After four straight years of silver and bronze medals, 2026 looked to be an excellent shot at gold for Poland. There was a beatable relegated team in Austria. The white and red had beaten the rest of the returning field in strong fashion. Only five players from the 2026 silver medal team departed, and more of Poand’s strong 2010 class were ready to make their debuts. It was a young Polish team, in fact, the youngest in the tournament by average age, but they were loaded with skill. Could that carry them to gold? 

In game one, Poland got matched up with China. China was an interesting team for this tournament. They were veteran-led and the biggest in the tournament. China had only three players who were below the average height of the other squads. That size and experience came in handy as they jumped out to a 3-1 lead. Poland would battle back and force overtime. In the shootout, Justyna Koszyk stopped four of five, but China’s Ju Sihan stopped all five of the Polish attempts. The game ended in a 4-3 win for China. 

After an opening loss, the young Poles cruised past their next three opponents. They would beat Australia 12-1 and Spain 5-1 before surviving a late comeback attempt from Great Britain to win 4-3. Malgorzata Zakrzewska led the way for Poland during these games, recording back-to-back hat-tricks and an insane three shorthanded goals on six penalty kills.

On the final day, China beat Spain 8-0 to secure gold. This meant the game between Austria and Poland would determine the silver and bronze medals. The white and red got off to a hot start, scoring twice to end the first. It was the best defensive game of the tournament for the Poles, and it came against likely the most talented team. Austria did find its way back into force overtime. In overtime, Poland controlled the play. Emilia Stankiewicz forced a turnover that gave her a chance all alone in front of the net. Stankiewicz then made a nice move to beat Lara Reisinger, winning it for Poland. Poland beat Austria 3-2 in overtime to win the silver medal.

The Right to Rush 

Poland was the best team at this tournament in terms of puck skills. China and Austria had better positioning and size. That difference showed in the first game. China consistently caught Polish players trying to overcarry the puck and then used their size and stickwork to force Polish turnovers. You have to earn the right to rush the puck, and Poland didn’t have it. On top of that, small miscommunications and players being caught out of position directly led to China’s goals and scoring chances.

When Poland faced Austria, it was a very different game. Poland spaced out better and played with a stronger structure. Instead of Poland chasing Austria, as they had to with China, it was Austria that had to try to catch them.

Offensive Development

As the tournament progressed, I think Poland got better and better, culminating in their best performance against Austria. With such a young team, development is to be expected, but it still saw some major strides. While some bad habits did remain, it was a Polish squad playing with more confidence and trust. It allowed them to show their skills and move the puck. Poland scored the most goals in team history at an IIHF event with 27. They also tied their biggest single-win record with the 12-1 win against Australia. 

A Two-Way Game

While Poland excelled in the offensive zone, there was plenty of room for development in the neutral and defensive zones. Goaltending-wise, Justyna Koszyk was great. I also really liked the Polish defense in this tournament; there were some growing pains with the younger members, but nothing too notable in a bad-performance way. But the Polish forwards earned too many marks down for their poor defensive performance. From bad positioning, turnovers, and poor results on breaking out the puck, it gave weaker opponents what they needed to stay alive and score. Plenty of times, the white and red would finally break the puck out, only for a neutral zone turnover to force a tired Polish line to stay out and break out again. I will never be a “just dump the puck” type of person for hockey, but there are moments when it’s fine. 

Young Stars Shine

The story of this tournament for Poland was the talented young players. Malgorzata Zakrzewska (2010) was named the best forward of the tournament and led the event in both goals (11) and points (14). Those 14 points are the new record for points by a Pole at the U18 World Championships. Justyna Koszyk (2010) was Poland’s starter for all five games and had a .910 SV% and 1.91 GAA. Barbara Mitukiewicz (2010) did amazing picking up six points on the blueline. Poland got clutch goals from Emilia Stankiewicz (2010) and Karolina Gawandtka (2009). Anna Zdziechowska (2010) took a major step and was a leader on the defense. Poland is going to return a lot of talent for another shot at gold next year. 

What’s Next? 

The same final as always, what is next? While Poland is going to have a lot of returning young talent, they are also losing a lot. The following players are aging off.

Forwards: Agata Cybulska, Anna Sencerz, Matylda Stepien, Weronika Swiatek 

Defenseman: Lena Kabelis-Szostakowska, Natalia Wanczuk

Goalies: Oliwia Chrapek

This list features three of Poland’s top five scorers and a third of the team’s total goals. With China winning promotion, that means Austria will be back. While Austria only retains eight players, it’s a good program, and they will replenish their team. This is the first time they failed to earn back promotion to D1A after being relegated. Then there will be another strong team coming down from Group A, likely Denmark, France, or Norway. This year may have looked like the golden opportunity on paper. But Poland is still a fast-growing program, and I would bet strongly on them having a good chance next year. 

Quick Thoughts

• In Poland’s first match against China, Malgorzata Zakrzewska shot last in the shootout. It really struck me as odd, as it gave China a chance to end the game before the tournament’s best goal scorer had a chance. It didn’t matter in the end, but I don’t like that coaching choice.
• As always, an amazing job by Poland as host from a great stream to packed games, it looked amazing!
• Agata Cybulska has really developed into a well-rounded player. I was really impressed with her performance at the tournament. 
• While most women’s players come from one of the top three clubs, Poznan is building something good. Poland U18 received significant contributions from Poznan players Agata Cybulska, Antonina Kaczmarek, and Weronika Świątek. 
• Barbara Mitukiewicz and Natalia Wańczuk each had six points in stellar tournaments. Getting those contributions from the blueline is part of why Poland set their new scoring record.

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