Category Pro Officials

Each season, before the main training camps start in the NHL, groups of NHL teams will meet up and play a number of games against other teams. The players playing are typically the future players of that NHL club. LAHOA is proud to announce a number of officials who will be working those games! Congratulations to the following officials:

Prospects Tournament – Traverse City, MI – 9/15-9/19

• Tyler Hascall – Referee
• John Lindner – Referee

Rookie Face-off – San Jose, CA – 9/16-9/19

• Jordan Watt – Referee
• Benjamin Dubow – Linesperson
• Jarrett Townsend – Linesperson
• Eric Anderson – Linesman
• Jake Herzog (Arizona) – Linesperson
• Alex Ledovskiy (NORHOA) – Linesperson
• Tatu Kunto (SDHRA) – Referee
• Jackson Kozari (LVHOA) – Referee
• Michaela Ball (SDHRA) – Referee

The LAHOA Board of Directors is excited to announce that 7 officials will work the Arizona Rookie Face-off!

Referees:

• Andrew Wilk
• Alec Rounds
• Phil Kasko

Linesman:

• Neil Campbell
• Eric Anderson
• Benjamin Dubow

Tatu Kunto from SDHRA will also be joining the crew as a referee.

The Arizona Coyotes the 2021 “Rookie Face-off” tournament from September 17-20 at Gila River Arena and the Ice Den Scottsdale. The tournament will include four teams from the Pacific Division (Anaheim, Los Angeles, San Jose and Vegas) and two from the Central Division (Arizona and Colorado).

The Rookie Face-off tournament, which features the top prospects from each club participating, was held in Las Vegas in 2018 and Irvine in 2019.

Streaming information can be found at arizonacoyotes.com/rookiefaceoff.

Friday, September 17, 2021

• 3:00 pm – Los Angeles at Colorado (Ice Den)
• 5:00 pm – San Jose at Anaheim (Ice Den)
• 7:30 pm – Vegas at Arizona (Gila River Arena)

Sunday, September 19, 2021

• 2:00 pm – Vegas at San Jose (Ice Den)
• 4:00 pm – Colorado at Anaheim (Ice Den)
• 6:30 pm – Los Angeles at Arizona (Gila River Arena)

Monday, September 20, 2021

• 9:00 am – San Jose at Colorado (Ice Den)
• 11:00 am – Los Angeles at Vegas (Ice Den)
• 12:00 pm – Anaheim at Arizona (Gila River Arena)

The LAHOA Board of Directors would like to congratulate Trevor Wohlford on receiving his first assignment in the ECHL! Trevor, originally from Burbank, CA, has been living in Indianapolis for the past few seasons refereeing in the SPHL and the USHL.

Trevor, wearing number 38, worked the Indy Fuel vs Wheeling Nailers in Indianapolis on Wednesday February 10th. The players welcomed Trevor into the league in typical ECHL fashion by fighting seven minutes in and scrumming after a player was boarded towards the end of the first. Then, one minute into the second, there was a fight with a game misconducts for an aggressor assessed. Due diligence paid off for Trevor. In a close game, the teams played hockey in the third in a game that of course went to OT! I guess they weren’t going to let him off that easy in his first go. Luckily, the home team buried the game winning goal two minutes into OT.

Congratulations to Trevor on his first of many ECHL games!

The LAHOA Executive Board and the Board of Directors would like to congratulate Andrew Wilk and Trevor Wohlford who will be working in the ECHL and Southern Professional Hockey League (SPHL) for the 2020-21 season!

With the season finally getting under way for these two leagues, strict COVID procedures will be in place. In the ECHL, each official will be tested before they enter the building for all games and they must have had a negative test to be allowed in to work. Coaches, bench personnel and back up goaltenders will also be required to wear masks on the bench at all times during games. Officials will have masks to wear in between stoppages when communicating with officials, players and coaches. Similar protocols are in place in the SPHL. No one is allowed in the locker room with the exception of the officials. Masks must be worn at all times in the building. Communication with the coaches while on the ice should be kept to a minimum! How about that? Coach, “Hey, can we talk about that call?” Official, “I’m sorry coach but I am not supposed to!”

Trevor started his season in the SPHL Saturday, December 26th in Birmingham. Andrew will be officiating in Orlando December 29th and 30th.

Last season, Trevor worked full time in the USHL. This season he is getting the call up to work full time in the SPHL while working games in the ECHL too! He will continue to work USHL games throughout this season as well.

Andrew Wilk starts his 9th year as a referee in the ECHL. He worked the Kelly Cup Finals in 2019 and Conference Finals in 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019. Andrew will work the AHL as well once that season starts. It is tentatively scheduled to start February 5th.

Congratulations to our LAHOA officials working pro hockey!

LAHOA is proud to announce that former LAHOA presidents, Brent Tubbs and James Parker were selected to work the American Hockey League’s (AHL) All Star game that took place in Ontario, CA at Toyota Arena on January 27th! Both Brent and James have been working in professional hockey for 4 decades. This assignment caps off great career by both Brent and James. Brent and James have worked in various professional and junior leagues such as the PCHL, WCHL, ECHL, IHL, AHL, USHL, NAHL & SPHL as well as numerous IIHF assignments that include working the Asia Professional League. Most recently the duo worked the AHL outdoor game in Bakersfield, featuring the Condors and the Ontario Reign.

They will be working along side SDHRA official, Ryan Hersey and NHL contracted Furman South. All four officials will officiate both the skills competition, held the day before, and the all star game. The all star games boasts a similar style as the NHL with each division comprising teams of 9 skaters and a goalie and playing 3 on 3.

As far as the venue goes, a lot of LAHOA officials have worked at the Toyota Arena, formerly Citizens Business Bank Arena. The AHL’s All-Stars will head West for the 2020 AHL All-Star Classic presented by Ontario International Airport, which will be held for the first time in California. The event will showcase the Inland Empire on an international scale, highlighting the growth of the game of hockey in Southern California.

Congratulations on the selection to both Brent Tubbs and James Parker. Also, a special shout out to SDHRA’s Ryan Hersey on being selected as a referee.

LAHOA would like to congratulate San Diego Hockey Referee’s Associations (SDHRA) official, Greg McAlpine, on his retirement from professional Hockey. Greg, worked his last game in the AHL last night (12/20/19) in San Diego between the Barracuda and the Gulls.

From the American Hockey League:

“Tonight, the American Hockey League would like to recognize linesman Greg McAlpine as he works his final professional hockey game. Greg has officiated professional hockey for two decades on the west coast starting in the former West Coast Hockey League, the ECHL, and now as a member of the AHL officiating staff. Greg is also recently retired from over 35 years of service as the Deputy Fire Chief for Heartland Fire and Rescue in La Mesa.”

Please join the American Hockey League, LAHOA and SDHRA in congratulating San Diego’s own, linesman Greg McAlpine, on a tremendous career.

LAHOA official, Andrew Wilk, will be going to Germany for thee weeks to work the Deutsche Eishockey Liga, or in english, German Ice Hockey League simply referred to as DEL. NHL=National Hockey League, get it? The DEL ranks with the Swiss leagues as the premier hockey league in Europe behind only the KHL. Andrew was selected by former NHL referee, Rob Shick who has been commissioned to bring North American referees over to work European hockey leagues to help the influx of North American players coming over to play in these same leagues, such as the DEL. Andrew will be making three trips this season. The first being September 16th thru October 7th. Andrew will work in nine different cities while there. Some of those cites include: Nuremberg, Ausburg, Munich, Ingolstadt, Schwenningen, Straubing, Düsseldorf, Köln & Iserlohn. Andrew is going on his 10th year in professional hockey having worked the 2012 SPHL Finals and the 2019 ECHL Finals. He has also worked games in the IHL, CHL and AHL as well as many IIHF assignments. Congratulations to Andrew on his selection. It is an honor to be recognized by such an accomplished referee! Have fun and make LAHOA proud. Penthouse.

The LAHOA Executive Board and the Board of Directors would like to congratulate Andrew Wilk on being selected to work the ECHL Kelly Cup Finals! This will be Andrews first time working the finals. Andrew has been refereeing hockey since he was 15. He spent 3 years in USA Hockey’s Officiating Development Program and has spent the last 5 years refereeing professional hockey in the ECHL and AHL. The series is between Newfoundland and Toledo. Games 1 & 2 are being playing in Newfoundland. The series will shift to Toledo for games 3, 4 & 5. Andrew will be working games 4 & 5 in Toledo on May 31st and June 1st. Game 1 was played on Friday, May 25. Newfoundland took a 3-0 lead and Toledo came back and tied it up, 3-3, sending the game to overtime where Newfoundland ended up winning. They lead the best-of-7 series 1-0.

Congratulations again to Andrew Wilk on this amazing accomplishment. He joins a select few of LAHOA officials who have been selected to work the ECHL Finals. Good luck in the Kelly Cup Finals, Andrew!!!

LAHOA member Andrew Wilk has been selected for the 29th Winter Universiade Games in Krasnoyarsk, Russia. Students aged 17 to 25, and graduates who have received an academic degree or diploma in the year preceding the competitions are allowed to participate in the competition. Wilk will be the only American official on the men’s side joined by 17 other officials from around the world.  The games will be held from the opening ceremonies March 2nd through the closing ceremonies March 12th with 50 countries competing in 11 sports.  In an exciting coincidence, Wilk’s younger brother Austin, a junior at Lindenwood University near St Louis, Missouri, will be representing team USA as a defenseman at the games.  Wilk has said this will be the first time both he and his brother will be participating at the same tournament.  IIHF rules prohibit Wilk from officiating team USA games. 

Congratulations Wilky!