UMass Hockey Alumni Set to Compete in 2024 Men’s World Championship”.

Two former University of Massachusetts hockey players will be competing in the 2024 International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) Men’s World Championship in Czechia. Rising sophomore forward Dans Locmelis will be playing for Latvia, while alumnus Matthew Kessel (2019-22) will be skating with Team USA.

Locmelis had a standout freshman year at UMass, scoring 14 points with seven goals and seven assists over 30 games. He also had one power-play goal, one game-winning goal, won 55% of faceoffs, and blocked seven shots. Locmelis served as the captain for Latvia at the 2024 World Junior Championship, where he contributed five points in five games. He previously represented Latvia at the 2022 and 2023 World Junior Championships, earning a total of five points over 11 games.

Kessel recently completed his second full season of professional hockey with the St. Louis Blues organization, playing in both the NHL and the AHL’s Springfield Thunderbirds. In 39 NHL games in 2023-