These are the goals of the Polish team. He said it outright

Last season was a real rollercoaster for Kamil Wałęga. The Polish striker began his second season with Ocelari Třinec in the Czech Republic, where he appeared in four Champions League matches and one Czech Extraliga match, failing to score in either. At the end of September, the Polish international was loaned until the end of the 2024/25 season to Slovak Extraliga newcomers Vlči Žilina. The change from Czech to Slovak proved to be a perfect match. Třinec is just 60 kilometers from Žilina, so Kamil Wałęga adapted to his new surroundings very quickly.

Kamil quickly became our leader. He earned a spot in the top five and was responsible for managing the play of this formation. He's a useful player who can handle any situation. I can always rely on him, and at the same time, he's a very humble boy and a hard-working player, the kind any coach would love to have on their team," Vlci Žilina coach Milan Bartovic praised the Pole after the season ended.

A sensational newcomer

Last season, the "Wolves" team, as newcomers to the Slovak Extraliga, achieved an excellent result, finishing with a bronze medal – with significant help from the Polish representative. "As newcomers, our goal was to advance to the playoffs. Once we achieved that goal, we wanted to advance as far as possible in the knockout stages. Unfortunately, our team was unable to eliminate the team from Nitra in the semifinals, but the bronze medal was still a huge success for all of us," Wałęga said after the season.

The JKH GKS Jastrzębie alumnus had an outstanding regular season. In 48 games, he scored 21 goals and added 17 assists for the Wolves. That was fourth on the team. Only American Hunter Fejes and two Canadians – Nick Jones and defenseman Miguel Tourigny – had better records.

When I came to Žilina from Olomouc last season, he was already one of our best players. Kamil has excellent vision and skating, as well as excellent puck handling. If a forward can combine all of that and play smartly, he'll become a top-class hockey player," assures "Wolves" defenseman Marek Korencik.

An unlucky start to the knockout stage…

It's possible that the Žilina team would have finished higher than last season, and Wałęga would have had much better playoff stats. Unfortunately, in the first quarterfinal match against Banská Bystrica, our hockey player suffered an injury that sidelined him for the rest of the season. "Unfortunately, I was attacked by an opponent in the dugout, and as I fell, I hit my head on the boards. I ended up with a broken bone and several stitches in the cut," recalls our international striker.

The injury proved so painful that Wałęga's season had to end prematurely. Not only was he unable to play in the remaining Slovak league playoff matches, but he also missed the Division 1A World Championships in Sfantu Gheorghe, Romania, where the Poles failed to advance to the Elite League.

"There's no denying that Kamil helped us a lot last season. I think he was one of the best center forwards in our league that season. He's a very humble guy and a very hard-working player. We really missed him in the playoffs. I'm convinced that with him in the lineup, we could have reached the final. Unfortunately, injuries are part of hockey," emphasizes Vlči Žilina forward Patrik Koys.

Center by vocation…

Wałęga can play both on the wing and as a center forward, but for the Wolves, coach Milan Bartovic played him in the center of attack, as he was clearly more comfortable in that position. "For me, he's definitely a center. He's very creative and responsible both in the defensive zone and in the attacking third. He helped us a lot when playing shorthanded or on the power play. He also performed brilliantly on the bullpen. He's a strong right-hander, a great and hard-hitting bullpen player. He's an intelligent player, capable of playing in any zone. He's not afraid to fight," emphasizes the Vlči Žilina coach.

It's a well-known fact that appetite comes with eating. Since the "Wolves" team finished the previous season with bronze medals, the team's goals should be higher in the upcoming season. "We're no longer newcomers, so it can't be any different now, and the bar has been set higher. Our goal will be to fight for the highest goals, and I believe we'll be able to achieve it," assures Kamil Wałęga.

Czech film? But not in Žilina, Slovakia!

Our hockey player had no trouble settling into his new team. Besides a year with the Stalowniki team from Třinec, he previously played successfully for two years with another Slovak team, HK 32 Liptovský Mikuláš, so he bonded with his teammates in the locker room without any problems. "He's part of our team, and he speaks excellent Slovak. So we don't have any problems with him. We welcome him not as a foreign player, but as one of our own. He's ours," emphasizes Patrik Koys.

Before this season, Kamil Wałęga still had a valid contract with Czech side Ocelari Třinec, but he decided not to continue it and instead signed with Vlči Žilina. It's undeniable that this decision was influenced not only by his excellent previous season, but also by the fact that he found common ground with his teammates, and the atmosphere he found there was completely to his liking.

"Kamil likes to talk a lot and exudes that goodness, that joy. It's great to be in the locker room with him because even if someone's having a bad day, or someone just comes in in a bad mood, Kamil always has a joke or something funny to tell. He can lift our spirits like no other," smiles Marek Korencik.

Ambitious plans of the Pole!

Fortunately, the painful injury from the end of last season is practically gone, and Kamil Wałęga – now a Vlci Žilina player – is preparing for the new league campaign. "Last season, Kamil proved he can play excellent matches in the Slovak league against strong opponents. It was clear he has excellent vision and is an excellent center-back. He moves skillfully forward and backward, knows how to set up his wingers, and is strong on the power play. I believe he will also be a productive player in the Polish national team, and I think that if he recovers from this injury and prepares well for the new season, he will be a leader for both Žilina and the Polish national team," assures former Cracovia defender and current Žilina youth coach Stanislav Skorvanek.

Next year's Division 1A World Championship will be held in Sosnowiec. We all hope that the Polish national team, playing in front of their home crowd, will be able to advance to the Hockey Elite. "This will be a very tough tournament for us. Kazakhstan and France were relegated from the Elite—teams we fought against last year to stay in the competition. We won't be the favorites, but if we play with our strongest lineup and our performance is optimal, we won't be left in a bad spot. Playing at home will definitely be our advantage, and that will also have a significant impact on the final result," assures Kamil Wałęga.

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