Leszek Laszkiewicz

Leszek Laszkiewicz (born 11 August 1978) is a Polish ice hockey executive, and former player in professional leagues and member of the Poland men's national ice hockey team. Representing Poland from 1995 to 2015, he played at two European Junior Championships, two World Junior Championships, and eighteen consecutive Ice Hockey World Championships. He appeared in 216 games for the men's national team, scored 89 goals and 150 points, and was the team captain from 2008 to 2011. Nicknamed "Laszka", he received the Torriani Award when inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame in 2025.

In professional hockey, Laszkiewicz won the Polska Liga Hokejowa playoffs gold medal eight times; three with TH Unia Oświęcim, and five with Cracovia as teammate of his brother Daniel. Voted by fellow players as the best player in the Polish league in three consecutive seasons, Laszkiewicz scored his 1,000th career point in 2017, and retired as the all-time Polska Liga Hokejowa points-scoring leader. He also played four seasons combined in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga, the Czech Extraliga, and the Italian Hockey League Serie A; and won the Coppa Italia and the playoffs championship with the Milano Vipers.

As general manager of the Poland men's national team, Laszkiewicz saw them promoted twice from lower World Championships divisions to their first appearance in the top division since 2002. Since he became general manager of JKH GKS Jastrzebie in the 2018–19 season, Jastrzebie won the Polish Cup three times, won the Polish super cup in 2020, and won the Polska Liga Hokejowa playoffs gold medal in the 2020–21 season.

Personal life Leszek Laszkiewicz was born on 11 August 1978, in Jastrzębie-Zdrój, Poland, where he grew up playing ice hockey from an early age. He also played basketball, football, and volleyball as a youth, and described himself as a "troublemaker student" who preferred sports instead of studying. His older brother, Daniel, also played professional hockey.

Laszkiewicz is married to Katarzyna.

Playing career Professional In professional the Polska Liga Hokejowa (PLH), Laszkiewicz played a portion of the 1996–97 season with KH Zagłębie Sosnowiec. The remainder of the season was played with the SMS PZHL Sosnowiec junior ice hockey team in the Eastern European Hockey League. In 20 league games with the Olympic team, Laszkiewicz scored ten goals and six assists.

Returning to Poland to play the 1999–2000 PLH season, Laszkiewicz won the playoffs bronze medal with KTH Krynica. Playing for TH Unia Oświęcim during the 2000–01 and 2001–02 seasons, he scored 20 goals in consecutive years, Reuniting with Unia Oświęcim for the 2003–04 season, Laszkiewicz achieved his third PLH season with at least 20 goals, The Vipers placed first in the regular season, won the Coppa Italia, and won the league's playoffs final in a seven-game series versus SG Cortina.

In the next eight PLH seasons with Cracovia, Laszkiewicz played 368 regular season games. He scored 264 goals, with at least 23 goals each season, including a personal bests of 45 goals in the 2005–06 season and 80 points in the 2011–12 season.

When departing Cracovia in 2013, Laszkiewicz stated "I've already achieved almost everything with Cracovia, so now I need a change of scenery to gain motivation to continue working". Returning to KTH Krynica in the 2013–14 season, team management promised lucrative player contracts and named Laszkiewicz the team captain. Having played 19 games, scoring 21 goals and 36 points,

When Laszkiewicz joined JKH GKS Jastrzębie in November 2013, he realized a childhood dream of playing professional hockey for his hometown team. He declined financially attractive offers from other PLH teams in wanting to return home. and a silver medal in the 2014–15 season playoffs. He scored more than 20 goals in three of his final four PLH seasons, He retired for health reasons after the 2017–18 season, when rehabilitation for back pain and sciatica was not effective. At his retirement, Laszkiewicz was the all-time PLH points-scoring leader. Playing for the Poland junior team at the 1997 World Junior Championships in Switzerland, it was his only top-tier appearance at the World Juniors and Poland's last.

Four months later, Laszkiewicz debuted with the Polish men's national team at the 1998 World Championships in Slovenia, and placed third in 2004 World Championships in Gdańsk. Hosting in 2009 in Toruń, Poland placed fourth; and at Krynica-Zdrój in 2012, Poland placed second. Hosting 2006 Winter Olympics qualification in Nowy Targ, Poland placed first in Group E but not advance beyond the next round. Four years later, Poland hosted 2010 Winter Olympics qualification in Sanok, placed second and did not advance.

Laszkiewicz was the Poland men's national team captain from 2008 to 2011. In the following year, the 2015 tournament in Kraków was his eighteenth and final World Championship. Playing Hungary in the final game, Poland lost by a 1-2 score and placed third. In the final game, Laszkiewicz was chosen player-of-the-game by his teammates.

Playing 216 games for the Polish national team, Laszkiewicz scored 89 goals and 150 points. Competing at eighteen consecutive World Championships from 1998 until 2015, was tied for third most in International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) history when he retired. In his first World Championship as manager, Poland placed second in 2019, missing promotion from Division I to the top tier when losing their final game in overtime to Romania. Scheduled to host Group B of the 2020 World Championship in Katowice, the tournament was postponed to 2021 then cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Hosting the 2022 tournament in Katowice, Poland placed first in Group B and promoted to Division I A. Placing second in 2023 earned Poland promotion to the top division in 2024, their first appearance in the top division since 2002 when Laszkiewicz played. Placing fifth in 2025, Poland remained in Division I A.

Laszkiewicz has also been general manager of JKH GKS Jastrzebie since the 2018–19 season. Repeating as Polish Cup champions versus TH Unia Oświęcim in the 2019–20 season, Jastrzebie placed fourth and won the first round of playoffs, when the national COVID-19 pandemic response canceled remaining playoff rounds. Jastrzebie placed second of 10 teams and won three championships in his third year as general manager. Jastrzebie won the PHL super cup versus GKS Tychy to begin the 2020–21 season, won the Polish Cup versus TH Unia Oświęcim, and won the PLH playoffs gold medal. Jastrzebie placed third in the 2021–22 season, and won the bronze medal in the playoffs. Following a fifth-place finish in the 2022–23 season, Jastrzebie placed fourth in the 2023–24 season and lost in the Polish Cup final versus GKS Tychy. In the 2024–25 season, Jastrzebie won the playoffs bronze medal and were again finalists in the Polish Cup final versus GKS Tychy.

Honors and awards Known by the nickname "Laszka" throughout his career, He received the Torriani Award from the IIHF in 2025, in recognition of an outstanding international career from a country not among the world's top tier teams.

International Year Team Event GP G A Pts PIM 1995 Poland under-18 European Junior Championships Group B 5 2 2 4 0 1996 Poland under-18 European Junior Championships Group B 6 9 4 13 0 1997 Poland under-20 World Junior Championship Group A 6 1 0 1 0 1998 Poland under-20 World Junior Championship Group B 8 2 9 11 0 1998 Poland men's Ice Hockey World Championships Group B 7 3 5 8 4 1999 Poland men's Ice Hockey World Championships Group B 7 1 0 1 2 2000 Poland men's Ice Hockey World Championships Group B 7 0 0 0 0 2001 Poland men's Ice Hockey World Championships Division I 5 3 2 5 0 2002 Poland men's Ice Hockey World Championships 6 1 1 2 4 2003 Poland men's Ice Hockey World Championships Division I 5 2 2 4 2 2004 Poland men's Ice Hockey World Championships Division I 5 2 4 6 4 2004 Poland men's 2006 Winter Olympics qualification Group E 6 3 3 6 0 2005 Poland men's Ice Hockey World Championships Division I 4 3 4 7 4 2006 Poland men's Ice Hockey World Championships Division I 5 1 3 4 2 2007 Poland men's Ice Hockey World Championships Division I 5 5 3 8 2 2008 Poland men's Ice Hockey World Championships Division I 5 3 1 4 2 2008 Poland 2010 Winter Olympics qualification Group D 3 0 1 1 0 2009 Poland men's Ice Hockey World Championships Division I 5 0 5 5 0 2010 Poland men's Ice Hockey World Championships Division I 5 1 2 3 6 2011 Poland men's Ice Hockey World Championships Division I 5 1 3 4 2 2012 Poland men's Ice Hockey World Championships Division I B 5 4 5 9 2 2012 Poland men's 2014 Winter Olympics qualification Group H 3 2 1 3 0 2013 Poland men's Ice Hockey World Championships Division I B 5 2 2 4 0 2014 Poland men's Ice Hockey World Championships Division I B 5 4 3 7 4 2015 Poland men's Ice Hockey World Championships Division I A 5 0 0 0 0 Poland under-18 and under-20 totals 25 14 15 29 0 Poland men's totals 108 41 50 91 40

Sources: 1996: