Today we break into 2025’s top ten! This group of players features some of Poland’s best U20 stars who project to be really key players for national team in the future. With them are a couple of skaters returning to Poland after showing a lot while abroad.

Players had to be under the age of 23 and at least 16 years old on June 1st, 2025. We are only judging play that occurred before that date as well. Players are evaluated based on a combination of career history, current play, and potential. Skaters must have played at least five games to be considered. While the ranking is only my opinion, numerous coaches, staff, and other players contributed their thoughts. 183 players were considered for the list and reviewed. Fifty players received a ranking. Full explainer on the 2025 rankings.

Players #50-26

Players #25-11

Rank – Player Name (Position), Age During Next Hockey Season, Team (Ranking in 2024, change in rankings). NR – Not Ranked in 2024

10 – Jakub Wieczorek (G), 19, SC Bern Future U20 (30, +20)

Wieczorek is my second highest goalie of the year and makes the top ten. He made a move to the top level of Swiss U21 hockey this year after signing with the Bern organization. With Bern, he gets to work with goaltending coach Lars Lenze, who has trained some of Switzerland’s top junior goalies. It was a great debut year with his new club as he played in 23 games and had a 3.21 goals against average. He also made his first appearance for Poland U20, appearing in three games, stopping 48 out of 54 shots. The highlight was a strong game against Ukraine. His 30 saves earned him player of the game honors. There are inconsistencies in his game, but I think he projects to be a good professional goalie. He also has a Swiss player license which will allow him to move around the senior hockey system there easier.

9 – Jakub Ślusarczyk (F), 22, JKH GKS Jastrzebie (9, +0)

Ślusarczyk is a jack of all trades, master of none player right now. That honestly is an okay thing for a young player to be when entrusted with only a lower-line role. The former Sosnowiec pupil returned to Polish club hockey in 2025 after playing the last six years in the Czech Republic. He was adjusting to the speed of professional hockey early, but caught on more as the year went on. While he had a small taste of senior hockey in Czechia, this was his first full season. A strong skating two-way forward, he had 11 points (5G-6A-11PTS) in 44 games. He also got plenty of looks for the Polish national team this year, playing in eight non-IIHF games. A bit undersized, but I think his floor is a bottom-six forward for the Polish national team. 

8 – Igor Tyczyński (G), 19, SMS I Katowice (11, +3) 

Tyczyński enters the top ten and is once again our top-ranked goalie. He is a highly talented netminder who has outgrown the lower levels of Polish hockey. This year, during the MHL regular season, he had a .957 save percentage in 10 games with SMS I Katowice, while he also had a .924 mark in four appearances for Janow. He was once again on the Polish U20 squad and has a year of eligibility remaining. The former KTH Krynica pupil had some downs in this tournament early against Italy and Japan, but found his stride as the tournament went on with solid games against Estonia and South Korea. In a battle of the two top goalies of Poland, Tyczyński had the lowest lows of the two, but also the highest of the highs. He has to find that consistency at the high end of his game. That can be challenging to do with limited playtime in Poland. For 2026, Tyczyński has signed his first professional contract with Unia Oswiecim. How often he will play with Oswiecim remains to be seen, but I think he could be the future starter of Poland at the senior level. He was appointed to his first senior camp this year and served as a backup vs. Lithuania. 

7 – Adrian Gromadzki (F), 21, HC Dynamo Pardubice B (6, -1) 

Gromadzki played his first full season of professional hockey in 2025. The talented Polish forward played in the Maxa Liga with HC Dynamo Pardubice’s B squad. He finished with a goal and three assists in 40 games. Gromadzki also played five games in the Czech third level, along with six more in the U20 league. The former Gdansk pupil had a bit more success at those levels with a combined one goal and six assists. He definitely didn’t take the Czech second league by storm and mostly played low minutes all year. It will be interesting to see how that experience translates to Poland. Gromadzki will return to Polish hockey for the first time since 2018 after signing with Zaglebie Sosnowiec for 2025. He has got two-way ability and a hard shot that needs a little bit more development. I think he could be a major contributor for Sosnowiec. 

6 – Mateusz Majkowski (D), 18, HC Vítkovice U20 (27, +21) 

One of the highest rankings we have ever given to a U18 player, I am betting high on Majkowski’s potential. The young Pole has the tools to develop into a defenseman playing outside Poland in a better league. He is still a very raw player, especially on the offensive side. When facing lesser talent, you see him take over games in both zones though. For the second year in a row, he was named the best defenseman at an IIHF U18 tournament. From what I can find, that is the first time a player has done that in the current IIHF system. It also doesn’t hurt to mention that two of the last five defenseman to win the honors at Division 1 Group B have gone on to be selected in the NHL draft. 

Majkowski isn’t likely to be selected in the upcoming draft, but he appears to be a special prospect for Poland. He played this past year in the top Czech junior league, posting three assists in 30 games with HC Vítkovice U20. The 6’0 defenseman made both of Poland’s U18 and U20 squads. At the U18s, he played a significant part in Poland’s promotion, picking up a goal and two assists on 12 shots. He has to work on his defensive read a bit, but that should hopefully come with experience. I don’t know if his offensive game will reach a level where it can be a strength at the senior level, but his defensive game should translate pretty easily.

Players Ranked #5-2

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