INERVIEW WITH CJHL DIRECTOR

During the last weekend (U14 in Sanok) season 2026/2027 already started its second quarter. It continues in rapid succession by U15 in Cheile Gradistei (Romania) during upcoming weekend. We bring you an interview in which we not only review the opening part of the season with the league director, but also take a look at the past and the future.

You started in 2016 with just 6 teams, and now you have 44 teams across 5 age categories. When you look back at that first season, did you ever anticipate the league would grow to this scale?

To be honest, 10 years ago I didn´t even think that CJHL can growth in such way. In second season it was 14 teams in 2 age categories. To be honest, on those days I thought that if there will be one more category, it will be more then enough. Then, before season 2020/2021 we have interest from more then 40 teams. But corona virus changed our plans.

This August, the CJHL launched its 11th season. What has been the biggest challenge in sustaining and growing an international youth league for over a decade?

According me it was building trust in the project accross the clubs from different countries. As used to be say, hardest work is with people. And here I think we have been lucky. During more then 10 years we met great coaches, teams leaders and clubs managers. I think they like to be part of our League and they pass forward very positive information about it. Thats the main reason of our growth. We created strong core, around which other clubs gradually gathered. It is mostly build on friendship.

On the other hand, the biggest challenge for parents and clubs are money. As the prices of everything increased. Its not easy for parents and clubs covers all expensives. And I don´t think just CJHL. During 10 years we can see, how hotel prices growth up. In the beginning was price around 25 EUR/person/day, now the same hotel is 55 EUR. But this met us in all aspects of our lives.

With 153 games already played this season, the operational scale is massive. How has the league's administrative and organizational structure evolved to handle this volume of logistics?

All of this is manage by myself. In the beginnings, Oleg Moller (CJHL vice-president) helped to much, mostly with Ukrainians teams and communications with them. Now it is easier as the coaches usually can speak english, I can communicate directly with them in english. Before the season it is communications with clubs who have interest to play in CJHL. Dealing on dates and place for each round. Looking for new clubs, preparing documantation and Rules. All of this is my job. Then during the season, not to much change. Most of work is about communication.

Organisation of each round is in cooperation with home club. But it is also not more then 1-2 people form the club. In their competence is everything around the event. From booking hotels, to ensure referees and medical service and all necessary things around the hockey tournament. My task is to prepare game schedule and coordinate all organisation of it. Some of the tournaments are organised by FRH (Fundacja Rozvoju Hokeja). In this case, all mentioned above is manage by Mr. Krzysztof Czech and Piotr Krysiak (founders of FRH).All of this is done without entitlement to remuneration, maybe that's the reason of League growth. Maybe somebody think it is not truth, but it is like it is.

Your teams come from traditional hockey nations like Poland, Slovakia, and Latvia, but also from Ukraine, Hungary, Romania, and even Turkey. How does the league manage the different styles of hockey and varying development levels between these countries?

Of course, there are some differences in level of the teams. I think that coaches understand, that also games against "weaker" teams are important for players development. During the seasons I saw hundred of games and it was very rare that some teams were realy uncompetitive. We are talking about kids, so of course if they are loosing, sometimes happend that their breakdown and then result is very cruel in the end. And mentioned different styles is also good for our teams. They need to adapt tactics from game to game. This also bring challenges for referees, to handle with it. level of tolerance for hard play is different in different countries.

Including a team from Turkey is quite unique and exotic for Central/Eastern European youth hockey. How did their inclusion come about, and what does it bring to the league culturally and competitively?

First contact came during the previous season, December 2025. In March we welcome them as a guest team in Finale tournament in Sanok. So things gone very quickly. Deniz Ince, coach and manager of POBE Hockey team, made a very good impression on us. He shown their strong interest to join CJHL. So why not? In the first round they were doing quite well and I think they will be not just a "cultural" contribution of the League. It will be very interesting to watch their players growth in intenational confrontation and I am really looking forward to it. Deniz is very charismatic person with interesting life story. Our fans will find it out in interview with him.

Ten years ago, when team Gladiator Galati from Romania join CJHL, it also looked quite exotic. Now, Romanians teams are strong part of the League. Lets guys from Isnatbul to write their own story here.

Given the ongoing geopolitical situation, particularly in Ukraine, how does the league support Ukrainian teams logistically and emotionally to ensure their youth players can still compete?

First of all need to say, that it is really tragic whats happend in Ukraine. Not only there, in every place in the Earth were is a war. For kids especially. War in Ukraine started just one day before our event in Debrecen in 2022. Two Ukrainians teams didn´t came. Coach from Kharkiv called me, they are already on the way, near to Lviv. They got messeges from home, about attacks in their city. I asked him, what he is going to do. I will never forgot his words. "We will see if we can cross the borders. If yes, you need to know we have nowhere to return to." They got huge help in Hungary, then in Sanok (Poland) and later in Norway. As I know they are still there. But back to question. After war started, lot of players gone away from Ukraine. First years teams didn´t have enough players, some didn´t have where to practise. Coaches cannot cossed the borders. It was hard. During first years of war, we had only 2-3 teams from Ukraine. In the end of 2022/23 season we created team from players who were already here in Poland and Slovakia to play in U14 Finale tournament. It was in Krynica-Zdrój and thanks to home club managment they have accomodation and food for free there.

In last season it was 4 teams, plus some teams came for our mini hockey tournaments. This season it is much more, but they are still dealing with not enough players and with problems around coaches. In the first round we saw, that some players played for different tems in different categories. If they meet the age requirements, we let them play. I think its good for them play as much as they can. When they are abroud on tournaments, they can sleep without the threat of a bomb attack. To be honest, in U12 category we have 2 groups just because I didn´t want to say to any of Ukrainians teams that we don´t have place for them.

The CJHL operates on a tournament system with 4 rounds per age category instead of a weekly league. What are the main benefits of this format for youth player development and team travel?

With this format we can bring on one place teams from different countries to play together. In "normal" league, this is not possible and you played just with teams from your country. With this format can teams compare their progerss in 2-3 mounth periodicity. Besides that, they visit new places and also create friendship behind the ice. I would like to prepare for them also some off-ice activities, but till we will not find some volunteers to help with it, it will be not possible. 2-3 people cannot handle with it.

The continuous expansion of the CJHL testifies to the advantages of this format. This is further evidenced by the emergence of other similar projects in recent years, some of which are not merely similar, but identical, given that certain sentences in their descriptions have been copied from our webpage.

The U11 category, as the last, completed its first round in the end of October, wrapping up the opening phase for all age groups. What is your evaluation of the competitive balance across the U11 to U15 categories so far?

After first round is always hard to say something about real quality of the teams. Teams are in different phase of their preparation, some of them are longer time on ice, some just satrted and some came just after few hours spent on ice. Also between categories we saw diffrencies. Those categories that started later, borught better qualities of games then those that started in the end of August or early Saptember. Anyhow, we saw lot of good games. I would venture to say that a good season awaits us. Teams will get better from round to round. Hope, that Ukrainians teams will handle with lack of players, because historically it was Ukrainians teams who raised the quality of the league.

With the second rounds scheduled for November and December, what adjustments or improvements is the league looking to make based on what you saw in the first rounds?

About the plans, complains, requests I communicate with teams representatives. I am opened to every feedback that will help take the CJHL to the next level. Truth is, that if I ask them, if there is something to change, they always say everything is good...  Anyhow, I will try to identify if there are some problems or if there is something what need to be change.

One of the areas we need to improve for sure is the content on our website and social media. However, that requires someone who can dedicate more time to it than I can. If anyone reading this want to help, I’d be happy to hear from you :-)

The CJHL covers ages from U11 to U15 - critical years for turning passion into serious talent. Do you track how many CJHL alumni have moved on to professional senior leagues or national teams?

I cannot say exact number, but time to time I am checking how the players who stuck in my memory are doing. Its hard to named all of them, but I can mentioned few ... Adam Stripai, Ivan Matta (Slovakia Extraleague), Lukáš Lačný, Olexsandr Plokhotnik (Slovakia2). I have been following Daniel Jenček’s career with high interest. After playing in Swedish junior leagues and the USHL, he moved on to the NCAA. He has also represented Slovakia at the U18 and U20 World Championships. From guys playing in polish Ekstraklasa I will mention Bartosz Florczak and Karol Bilas, both play also for Poland national team. In Ukrainian senior teams we will also find some our alumni. From younger players Davids Danilovs (NAHL). I can't leave out Gabriel Wsól. He is still only 15, but is one of the leaders in Södertälje SK U18 team in Sweden. He is a great talent and I am very curious where he has his limits. We can also boast about Artur Cholach who was drafted to NHL in 2021.

Looking beyond the 2026/27 season, what is the next milestone for the Carpathian Junior Hockey League? Are there plans to expand into older age categories (like U16 or U18) or welcome new countries?

About the development of the League I am thinking all the time. Maybe not about expandation as about bringing something new in this format. I don’t want to be specific, so that someone doesn’t copy us again. If I will not find some more volunteers, it will be very hard to expand CJHL in any meaning.

U16 could be real for the next season, but with U18 I am sceptic. In the past we had U18, even U19. From year to year it is harder to find teams in those age categories to play extra competition besides their home championships. But this is the topic for longer discussion.

If you had to summarize the ultimate mission of the CJHL in one sentence, what would it be?

To offer young players become a better players as well as more complex young people through getting to know different cultures, countries, people, and languages.