We’re down to the final four teams… and the sweet sixteen officials. Here are the 8 NHL referees and 8 NHL linespersons chosen to work the Conference Finals of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs:
Referees
Francis Charron, Gord Dwyer, Jean Hebert, Wes McCauley, Garrett Rank, Chris Rooney, Graham Skilliter, and Kelly Sutherland.
Out from Round 2: Trevor Hanson, Pierre Lambert, T.J. Luxmore, Kyle Rehman
First-Timers: Graham Skilliter
Linespersons
Devin Berg, Scott Cherrey, Ryan Daisy, Ryan Gibbons, Trent Knorr, Matt MacPherson, Jesse Marquis, and Bevan Mills
Out from Round 2: Shandor Alphonso, Julien Fournier, Kiel Murchison, and James Tobias
First-Timers: Jesse Marquis
Splitting Pairs
Two ref pairs saw both officials advance: Rooney/Skilliter and Dwyer/Charron. Refs Chris Rooney and Graham Skilliter will stick together in the Conference Finals, while everyone else will get new partners: Dwyer with Sutherland, Rank with Hebert, and Charron with McCauley.
On the lines, the pairinga of Cherrey/Marquis and Gibbons/Knorr remain intact in Round 3. New duos are Berg with Daisy and MacPherson with Mills.
None of the second round pairs – refs or lines – had both officials miss the cut.
Are You Experienced?
Only two officials – referee Graham Skilliter and linesperson Jesse Marquis – are making their first trips to the Conference Finals. Skilliter has twice made it to round 2, while Marquis worked Round 2 for the first time this postseason.
Referee Kelly Sutherland has worked the most conference finals (15); he’s trailed by Wes McCauley (14), Chris Rooney (12), Scott Cherrey (10), Matt MacPherson (8), Gord Dwyer (7), Jean Hebert (7), Francis Charron (6), Ryan Gibbons (6), Devin Berg (5), Ryan Daisy (4), Trent Knorr (3), Bevan Mills (3), and Garrett Rank (3).
Career Numbers
Kelly Sutherland leads all active referees in playoff games worked (261*), ahead of Wes McCauley (231*), Dan O’Rourke (215), Eric Furlatt (195), and Chris Rooney (192*). Wes McCauley leads all active refs in Stanley Cup Final appearances (11) and is tied with Sutherland for the most 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 Jonny Murray (207). He’s followed by Scott Cherrey (183*), Steve Barton (157), and Matt MacPherson (134*).
* Still active in the 2026 playoffs
Playoff Salaries
Officials get paid per round in the postseason, with referees earning $31,000 and linespersons $19,500. 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 will cut down on the pool of officials after each round of the playoffs.
The NHL officials selected to work the opening round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs:
