We are less than two weeks away from the return of hockey! It will be an interesting year in Poland as massive shifts have been made in the balance of the sport. Katowice and Tychy remain at the top of the pyramid, but will they be joined by a surging Sosnowiec and a new look Oswiecim? Additionally, newcomers Polonia Bytom have made some noise with significant transactions, but have experienced growing pains in the pre-season. Behind the scenes, Cracovia and Jastrzebie underwent substantial changes, but how will that translate to on-ice performance remains to be seen. Will the unconventional Leif Strömberg be the one who will finally see Torun to the medal rounds?
It looks to be an exciting season ahead. One of the things that always interests me the most in Poland is the diverse group of talent that is brought into the league every year. Different budgets, coaches, connections, and goals all result in tons of unique players entering Poland. The Fins in Tychy even were able to recruit Seattle Kraken Kaapo Kakko for a handful of practice appearances…
Today, we are picking the most interesting import each Tauron Hokej Liga (THL) team has brought in this offseason. To make it crystal clear, this is not the import who will be the best player, but the one I am the most excited or interested in seeing play in Poland.
Cracovia Krakow – Jørgen Hanneborg
We start off the list with the first-ever Norwegian player in Poland. Given the number of Finnish and Swedish players that have spent time in Poland, it is surprising no Norwegian player has spent time in the THL until now. Hanneborg played his junior hockey in Finland and was one of the best goaltending prospects for his home country. He represented his homeland at IIHF events at both the U18 and U20 levels. The 6’2 goalie was actually a part of the 2018 Norway U20 team that beat Poland U20 in the de facto Division 1 Group B gold medal game that went to a shootout. At 26, he has spent most of his professional career at the top level of Norway and in the second tier of Sweden. He has also appeared in two non-IIHF games for the senior Norway team.
GKS Katowice – Jesper Eliasson
Eliasson had a controversial arrival in Poland as he will be replacing national team great John Murray. However, the new netminder comes with an impressive resume. In 2018, the Detroit Red Wings drafted Eliasson with the 84th pick in the NHL entry draft. During his junior days, Eliasson was one of the top young goalies in Sweden. He made two IIHF appearances for his home country at the 2018 U18 World Championship and 2020 World Juniors. Since turning professional, he has bounced around teams and leagues, appearing for six teams across Sweden’s top three levels since 2020. The 6’3 goalie also spent one season each in Austria and Norway. 2025 was one of the best seasons of his career as he posted a .924 SV% and 1.81 GAA in 30 games with IF Troja-Ljungby, helping his club earn promotion to the HockeyAllsvenskan.
GKS Tychy – Henri Knuutinen
It was hard to pick from the Tychy lineup as they brought in quite a few interesting Finnish players. I went with Knuutinen, given his vast experience in the Liiga, as he played in 175 games over seven seasons. He also helped KalPa to a 2019 Spengler Cup trophy and won a Mestis championship in 2024. At 6’3, he brings some size, grit, and strong two-way play to the Tychy lineup. The forward is going from the Liiga to the THL after recording 10 points (3G-7A-10PTS) in 51 games with TPS last year.
JKH GKS Jastrzebie – Daniels Bērziņš
A former top prospect of Latvia is next on our list. Bērziņš was a stalwart of Latvia’s IIHF junior rosters in the late 2010s, serving as assistant captain multiple times. The country had high hopes for the forward. He was one of the young players often called up to Dinamo Riga, having played in 166 Kontinetal Hockey League (KHL) games over five seasons. When Dinamo Riga pulled out of the KHL after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the young forward would sign in the Liiga for a short stint. He has since played in the Czech second level and France’s top league. Now the 26-year-old will look to be one of the top goal scorers for a rebuilding Jastrzebie squad.
KH Torun – Daniil Kulintsev
Torun is always my favorite to follow in the offseason each year. They’re not afraid to get creative with their budget and find players from across the globe. They once again have gone to the lower IIHF divisions to sign Estonian defenseman Daniil Kulintsev. The 23-year-old developed in Finland’s junior system but has spent the last two years playing professionally in Austria. The offensive defenseman led the Alps Hockey League (AlpsHL) in points in 2024 with 55 points (14G-41A-55PTS) in 43 games. This led to him getting a chance in the top Austrian league, where he found less success with only one goal in 19 games. If the young Estonian defender can produce like he did in the AlpsHL or as he does with the Estonia national team, then Torun has a gem on their hands.
Polonia Bytom – Andrei Buyalsky
One of Poland’s biggest hockey rivals over the past decade has been Kazakhstan. On the league level, both leagues rarely see players from the opposing country. Andrei Buyalsky will be only the seventh Kazakh player in the history of the THL. In a trend on this list, he was one of the better prospects out of his home country during the late 2010s. After playing his entire career in Kazakhstan, he would make the move to the USA in 2021. He put up 32 points in 36 USHL games with Dubuque Fighting Saints. The gamble paid off as the Colorado Avalanche would select him 92nd overall in the third round of the 2021 NHL draft. He spent the next three seasons at the University of Vermont, recording 29 points in 62 games. With no NHL deal in place, he returned home to Kazakhstan. In 2025, he got in a few KHL games with Barys Astana, a couple in the Kazak league with Saryarka Karaganda, and then joined the Uzbekistan squad Humo Tashkent for the playoffs. He spent most of his time this past year with the Kazakhstan national team. The 25-year-old center now joins a debuting Polonia Bytom squad while the Colorado Avalanche still own his NHL rights.
STS Sanok – Juraj Ovečka
Sanok is still constructing its roster, and there has been only one announced option so far: Juraj Ovečka. He isn’t a bad pick as he represented Slovakia at the U18 level and spent a year in the USA junior system. Most of his time has been spent in the second level of Slovakia. Over the last seven years, he has made 141 appearances for eight different clubs, and he has also appeared in the top league for seven games with three clubs. A lot of transactions for the 6’6 goalie in his short career. The 26-year-old will look to find some stability for a club that desperately needs it.
Unia Oswiecim – Joe Morrow
Robert Kalaber’s first season in Oswiecim is going to be an interesting one. With Jastzrebie, he faced some significant financial challenges. With his new club, he will have a bit more money to play with. That has led to some impressive resumes making their way to Oswiecim. The biggest is former NHL defenseman Joe Morrow. Morrow was a star for the Portland Winterhawks in the Western Hockey League as a junior player. He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Penguins 23rd overall in the first round of the 2011 NHL draft. Morrow would be traded twice to start his professional hockey career. Before he even played an NHL game, he was traded to Dallas for Brendan Morrow (not related) and then to Boston as part of the Tyler Seguin blockbuster. Morrow would play 173 NHL games in total, picking up 34 points (10G-24A-32PTS). The Canadian would leave North America in 2022 and primarily play in the KHL, with additional stops in the top leagues of Finland and Switzerland. He has spent the last two years in England with the Manchester Storm. The former NHLer can bring offense, physicality, and strong defensive play. Among NHL alumni who have played in Poland, he will have the sixth-most NHL games.
Zaglebie Sosnowiec – Miika Roine
Sosnowiec continues to build, and this offseason showed they’re not afraid to spend like a contender. The club was even able to bring Aron Chmielewski home to Poland in a major move. One of the other big moves was bringing in Fin Miika Roine. Rione was a distinguished player in the Liiga. He would serve as a captain for Jukurit and the Pelicans for a total of six seasons. He also took home “Gentleman of the Year” honors in 2023. Roine is set to bring a wealth of leadership to the club as they aim to rise to the top of the THL. He also brings an impressive resume with 261 points (94G-167A-261PTS) in 644 Liiga games. Of all the previous Finnish players to appear in Poland, Ronie has the fifth most games in the Liiga. 2026 will be the first time that Roine has played outside his home country, and the first time he isn’t at Finland’s top level since a 10-game Mestis loan in 2016.
If you want to keep up with all the Polish hockey action, make sure to follow us on Twitter @PolandHockey, like our Facebook page, and add us on Instagram @PolishPuck_. Also, support us on Patreon to help keep the content flowing!
Polish Puck 
Leave a comment