Coming into the 2026 season, there was not a single Polish-born goalie projected to start for a THL club. While national team goalie Tomas Fucik would be starting for Tychy, Fucik was born in Czechia and developed in their system. Goaltending was once the area where Polish hockey excelled, with players like Przemysław Odrobny, Rafał Radziszewski, and Tomasz Jaworski dominating their home league and on the international stage.

However, the past decade has seen Polish crease dominated by imports. Some, like John Murray and Fucik, have become key parts of the national team, but it has left a massive hole in Poland’s goaltending depth. John Murray’s retirement has now only raised the depth concerns. 

Polish hockey is entering a new era. There is a new board, a new president, a new head coach, and there will be plenty of new faces on the national team. Almost a third of Poland’s 2024 Elite Division squad has ended their national team careers. That makes the performances of players in Poland this year so key to watch, as the team must reload. One of the players impressing me the most early is Mateusz Studziński, who could help fill the goaltending depth. 

Studziński was once considered a top goaltending prospect for Poland. He represented the country in two IIHF U18 and U20 World Championships, starting in three of the four tournaments. The young goalie received a significant amount of work in the THL from 2016 to 2019. He played in 93 games during his age 18 to 22 seasons, which was the third most games by a Polish-born goalie during that span. The following five seasons, mostly with KH Torun, saw him suit up for only 70 games as he was firmly established in a backup role. 

The end of the 2024 season saw him forced into playoff action as starting goalie Julius Pohjanoksa would get injured early in game one. While Studzinski didn’t lead Torun past JKH GKS Jastrzebie, he posted an extremely good .948 SV% in six games that included a 49-save shutout. It became clear the Polish goalie was ready for more and reportedly asked for that guarantee from the Torun before re-signing for 2025. He would receive that request, as he appeared in 19 games, the most for him since his 27 appearances in 2019. While the season had some ups and downs, he still finished with a respectable .899 SV%. 

Studziński returned to KH Torun once again for 2026, but this season has shown that starter-level ability early. With veteran starter Anton Svensson missing some time, Studzinski has been given major tests and passed. He was brought in relief against defending champions GKS Tychy, and he stopped all 12 shots he faced in the final 30 minutes. He was then given the 2025 finalists, GKS Katowice, and stopped 31 out of 35 shots with the shorthanded Torun squad. 

The real great stretch has been the last four games, as Studziński has picked up four straight wins and made at least 34 saves in each game. 

Date	Opponet	Score	GA	SA	SV	SV%
Sun 12/10	vs	W 6-3	3	37	34	.919
Fri 10/10	@	W 5-2	2	36	34	.944
Fri 03/10	@	W 5-4	4	53	49	.925
Sun 28/09	@	W 5-3	3	40	37	.925

Behind an at times struggling defense, Studziński has been excellent and has kept his team in games. Among goalies with five games played, his .925 SV% is fourth among all THL goalies, and the best by a Polish goalie. It’s precisely what Torun needed from him after some injury and behind-the-scenes issues with the club forced them into tight situations. Currently it seems new head coach Sami Hirvonen is going to ride the hot hand, as Anton Svensson has only served as a backup since his return from injury.

Studziński served as a backup for Team Poland in exhibition games last year, but if he continues to start and play at this level, he may put himself in competition to play games during the European Cup of Nations events.

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Thumbnail Photo via D. Alsztyniuk