IIHF Referees and Linesmen for 2020 World Championship

The IIHF has named the 32 referees and linesmen working the 2020 World Championship in Switzerland.  Sixteen referees and sixteen linesmen have been selected to officiate this year’s tournament, which kicks off on May 8.

 

Many of this year’s referees and linesmen are returning from 2019.  Americans Jeremy Tufts and William Hancock are back, as are the Canadian pair of Olivier Gouin and Dustin McCrank.

Officials working their first World Championship are referees Andrew Bruggeman (USA), Mads Franzen (DEN), Alexandre Garon (CAN), Marian Rohatsch (GER), and Robin Sir (CZE), along with linesmen Maxime Chaput (CAN), Henrik Haurum (DEN), David Obwegeser (SUI), Elias Seewald (AUT), Nikita Shalagin (RUS), Alexander Waldejer (NOR), and Emil Yletinen (SWE).

Obgeweser and Shalagin recently manned the lines for the 2020 World Junior Championship.  Romasko, Salonen, Stricker, Shishlo, and Nikulainen were part of the officiating crew for the 2019 Spengler Cup back in December.

In North America, referees Andrew Bruggeman, Alex Garon, Olivier Gouin, and Jeremy Tufts all work in the AHL, as do linesmen Maxime Chaput, Jake Davis, William Hancock, and Dustin McCrank. Bruggeman, Davis, Garon, McCrank, and Tufts also wear the stripes in the ECHL.

Refs Roman Gofman, Yevgeni Romasko, and Maxim Sidorenko officiate in the KHL with linesmen Dmitri Golyak  Nikita Shalagin, and Dmitri Shishlo.

From the IIHF:

The 32 on-ice officials from 12 different countries were selected from a long list and after careful observation of their performances in domestic play and international tournament during the ongoing season.

The crew in stripes in Zurich and Lausanne is a mix of experienced refs and fresh blood. Czech referee Antonin Jerabek has worked in seven World Championships (men’s top division) before including three gold medal games followed by Russian referee Roman Gofman with six Worlds and two gold medal games. Among the more experienced referees is also a local one, Daniel Stricker from Switzerland, who will officiate his fourth World Championship and called the gold medal game in 2017.

For five referees and seven linesmen it will be the first time at this event after shining at other international events.

Canada, Finland, Russia, Sweden and the United States are best represented with four on-ice official each at the Worlds.

The tournament gets underway May 8, with the Gold Medal Game scheduled for May 24.

 

 

Additionally, the referees and linesmen have been named for the IIHF Division I Group A and Group B World Championships.

2020 IIHF World Championship Division I – Group A

April 27-May 3, 2020 – Ljubljana, Slovenia

2020 IIHF World Championship Division I – Group B

April 27-May 3, 2020 – Katowice, Poland

Congratulations to the officials selected to work the 2020 IIHF World Championship tournaments.