The dust has started to settle on the 2026 Division 1 Group A World Championship. While the results did not go Poland’s way, the event also marked a dream come true for many Polish players. For the first time, four players wore the white and red at an IIHF World Championship. So how did these player do in their debuts? 

Christian Mroczkowski

Mroczkowski was a late addition to the lineup after Tirkkonen elected to hold a roster spot for the first two games. After entering the lineup, I think he proved his value as a forechecker. His physical presence really helped him stand out in his three games. He finished with 3 shots and 2 penalty minutes with an average time on ice (TOI) of 12:31. 

Grade B- 

Jakub Ślusarczyk

Ślusarczyk was not used a lot, with the third-lowest average ice time at just 7 minutes and 23 seconds per game. He had some nice offensive bursts in his limited time and finished with 5 shots. Not much stood out, either positively or negatively. 

Grade: C

Szymon Kiełbicki

Kiełbicki had a lot of hype going into the tournament after a non-IIHF season packed with highlight reel goals. Unfortunately, that didn’t materialize at the worlds as Kiełbicki was held off the scoresheet. He had some offensive flashes and finished with 9 shots, averaging 12:39 TOI. I would have liked to see more of him on the top line. After starting there, he was mostly relegated to the third line. 

Grade: B

Michał Kieler

Kieler did not play any minutes in the tournament, but was the backup in each game. 

Grade: Incomplete

Pekka Tirkkonen

This was Tirkkonen’s first World Championship for Poland and first international coaching job. I feel like judging his performance is hard. On the one hand, he and his staff assembled Poland’s best roster on paper in years. Coaching-wise, I was not exactly thrilled about his late-game choices against Lithuania. This includes not pulling the goalie with control in the offensive zone with just over 2 minutes to go and having Wanacki out on defense for those final pushes. Jakub Wanacki brings value in the defensive zone, but has 1 assist in 36 World Championship games. Add that this team could never play in a disciplined manner.

The structure Poland played on defense was also not ideal. It was all about protecting the middle and not letting anything through. But whenever a player went down low, the structure fell apart. All but one opponent’s goal was right in the slot area. This feels like a chicken-or-egg situation. Poland lacks forwards with strong defensive ability, while their best defenders have lost a step or two in speed. Did Poland play this system because they thought it was best, or because they had to, given the talent? 

Grade: C+ 

Sophomore Grades

Last year, 7 players made their debuts for the national team. Three of those players returned for the 2026 tournament. Did they build on their rookie year in white and red or experience a Sophomore slump? 

Karol Biłas. 2025 Grade: C

This was just a burn the tape tournament for Biłas. The young defender had some really rough play in his own zone and too many turnovers. After starting the tournament with just under 10 minutes against Ukraine, he was down to just 3 minutes in the final match against Lithuania. 

2026 Grade: D

Michał Naróg. 2025 Grade: B-

Naróg moved into a top-four role on the Polish defense this year and saw a couple of minute increase in his ice time. His play in this tournament was mostly positive, but definitely room to grow and play faster. When it comes to the future of the Polish defense, Naróg definitely looks to be one of the best. 

2026 Grade: B 

Mikolaj Syty. 2025 Grade: C-

Syty settled into a 4th line role at this year’s event, along with serving on the penalty kill. He did struggle in the faceoff circle, winning only 36.7% of his draws, which was in the bottom 5 of the 25 players with at least 30 faceoffs taken. He is good on the 4th line and on the penalty kill, but he will need to improve in the faceoff circle. 

2026 Grade: B-

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Thumbnail Photo via polskihokej.eu