet.

Offensive Woes 

Coming into the tournament, I was worried about Poland’s lack of offensive identity, and they never would find one. Poland scored the second-fewest goals in the tournament. Four of their eight goals also came against Romania, which allowed the most goals in the tournament, and is being relegated. The power play was dreadful, with Poland failing to break in or set up in the offensive zone. Poland lived off trying to take advantage of the rush as they could not attack the middle. Overall, it was just bad hockey and not up to the level of a top team in Division One. It needs to be completely overhauled. 

Were the Injuries Too Much?

It makes sense that Poland could improve next year, with the possible returns of Fraszko, Walega, and Wronka. I don’t think many countries at this level could survive without losing an entire first line. At the end of the day, every country was missing players, had injuries, or is currently at war. They all had the depth to fight through. Great Britain was missing star Liam Kirk, probably the best player in Division 1 Group A, for their first two matches. They still beat Ukraine. Poland has not developed the depth to have injuries or strained relationships with players like Aron Chmielewski. Poland led in all four of their first games. They lost control eventually and couldn’t fight their way back in. With a couple more goals, Poland would have probably seen a lot different results. Injuries were perhaps too much with turning over so much of the team. The coaching staff needed to adjust and didn’t do so correctly.  

What’s Next? 

Poland will remain in Division 1 Group A. We only know three of the teams so far that white and red will face off against. Ukraine will be back after winning bronze, so will fourth-place Japan, while Lithuania will join after earning promotion from Division 1 Group B. The two teams joining the group after being relegated from the Elite will likely be France, Kazakhstan, Hungary, Norway, or Slovenia. Next year, I don’t know if there will be a game in which Poland will be a favorite. Lithuania is growing fast and already came close to beating Poland this year in two exhibition matches.

In terms of what is next overall for Polish hockey. I don’t know, I believe the sport faces even more uncertainty than it did during COVID. There is a significant divide between the PZHL and clubs. Some club executives have said they are very worried about the league’s fate, with one even telling me he sees a strong chance only five clubs will survive 2026 without taking on massive debt or being in danger of folding. A new PZHL president should be elected this summer, but if that will fix anything remains to be seen. 

The national team will likely see a few more departures after this year, which will only further test the depth for next year. The team will once again have to be reinvigorated. But Polish players must go abroad or become more serious athletes. The training isn’t there in Poland right now. I won’t air out the dirty laundry that import and some Polish players have told me. But it paints a picture of athletes receiving ancient training and some not taking the sport seriously. There is also major friction between the coach and rest of the team now. Until some cultural things shift for the national team, there will always be a cap on what they can do. 

Quick Thoughts 

• Bizacki was one of the newcomers who had a good tournament. He had some downs, but overall, I liked his game. His 3 points were tied for the most on Poland.
• Pas was Poland’s best player in his tournament. He is so smart and was doing good things in all three zones
• Host Romania was relegated after a four-year run in Division 1 Group A. They were one of the worst skating teams I have seen at this level, but they always played extremely hard and found ways to win. I think they’ll be back soon as the sport develops there. 
• Alan Lyszczarczyk was very fun to watch at this tournament. He was one of the few able to drive a lot of offense each game. 
• Dark days are possibly ahead for Polish hockey, but we’ll be here until the ship sinks and a little while after.

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Photo Thumbnail via IIHF.com