Bangkok 2024: All you need to know as puck drops at C-Pool Worlds in Thailand

The puck will drop Tuesday (26 November) at the World Para Ice Hockey Championships C-Pool in Bangkok, Thailand, where four teams will skate for an opportunity to progress to the B-Pool next season and keep their Paralympic Winter Games dreams alive for 2026.

The tournament, featuring a round-robin format followed by a medal round on Saturday (30 November), will take place at the Thailand International Ice Hockey Arena with Finland, Thailand, Austria and Australia competing.

You can watch all the action live on World Para Ice Hockey Facebook page and website, as well as on the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) YouTube channel.

Finland will feature as the top seed in the tournament looking to regain a spot in the B-Pool after finishing in last place at the 2023 World Championships B-Pool. Finland took the silver in the C-Pool in 2018.

Host nation Thailand, playing in its second consecutive World Championships C-Pool, remains in search of its first international victory. The team finished fifth in 2023. 

Austria, which had an impressive 5-0 shutout of host nation Thailand at the 2023 edition of the event, was the winner of the inaugural C-Pool event in 2016, held in Novi Sad, Serbia.

Australia will return to the international ice after a six-year hiatus, having made its international debut at the C-Pool event in 2018.

Two women — Australian forward Rosa-Lee Principe and Thai forward Parichat Yamarun — will be part of the roster makeup at the tournament. 

Australia 🇦🇺, Austria 🇦🇹, Finland 🇫🇮 and hosts Thailand 🇹🇭 will take part in the fourth edition of the World Para Ice Hockey Championships C-pool from 26-30 November at the Thailand International Ice Hockey Arena 🏒

Full story 👉 https://t.co/ajf1MyTBmI pic.twitter.com/5V3GwkLWFW

— Para Ice Hockey (@paraicehockey) November 20, 2024

The full team rosters are listed below.

Finland
Forwards: Aaron Hanninen, Markus Lehto, Aki Alestalo, Tuomo Niskanen, Markku Vesikansa, Harri Kangastie, Markku Hirvela, Juhamatti Himanen
Defensemen: Nemo Pajula, Lasse Pakarinen
Goaltenders: Timo Karko, Pasi Heikkila

Thailand
Forwards: Mathee Yenkuan, Pongsakorn Rinthong, Thodsaporn Haisakulsuk, Tawatchai Saennai, Somprasong Sriwankham, Manot Khemma, Arbe Sae-Lu, Parichat Yamarun, Narapon Yisankun 
Defensemen: Somsaksri Baoarsa, Theeraphong Saenguan, Katikorn Suwannatrai
Goaltenders: Monthon Aiamamphai, Bunchauy Phanoot

Austria
Forwards: Dennis Wliszczak, Michael Sauer, Timo Ropp, Michael Ladstaetter, Johannes Huchler, Kai Habeler, Fabian Burtscher 
Defensemen: David Bilgeri, Thomas Schilcher, Kevin-Pascal Siess
Goaltenders: Werner Pouzar, Michael Ossimitz 

Australia
Forwards: Rosa-Lee Principe, Bryan Stitfall, Stephen Shaw, Tom Laing, Michael McDonald, Michael Francis, Andrea Codazzi, Damon Jaenke
Defensemen: Zeljko Markovic, Bill Siegloff, Marty Jackson, Mark Sicolo
Goaltenders: Darren Peacock, Shogo Williams-Matsuoka

The Sport Association for the Disabled of Thailand under the Royal Patronage of His Majesty the King (SPADT) will serve as the Local Organising Committee (LOC), having previously served as the LOC for the 2022 edition as well as the 2023 World Para Ice Hockey Skills Development Camp. 

This will be the fourth edition of the World Para Ice Hockey Championships C-Pool, having previously been held in Bangkok (2022), Vierumaki, Finland (2018) and Novi Sad, Serbia (2016). At the last edition of the World Championships C-Pool, Great Britain took home the gold ahead of Kazakhstan who claimed silver and France claimed the bronze.