We’ve already seen which NHL referees and linesmen will be working the World Cup of Hockey, which kicks off September 17 in Toronto.

The IIHF and NHL have just announced the officials working the pre-tournament games in Europe.

The pre-tournament round, from September 8-14, will include four exhibition games in Europe and eight in North America.  The four European games will include mixed officiating crews with NHL and international officials working the games.   Each game will feature an NHL referee and linesman partnered with an IIHF referee and linesman.

IIHF Officials

  • Referees: Tobias Bjork (SWE), Roman Gofman (RUS), Jan Hribik (CZE), Anssi Salonen (FIN)
  • Linesmen: Gleb Lazarev (RUS), Andreas Malmqvist (SWE), Libor Suchanek (CZE), Sakari Suominen (FIN),

* Gofman will miss the tournament due to injury; he will be replaced by Konstantin Olenin (RUS).

NHL Officials

  • Referees: Gord Dwyer (CAN), Eric Furlatt (CAN)
  • Linesmen: Michel Cormier (CAN), Steve Miller (CAN)

All international officials selected to work the pre-tournament games took part in the NHL’s Exposure Combine, held August 18-21 at Buffalo’s HarborCenter. While there, they passed NHL physical testing and met with the NHL on-ice officials selected for the World Cup of Hockey.

 

World Cup Pre-Tournament Schedule

The four European games are as follows:

  • September 8 – Russia vs. Czech Republic in St. Petersburg, Russia  (Olenin/Lazarev)
  • September 8  – Finland vs. Sweden in Helsinki, Finland  (Salonen/Suominen)
  • September 10 – Sweden vs. Finland in Gothenburg, Sweden (Bjork/Malmqvist)
  • September 10 – Czech Republic vs. Russia in Prague, Czech Republic (Hribik/Suchanek)

While no assignments have been announced, it’s probably safe to say that the officials will each be working the game in their respective countries, as noted above.

Additional pre-tournament games will take place in North America, with matches in Quebec City, Columbus, Ottawa, Montreal, Washington and Pittsburgh. All North American games will be handled exclusively by the previously-announced NHL officials.