The teams have been cut from 16 to eight; the officiating roster has also been reduced from 44 to 24. Here are the stripes moving on to the second round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs:
Here are the 12 NHL Referees and 12 NHL Linespersons chosen to work the National Hockey League postseason:
Referees
Francis Charron, Gord Dwyer, Eric Furlatt, Jean Hebert, TJ Luxmore, Wes McCauley, Dan O’Rourke, Garrett Rank, Chris Rooney, Graham Skilliter, Francois St. Laurent, and Kelly Sutherland.
First-Timers: TJ Luxmore is working Round 2 for the first time
Out from Round 1: Jake Brenk, Trevor Hanson, Frederick L’Ecuyer, Pierre Lambert, Peter MacDougall, Jon McIsaac, Kendrick Nicholson, Brian Pochmara, Kyle Rehman, Furman South
Standby Refs: Frederick L’Ecuyer, Kyle Rehman
Linespersons
Shandor Alphonso, Devin Berg, Scott Cherrey, Ryan Daisy, Ryan Gibbons, Trent Knorr, Matt MacPherson, Jesse Marquis, Bevan Mills, Kiel Murchison, Jonny Murray, and James Tobias
First-Timers: None. Marquis and Tobias made it to round 2 for the first time last season.
Out from Round 1: Tyson Baker, Steve Barton, David Brisebois, Kyle Flemington, Julien Fournier, Travis Gawryletz, CJ Murray, Bryan Pancich (injured), Andrew Smith, and Libor Suchanek
Standby Officials: Kyle Flemington, Andrew Smith
Are You Experienced?
Ref TJ Luxmore is advancing to the division semi-finals for the first time. Eight of the 12 referees have previously worked a Stanley Cup Final.
Splitting Pairs
Only two first-round pairings saw both refs advance:
- Graham Skilliter & Francis Charron (STL/WPG G1, COL/DAL G2, WSH/MTL G3, CAR/NJD G4, TOR/OTT G6)
- Eric Furlatt & TJ Luxmore (NJD/CAR G1, FLA/TBL G1, LAK/EDM G4, VGK/MIN G5, DAL/COL G6)
One opening round duo saw both refs miss the cut:
- Trevor Hanson & Kyle Rehman (EDM/LAK G1, WPG/STL G3, VGK/MIN G4, COL/DAL G5)
Everyone else is getting a new partner in Round 2.
Career Numbers
Kelly Sutherland leads all active referees in playoff games worked (246), ahead of Wes McCauley (209), Dan O’Rourke (209), Eric Furlatt (185), and Chris Rooney (174). Sutherland also leads all refs in Stanley Cup Final appearances (10) and Cup Final games worked (27).
Sutherland is fourth all-time in playoff games officiated, behind Bill McCreary (297), Don Koharski (266), and Kerry Fraser (254).
On the lines, the active leader for playoff games is Brad Kovachik (200), who’s not working this postseason. He’s trailed by Jonny Murray (196), Scott Cherrey (161), Steve Barton (157), and Matt MacPherson (118). Murray is poised to move into a tie with Kovachik this round, as he, Cherrey, and MacPherson are still working this postseason.
Playoff Salaries
Officials get paid per round in the postseason, with referees earning $27,000 and linespersons $17,250. Standby referees earn $1000 for being on call, with an increase to $2,750 if they get into the game; linespersons on standby pick up a $650 check which bumps to $1,775 if they take the ice.
As in previous seasons, the league cuts down on the pool of officials after each round of the playoffs.
Congratulations to the NHL officials selected to work the conference semi-finals of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs!
Here’s who worked the opening round:
