FAIRBANKS - Four former Nanooks hockey players are set to compete at the 2024 IIHF World Hockey Championship in Czechia (Prague, Ostrava). 

Colton Parayko will compete for Team Canada, Cade Neilson will represent Great Britain and Arvils Bergmanis and Markuss Komuls will compete for Team Latvia in the 2024 edition of the World Hockey Championship. "It's amazing to see our former student-athletes compete on one of the biggest stages for hockey." Said head coach Erik Largen, "We are looking forward to seeing them compete for their home countries."

Parayko, a 6-6, 229-pound defenseman for the St. Louis Blues played for the Nanooks from 2012-15. In his three seasons with the 'Nooks he skated in 104 games, scoring 17 goals and tallying 49 assists for 66 points (0.63/game). Alongside that, he was named Alternate Captain, the 2013-14 WCHA Defensive Player of the Year, a WCHA First All-Star Team selection and an NCAA West Second All-American Team selection (7g-19a—26p). In 2014-15, his final year with the Nanooks, he was named Captain, won his second-straight WCHA Defensive Player of the Year award, was a WCHA First All-Star Team selection and once again, was named to the NCAA West Second All-American Team (6g-17a—23p). This will be his third time representing Team Canada at the World Championships. He did so in 2016-17 (3g-4a—7p) and 2017-18 (4g-4a—8p). 

Neilson, a 6-0, 196-pound forward played for the Nanooks from 2022-24. In his two seasons in the Blue and Gold, he skated in 49 games, scoring five goals and picking up 16 assists for 21 points (0.43/game). After two points in 18 games in year one, Neilson was tied for fifth on the team in 2023-24 with a career-high 19 points on five goals and 14 assists through 31 games. This will be Neilson's second World Championships appearance with Team Great Britain after skating in 2021-22 (2g-3a—5p).

Arvils Bergmanis and Markuss Komuls are the final former Nanooks and will represent Team Latvia. Bergmanis, a 5-11, 187-pound defenseman played for Alaska 2021-24. In three seasons he appeared in 99 games. He picked up six goals and added 32 assists for 38 career points (0.38/game). Bergmanis ended his time with Alaska with a career-year, skating in 31 games and tallying a career-high 19 points (2g-17a—19p). This will be his third World Championships appearance with Team Latvia. He skated in five games at WC in 2021-22 and one game in 2022-23 but did not record a point. Finally, Markuss Komuls will join Bergmanis on the blue-line at the World Championships. The 6-0, 190-pound defenseman spent four years with the Nanooks, playing from 2019-23. In his three seasons he skated in 100 games, tallying 22 points (0.22/game) on eight goals and 14 assists. Komuls' final season in Fairbanks was a career-best as he posted three goals, eight assists and 11 points through 34 games, including his 100th-career game in his final game. This will be his first World Championships appearance. 

Since departing the Nanooks, Komuls has spent the last two seasons with the Trois-Rivières Lions in the ECHL. In 59 games he has 10 points (2g-8a—10p).

The IIHF Ice Hockey World Championships will run from Friday, May 10 through Sunday, May 26 when the Bronze and Gold Medal games are played. 

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