Significant changes have hit Polish hockey, as Tychy’s Krzysztof Woźniak has been elected the new president of the PZHL. The board will also undergo a substantial refresh with the addition of Polish hockey legend Mariusz Czerkawski, alongside Agata Michalska, Danuta Piorun, Karol Pawlik, Marcin Jurzysta, and Marta Zawadzka. With the power shift in Polish hockey came the announcement from Woźniak that his first major decision would be selecting a new head coach of the men’s senior national team. That statement infers the end of Róbert Kaláber’s five-year run as the leader of Team Poland. 

Kalaber took over as Poland’s head coach on June 23, 2020, from a departing Tomek Valtonen. He seemed to be a perfect fit for Poland, given that he had already worked in the country with JKH GKS Jastrzebie, was very familiar with Polish hockey, and had shown success at the international level, leading Bulgaria to medals at the Division Three level.

It would be hard to argue that his time with Poland wasn’t a success. Taking over during the COVID-19 pandemic, he led the team for the first two years with no IIHF play, but his teams displayed promise in exhibition matches. 

With the return of IIHF action in 2022, Kalaber showed what was building in Poland. During the Olympic Qualifiers, Poland would pull off a massive upset by beating Belarus 1-0. A fiery Poland would then keep it competitive with Austria and Slovakia. It set up the expected result to end the year where Poland won gold and promotion from Division 1 Group B. The following year, the team continued its upward trajectory. Hype started to grow as it appeared Poland had a real shot at contending in Division 1 Group A and winning promotion back to the Elite for the first time in 22 years. The IIHF suspensions of Belarus and Russia for their invasion of Ukraine created a clear path for the white and red to reach the top. Poland would grab silver and promotion at the D1A event. Their game against Italy, which effectively clinched promotion, was the pinnacle of the Kalaber era in terms of Poland’s on ice play. The Slovak coach had achieved the unthinkable, leading Poland to the Elite division with back-to-back promotions. 

The 2024 World Championships were a hockey celebration for Poland. Some cracks may have developed behind the scenes between the team and Kalaber, but they did not show on the ice. While Poland would go winless at the tournament and be relegated back to Division 1 Group A, it showed it can be competitive at the top level. The white and red took Latvia to overtime, had strong performances against the NHL-stacked Sweden and USA, and showed that there were plenty of passionate Polish hockey fans. 

The 2025 season provided Poland with another strong path to return to the Elite. It may have been the last year in the window where the draw was in Poland’s favor. Instead the national team in 2025 never felt like it reached its top gear. Injuries and retirements forced Poland into a new era of players, but this new era still relied on veterans to play most of the key minutes. The team struggled with inconsistent performances and a lack of finishing throughout the season. It ultimately resulted in a disappointing fifth-place finish in Group A.

After the tournament, numerous reports emerged, revealing a fractured locker room between Robert Kalaber and the national team’s stars. The most noticeable being the toxic relationship between Kalaber and Polish star Aron Chmielewski. All signs in the offseason pointed to a potential breakup between the national team and its two-time promotion-earning coach. This included Kalaber leaving JKH GKS Jastrzebie after 11 seasons to join Unia Oswiecim as their new head coach. At Jastrzebie, Kalaber had worked closely with National Team General Manager Leszek Laszkiewicz. 

The 55-year-old Slovak coach has been working in Poland since 2015. With JKH GKS Jastrzebie, he won a THL championship in 2021, a Polish Cup in 2020, and a Visegard Cup in 2020. He also guided the Polish national team to a gold medal in D1B in 2022 and a silver medal in D1A in 2023. While his national team tenure may have ended disappointingly, he may have been the best team Poland coach of the century, and took on the job when the team was at its lowest point. Kalaber has left a strong mark on Polish hockey and will continue to do so with Osweicm. With the national team, he will most likely be remembered for leading Poland back to the Elite and showing that the white and red belong there.

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