Referee Stephen Hiff will be making his NHL debut Thursday night when the Seattle Kraken host the San Jose Sharks. 

Hiff will take the ice wearing #46 alongside fellow referee Chris Schlenker (#3), with linespersons Kiel Murchison (#79) and Devin Berg (#87).  NHL Officiating Manager Al Kimmel will supervise the game. 

The Cambridge, Ontario, native was hired prior to the start of the 2023-24 NHL season.  The 30-year-old referee is in his fifth season in the American Hockey League.  He also spent time in stripes in the Ontario Hockey League. 

 

From the NHLOA:

Stephen Hiff, a Cambridge, Ontario, native, grew up playing in his hometown minor hockey system. At age 14, he packed up his bags and headed west where he played four years of prep school at Notre Dame College in Wilcox, SK.

He played three seasons for the Powell River Kings in the BCHL before deciding to go to University and continue playing the game closer to home.

His playing career would come to an end after spending four seasons with the University of Guelph Gryphons in 2019, where he graduated with a Marketing Management major.

Looking for any way to stay involved in the game, his officiating journey began when he applied for the 2019 NHL Officiating Exposure Combine, which he attended that summer.

Following that weekend, it was clear he had fallen in love with this new challenge and found a passion for the officiating side of the game. He began his officiating career as a referee in the AHL for the 2019-20 and 2020-21 campaigns. As his development and progress continued on the ice in the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons, Hiff worked as a full time AHL referee and joined the junior ranks in the OHL.

After a successful season highlighted by having the privilege of working the 2022 World Junior Hockey Championships in Edmonton and the 2023 Calder Cup Conference Final, the National Hockey League offered him a minor league contract in the summer of 2023.

 

Hiff is the second referee to work his first National Hockey League game in the past week.  Referee Graedy Hamilton took the ice for the first time in the NHL at Coyotes vs. Sharks.

Here’s a look at Hiff’s family and friends supporting his debut:

 

 

Congratulations to Stephen Hiff on his debut and the start of his National Hockey League career!