Happy New Year! We begin the year with the first part of our top 10 in the annual women’s rankings. In the top ten, you start to find players who are already contributing to the senior squad or project to be stars of it.

List Explainer & Players #50-21

Players #20-11

Rank – Player Name (Position), Age During Next Hockey Season, Team (Ranking in 2024, change in rankings) 

10 – Lena Zięba (F), 19, Polonia Bytom (18, +8) 

GP	G	A	PTS
22	13	12	25

9 – Justyna Żyła (F), 19, Naprzod Janow (15, +6)

GP	G	A	PTS
17	21	11	25

Żyła returned to Poland in 2025 after playing two years in the Swedish NDHL. She was a massive boost to Janow, posting the third most points on the squad. Her 21 goals were tenth among all skaters and fourth among U20 skaters. The former captain of Poland U18 has yet to receive a call-up to the senior team for EWHL or international play, but she has the puck skills to contribute at that level, in my opinion. 

8 – Nikola Isztok (D), 18, Polonia Bytom (12, +4)

GP	G	A	PTS
20	10	5	15

The goal of this list is to find future members of the national team. Isztok is just that already. The young defenseman appeared in all 11 IIHF games the national team played in 2025. She excels in her own zone but also possesses a strong two-way game. Isztok has the ability to the be a top four defenseman at the Division One IIHF level. Still, there is room to grow, as seen in the game against Denmark at the U18s. Poland has a dependable player who can be part of the defensive core they are building. 

7 – Weronika Huchel (F), 18, Naprzod Janow (9, +2)

GP	G	A	PTS
18	11	8	19

Huchel moves up after earning her second consecutive appointment to the senior national team. She also wore white and red in both rounds of the Olympic Qualifiers. The Janow forward found the back of the net against South Korea to pick up her first senior IIHF goal. There is still room for the young forward to grow. But she is consistently solid across almost all aspects of her game. She might not have the same eye-popping production as others on the list, but she is a smart and talented 200-foot player. 

6 – Nadia Ratajczyk (G), 20, Järnbrotts HK (10, +4)

GP	GAA	SV%
6	1.80	.919

Ratajczyk had a challenging year to judge, as the young goalie appeared in only 10 games, six of which were during her club season in Sweden. That short club season with Järnbrotts HK was great, as she stopped 113 of the 123 shots she faced. She also earned a couple of call-ups to the SDHL, the top level of women’s hockey in Sweden, but only served as a backup in four games. Her remaining games came with the national team. In her first senior national team appearance, she stopped the lone shot she faced against Mexico, playing 20 minutes to finish the game.

Then came the World Championships, where Poland was without star starter Martyna Sass. That resulted in Poland splitting the starts between Ratajczyk and veteran Agata Kosinska. Ratajczyk had a solid showing in her first two games, stopping 24 of 26 shots against Iceland and Chinese Taipei. The game against Iceland was a 13-save shutout. Unfortunately, against Spain, she got off to a rough start, allowing three goals on nine shots in the first period. Kosinska would step in for the final 40 minutes, and Poland lost the the facto gold medal game 4-2.

Ratajczyk is likely the national team starter going forward. She has returned to Poland for the 2026 season. At 5’9 and with a good ability to read plays, she has the potential to be a national team starter, but whether she can steal games like Sass did remains to be seen. 

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Thumbnail Photo via polskihokej.eu