Officiating Overview

Mission

Our mission is to identify, coach, and develop top aspiring amateur officials, to help them successfully officiate higher levels of hockey including professional, collegiate and international competition. Additionally, we seek to motivate these officials so that they return to their local areas and are valuable assets in mentoring the next generation of officials.

About

The NAHL Officiating Program, operated by the NAHL Officiating Department, is a part of the USA Hockey Advanced Officiating Development Program (AODP) and is designed to provide EDUCATION, EXPOSURE, and EXPERIENCE to officials with the purpose of:

• EDUCATION - Officials receive in-depth coaching and educational resources aimed at developing their officiating skills. Pre-season training camps and resources such as NAHLTV access, video analysis, and ongoing education materials are utilized to assist officials in mastering crucial skills essential for their success. Officiating Coaches, possessing extensive hockey backgrounds, provide evaluations and immediate feedback to enhance performance
• EXPOSURE - Officials are assigned games across a spectrum of Junior hockey (NAHL and NA3HL), and at times, within the NAPHL. This multi-tiered approach provides officials with the opportunity to gain exposure to varied playing styles, enhance their skills, and reach their fullest potential. While many officials work from their hometown, some in the program are offered the opportunity to relocate and reside in league-sponsored housing during the season. These apartments are strategically located within the leagues' footprint, placing officials within driving distance of the cities they need to be in to work challenging games, facilitating their professional development
• EXPERIENCE - Assignments across various levels of hockey provide officials practical exposure to different competitive settings. This exposure allows officials to officiate demanding games, contributing to their skill enhancement and confidence. The structured tiers of our program enable officials to advance steadily based on experience and demonstrated proficiency. Our program facilitates the advancement of qualified candidates to professional, collegiate, and international opportunities

Program Candidates

The program is open to USA Hockey registered officials who are 18 years of age or older. Officials must be proficient skaters and athletes who are willing to learn and have a desire to improve through professional coaching. While an extensive amount of officiating experience is not a pre-requisite, candidates should have mastered fundamental officiating skills and be ready to accept challenges at higher levels of the game.

What do we look for?

Potential Career Paths

There are a variety of paths available to a successful NAHL official. It's up to the official to decide which direction they want to go.

NHL, AHL, IIHF, NCAA DI, ECHL, USHL, ACHA, USA HOCKEY

Graduates

Many officials have graduated from the NAHL Officiating Program and reached the highest levels of hockey. Some of the NAHL's most successful graduates include: