only 20-second shifts during a game, he approached the healthy scratches to ask why. When they responded that he was playing with a cracked rib, Davidson continued to watch him play at various arenas before recommending the St. Louis Blues draft him. After the Oil Barons were defeated by the Spruce Grove Saints in the 2011 AJHL Finals, Alaska Nanooks men's ice hockey coach Dallas Ferguson approached Parayko and recruited him for the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Although he had also been offered an opportunity in the WHL, Parayko committed to Alaska that summer. In his first year of NHL eligibility, Parayko went unselected in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft and failed to make the NHL Central Scouting Bureau's prospect list the following year. In spite of this, the St. Louis Blues drafted him in the third round at the age of 19. Parayko was not expecting to be drafted and figured he would end up either in finance or a pilot like his brother. College Parayko played collegiate hockey for the University of Alaska Fairbanks in the NCAA Men's Division I Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) beginning in the 2012–2013 season. In his freshman season, Parayko recorded his first collegiate goal in a 3–3 tie against the Air Force Falcons on October 12, 2012. He ended the year with four goals and 13 assists for 17 points. In his sophomore year with the Nanooks ice hockey team, Parayko's outstanding play was rewarded with an appointment to alternate captain. In this role, he was one of only five players to play in all 34 games for the team and recorded six goals and 17 assists for 23 points. He placed second in the WCHA in points for defensemen and sixth overall in assists. As a result, he was selected to the AHCA West Second-Team All-American. He was also awarded the Western Collegiate Hockey Association Defensive Player of the Year award and named to the All-WCHA First Team. In his final season with the team, Parayko was appointed team captain alongside forwards Garrick Perry and Tyler Morley as alternate captains. He recorded 23 points over 34 games to rank third on the team and was once again named to the All-American Second Team by the American Hockey Coaches Association and CCM. Parayko also received the Western Collegiate Hockey Association Defensive Player of the Year and was selected for their All-WCHA First