GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Defenseman Jonathan Ericsson and center Michael Nylander have been added to Sweden’s roster for the 2010 IIHF World Championship in Germany, swelling the ranks of participating Grand Rapids Griffins alumni to eight.

Ericsson, who joins older brother Jimmie on Team Sweden, played three seasons in Grand Rapids (2006-09) before becoming a full-time member of the Detroit Red Wings this season. Nylander, meanwhile, totaled 18 points (2-16—18) in 24 games over two stints with the Griffins in 2009-10 following 15 seasons in the National Hockey League.

The six other Griffins alumni competing in the tournament include Belarus’ Sergei Kolosov (2008-10), the Czech Republic’s Karel Rachunek (1999-00), Kazakhstan’s Konstantin Shafranov (1999-00), Slovakia’s Ivan Ciernik (1999-02) and Tomas Tatar (2009-10), and Switzerland’s Julien Vauclair (2001-02).

Complete rosters, statistics and results for the 2010 IIHF World Championship can be found at iihf.com. The 16-nation tournament consists of a preliminary round (May 7-13), qualification round (May 14-18), relegation round (May 15-18), quarterfinals (May 20), semifinals (May 22), bronze medal game (May 23) and gold medal game (May 23).

Last year, four Griffins alumni combined to take home every color of medal from the 2009 IIHF World Championship in Switzerland. Russia’s Konstantin Gorovikov (1999-01) earned a gold medal for the second straight year, Canada’s Jason Spezza (2001-02) and Joel Kwiatkowski (2000-02) claimed silver, while Stefan Liv (2006-07) backstopped Sweden’s win over the United States in the bronze medal game.