The USHL has announced the referees and linesmen for the upcoming USHL/NHL Top Prospects game.
USA Hockey officials named to the game are referees Eric Krasnichuk (#7) and Jake Rekucki (#10), along with linesmen Elliott Bucholz (#43) and Rhodes Dolan (#81).
All four currently work in the USHL, as well as in other leagues, including the ECHL and NCAA hockey. Dolan and Krasnichuk also worked the USHL’s 2017 Clark Cup Finals.
From the USHL:
The two-day event will begin on Monday, Jan. 8th with on-ice testing conducted by HockeyTech, and off-ice measurements conducted by NHL Central Scouting. The announcement comes one week after the USHL had 49 active players listed on NHL Central Scouting’s Players to Watch List, including 19 A or B-rated skaters and goaltenders, indicating a potential first, second or third round NHL Draft prospect. The 49 players listed by NHL Central Scouting were the most by any junior league in the world.
2018 marks the fourth consecutive year the USHL will host the USHL/NHL Top Prospects Game, and sixth year all-time. Previous hosts of the USHL/NHL Top Prospects Game include the Muskegon Lumberjacks (2012 and 2013), Dubuque Fighting Saints (2015), Omaha Lancers (2016) and Sioux Falls Stampede (2017).
13 players who participated last year’s USHL/NHL Top Prospects Game went on to be selected in the 2017 NHL Draft. In total, 76 players who have participated in the USHL/NHL Top Prospects Game since 2012 have been selected in the NHL Draft, including four first round selections: Shane Bowers (Ottawa Senators, 2017), Kyle Connor (Winnipeg Jets, 2015), Brock Boeser (Vancouver Canucks, 2015) and Jordan Schmaltz (St. Louis Blues, 2012). Other first round selections who were named to the game but were unable to participate due to injury include Eeli Tolvanen (Nashville Predators, 2017), Michael Matheson (Florida Panthers, 2012) and Zemgus Girgensons (Buffalo Sabres, 2012).
Full player rosters for Team East and Team West have been posted at USHL.com.
The coaches for the game will be Anthony Noreen (Tri-City Storm, USHL) for Team West and Brad Patterson (Youngstown Phantoms, USHL) for Team East.
Tickets for the game are available via the Tri-City Storm.
Congratulations to the referees and linesmen selected to officiate this year’s USHL/NHL Top Prospects Game.
