Dariusz Rachwalski has called upon an experienced squad as the Polish men look to back up their men’s 2024 EuroHockey Championship silver medal in Heidelberg next weekend.
In total, nine of the Leuven class are back for this competition with one enforced change due to the injury of Robert Pawlak.
Of the three players coming, Eryk Bembenek, Mateusz Hołosyniuk and Mateusz Nowakowski did all play in the World Cup in Poreč last year, meaning this is a side packed with knowledge.
Bembenk was a key figure in that campaign, scoring five times in six matches as the Poles ended in fifth place overall, only missing out on the semi-finals at the hands of Germany in a shoot-out.
Jacek Kurowski – now based in Belgium with Gantoise outdoors after a spell with TSV Mannheim – once again captains the team and is one of the driving forces as is defensive lynch-pin Jakub Janicki.
Up front, Gracjan Jarzyński lit up the event in Leuven two years ago with nine goals and he backed that up with 15 more in the World Cup. This season, he is the Harvestehuder THC top scorer with the Hamburg club topping the north division of the German indoor Bundesliga.
For Rachwalski – speaking on TVP3 Poznan this week – he says his side has to be wary of every opposition in the group stages with nothing likely to come simply.
“The first day will reveal what teams have come to play, particularly Türkiye and Portugal,” he said. “We had a draw with Portugal last time and it was not easy.
“I have bet on a more experienced team because of limited preparation time which is still young and promising.”
Their first fixture against the Turks against whom they have one previous meeting in Euro action, a 4-3 win in 2022 with Maksymilian Koperski getting the key goal.
On day two, they meet Austria whom they defeated in a shoot-out in the semi-final in 2024 but lost 6-2 to in the World Cup. They conclude the group stage against Czechia with an unbeaten record in their past five Euro indoor meetings.
Poland men’s squad
| Number | Player Name | Club | Caps | Goals |
| 1 | Mateusz Popiołkowski (GK) | AZS Poznań University of Technology | 30 | 0 |
| 7 | Gracjan Jarzyński | HTHC Hamburg | 17 | 25 |
| 8 | Mikołaj Gumny | KS Warta Poznań | 18 | 7 |
| 9 | Jacek Kurowski © | WKS Grunwald Poznań | 23 | 17 |
| 10 | Maksymilian Koperski | LKS Rogowo | 21 | 1 |
| 16 | Jakub Janicki | LKS Gąsawa | 38 | 0 |
| 17 | Patryk Pawlak | AZS AWF Poznań | 23 | 11 |
| 21 | Jakub Chumeńczuk | AZS Poznań University of Technology | 9 | 1 |
| 23 | Eryk Bembenek | DTV Hannover | 6 | 5 |
| 24 | Mateusz Nowakowski | AZS AWF Poznań | 12 | 1 |
| 28 | Jakub Hołosyniuk | AZS Poznań University of Technology | 6 | 1 |
| 32 | Maksymilian Pawlak (GK) | WKS Grunwald Poznań | 1 | 0 |
