Joey Butkevich's coaching resume continues to grow.
The 42-year-old North Bay native is taking on a new coaching role with the Polish Senior Women's National Team.
"I am proud and honoured to be named the Polish Senior National Team Head Coach," stated Butkevich via social media.
"I am excited to head to Denmark for the 4 Nations Cup next week in Riga, Latvia in March for the 2024 IIHF Women’s World Hockey Championships."
The announcement came late last week just days before a non-IIHF tournament in Denmark.
That event will be the debut for Butkevich as they take on Denmark, Great Britain, and Italy from Feb. 8 to 10.
Butkevich, who has Polish heritage, is no stranger to international hockey.
He worked with the Chinese national team and served as an assistant coach with their U18 squad. This included the 2020 event when the Chinese U18 team took bronze at the Division 1 Group B U18 Championship in Poland.
Most of his coaching time has been as the head coach of the Etobicoke Jr Dolphins Hockey program.
Butkevich prides himself on helping more than 50 of his players move up to play in the NCAA or CIS.
He has also worked with the Team Ontario Blue and Red U18 squads. This year, he coached Team Ontario Red to a National U18 Championship.
Butkevich takes over for Zbigniew Wróbel. Wróbel has led team Poland and Silesian Metropolis since 2022. It is currently unclear why the coaching change was made mid-season. Silesian Metropolis currently sits second in the EWHL standings. Poland will look for gold and promotion at this year’s Division 1 Group B World Championship. The event will take place from March 31 to April 6, with Poland facing off versus Great Britain, Latvia, Italy, Slovakia, and Slovenia.
With files from polishpuck.com