We’ve narrowed the field… and the officials. Eight teams have moved on to the second round of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs, as have twenty-four officials. Here are the 12 NHL Referees and 12 NHL Linesmen advancing to Round 2,the Conference Semi-Finals:
Referees
Gord Dwyer, Trevor Hanson, Jean Hebert, Steve Kozari, Chris Lee, Wes McCauley, Jon McIsaac, Dan O’Rourke, Kyle Rehman, Chris Rooney, Graham Skilliter, and Kelly Sutherland.
First-Timers: Trevor Hanson, Kyle Rehman, and Graham Skilliter advance to the Conference Semifinals for the first time.
Out from Round 1: Jake Brenk, Francis Charron, Eric Furlatt, Frederick L’Ecuyer, T.J. Luxmore, Kendrick Nicholson, Kevin Pollock, Garrett Rank
Standby Refs: Frederick L’Ecuyer, Kendrick Nicholson
Linesmen
Shandor Alphonso, Steve Barton, Devin Berg, David Brisebois, Scott Cherrey, Michel Cormier, Brad Kovachik, Matt MacPherson, Bevan Mills, Kiel Murchison, Jonny Murray, and Bryan Pancich
First-Timers: Bevan Mills
Out from Round 1: Kyle Flemington, Brandon Gawryletz, Travis Gawryletz, Ryan Gibbons, Jesse Marquis, Andrew Smith, Libor Suchanek, and James Tobias
Standby Linesmen: Ryan Gibbons, Andrew Smith
Who Made – and Missed – The Cut?
All of the Game 7 officials have moved on (Lee/Kozari, Rooney/Skilliter, and Dwyer/McCauley), as expected.
Two ref pairings saw both officials eliminated. The ref pairing of Jake Brenk and Francis Charron has been eliminated after working Panthers/Bruins Game 1, Islanders/Hurricanes Game 2, Leafs/Lightning Game 3, and Devils/Rangers Game 4. The duo of Kevin Pollock and Garrett Rank – having handled Rangers/Devils Game 1, Oilers/Kings Game 3, Stars/Wild Game 4, and Jets/Golden Knights Game 5 – will also not move on. Pollock now has two consecutive first-round exits after having worked the Cup Final in 2015 and 2017.
Four pairings saw both refs move on: Dwyer/McIsaac, Rooney/Skilliter, Kozari/Lee, and Rehman/Hebert. While there’s no guarantee those officials will stick together in the Conference Semifinals, it appears Rehman and Hebert will continue as a pair.
Referee Chris Rooney and linesman Bryan Pancich are the only American-born officials moving on to Round 2.
The officials moving on all get a nice playoff bonus. Referees and Linesmen are paid by round – not by game – in the playoffs. Referees earn $27,000 and linesmen $17,250, so advancing is not only a big honor, but a financial bump. Standby referees earn $1000 for being on call, with an increase to $2,750 if they get into the game; linesmen pick up a $650 check which jumps to $1,775 if they take the ice.
