The first team that Hungary will be taking on in the EIHC tournament on Friday the 8th will be Poland. The two teams are familiar with each other since they had played twice already in 2013.
"Poland is probably the weakest team out of the three we will face this weekend but they are basically the same team as last time," said coach Rich Chernomaz at the Four Nations Tournament's press conference on Tuesday.
In his second season at the helm of the Polish national team former Russian national team and KHL assistant coach Igor Zakharkin brings a squad that has a nice mix of youth and experience. Defender Adam Borzecki played juniors in the QMJHL and in multiple minor leagues in the U.S. and Krystian Dziubinski played juniors in North America as well. However, the most accomplished played is 5th round pick of the Minnesota Wild of the 2003 NHL Entry Draft Marcin Kolusz, however he never made it to the show.
Out of the twenty-one players that are on Poland's roster sixteen where on the world championship squad that Hungary played right before the championships in April. Most of the squad is made up of players playing in Poland with Adam Borzecki and Pawel Dronia playing for Schwenninger of the DEL.
Poland's roster for the Four Nations Tournament
Goalies: Przemyslaw Odrobny (1928 KTH Krynica), Tomasz Witkowski (TMH Polonia Bytom).
Defensemen: Adam Borzecki (Schwenninger Wild Wings, DEL.), Mateusz Bryk (JKH GKS Jastrzebie) Pawel Dronia (Schwenninger Wild Wings, DEL.),Rafal Dutka (928 KTH Krynica), Michal Kotlorz (GKS Tychy), Bartlomiej Pociecha (Ciarko PBS Bank KH Sanok), Patryk Wajda (928 KTH Krynica) Jakub Wanacki (GKS Tychy).
Forwards: Krzysztof Zapala (Ciarko PBS Bank KH Sanok), Marek Strzyzowski (Ciarko PBS Bank KH Sanok),Tomasz Malasinski (1928 KTH Krynica), Marcin Kolusz (1928 KTH Krynica), Leszek Laszkiewicz (1928 KTH Krynica), Grzegorz Pasiut (1928 KTH Krynica), Krystian Dziubinski (1928 KTH Krynica), Adam Baginski (GKS Tychy), Mikolaj Lopuski (GKS Tychy), Jakub Witecki (GKS Tychy), Radoslaw Galant (GKS Tychy), Mateusz Bepierszcz (HC GKS Katowice)
Szabolcs Závodszky
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