The officials are set to drop the puck for the 2021 World Junior Championship.

This year’s tournament features exclusively Canadian referees and linesmen, as the event is slated to take place in a “competition bubble” in Edmonton.

“The game officials we would normally choose would have come from many different countries,” said IIHF Officiating Manager Danny Kurmann. “Every additional person we bring into the bubble is a risk, so we decided to source the officials locally in order to reduce the risk to traveling personnel and teams.”

Here are the World Juniors referees and linesmen for 2021:

 

Referees

Adam Bloski #14 (Saskatoon, SK)
Michael Campbell #18 (Surrey, BC)
Alexandre Garon #12 (Terrebonne, QC)
Olivier Gouin #34 (Laval, QC)
Kyle Kowalski #15 (Edmonton, AB)
Guillaume Labonté #16 (Trois-Rivières, QC)
Mike Langin #19 (Saskatoon, SK)
Fraser Lawrence #10 (Edmonton, AB)
Kevin Maillé #11 (Saint-Saveur, QC)
Mathieu Menniti #22 (Verdun, QC)
Mark Pearce #20 (North Vancouver, BC)
Brett Roeland #13 (Winnipeg, MB)
Carter Sandlak #33 (London, ON)
Tyson Stewart #23 (Almonte, ON)

Linesmen

Guillaume Brunelle #63 (Saint-Lambert, QC)
Maxime Chaput #57 (Saint-Jérôme, QC)
Jonathan Deschamps #67 (Trois-Rivières, QC)
Deion Foster #66 (Edmonton, AB)
Adam Harris #59 (Hamilton, ON)
Brett Mackey #62 (Surrey, BC)
Kelsey Mahoney #60 (Narol, MB)
Matthew Mannella #68 (Niagara Falls, ON)
Michael McGowan #64 (Mission, BC)
Ben O’Quinn #61 (Woodstock, ON)
Nathan Vanoosten #56 (Vancouver, BC)
Tarrington Wyonzek #58 (Regina, SK)

Matt Ceko of St. Catharines, Ontario, was originally slated to work the tournament. He has been replaced by Michael McGowan.

 

An all-Canadian officiating crew is unusual, especially as IIHF tournament guidelines typically prevent a country’s officials from working games including their country.  This has, however, created a great opportunity for those chosen to work the event.

“Hockey Canada is proud of the 26 Canadian officials that have been selected to work the 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship this year. Although it is a unique year, we know these individuals will represent Canada with pride when they step on the ice in Edmonton,” said Todd Anderson, senior manager of officiating with Hockey Canada. “Our officials have worked tirelessly to get to this point in their careers, and to be considered among the top officials in Canada is an honour.”

Officiating Supervisors

Todd Anderson (Canada)
Al Kimmel (Canada)
Greg Kimmerly (Austria)*
Kim Pedersen (Denmark)
Scott Zelkin (USA)

The tournament gets under way on December 25, with all games taking place at Edmonton’s Rogers Place – without fans in attendance.  The Gold Medal game is set for January 5.

Congratulations to the officials selected to work this year’s IIHF World Junior Championship.

 

(* Kimmerly is Canadian, but representing Austria as Director of Officiating Development for the EBEL)