Promotions
Referee Beau Halkidis (#22, previously #48)
Halkidis, 32, has been working in the AHL and NHL since making his National Hockey League debut in 2019. He’s officiated 184 NHL games. He jumps to #22 – previously worn by Ghislain Hebert – after wearing #48.
Referee Stephen Hiff (#33, previously #46)
Hiff, who hails from Cambridge, Ontario, has worked 67 NHL games since making his debut in 2024. The 32-year-old moves to #33, most recently worn by Kevin Pollock prior to his unexpected retirement.
Linesperson Dylan Blujus (#57)
Blujus, a former Tampa Bay Lightning draft pick, joined the NHL last season after a pro career in the AHL and ECHL followed by a season in stripes in the AHL before splitting last season between the AHL and NHL. The Amherst, NY, native, 32, has manned the lines for 49 NHL games, having made his league debut last October.
Linesperson Jeremy Faucher (#97)
Faucher was hired by the NHL last season after an officiating career that saw him wearing the stripes in the QMJHL and AHL. His NHL debut came at Islanders vs. Bruins last season; he’s gone on to work 56 regular season NHL games.
New Hires – Full-Time
The remaining full-time position will be filled by Anthony Lapointe.
Linesperson Anthony Lapointe (#63)
The 27-year-old Montreal native goes right to full-time in the National Hockey League after four seasons of professional officiating. From the NHLOA:
After concluding his junior playing career in 2021, Lapointe began officiating with Hockey Québec and quickly advanced through the Hockey Canada Officiating Program. His development earned invitations to the NHL Officiating Exposure Combine in both 2022 and 2023.
Lapointe’s early career included assignments at several of Hockey Canada’s premier events, including the 2022 Junior A Challenge, the 2023 Centennial Cup, the 2024 TELUS Cup, and the 2026 USports National Championship. Internationally, he represented Hockey Canada at the 2023 IIHF U20 Division II Group A World Championship and the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship, where he was selected to officiate the Gold Medal Game.
Prior to joining the NHL, Lapointe officiated in the American Hockey League (AHL), ECHL, Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), and the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL). He was also selected to work the Calder Cup Finals in consecutive seasons before earning a full-time position with the NHL.
Lapointe recently spoke with Hockey Canada about his officiating career.
New Hires – Part-Time
Joining the league in a part-time capacity will be referees Nick Isaacson, Austin Rook, and Hayden Verbeek, alongside linespersons Onni Hautamäki and Chris Martenet. The new refs are expected to spend the majority of their time on ice in the American Hockey League, working one or two NHL games this season. The part-time lineys will split time, working 40 games in the NHL and 40 in the AHL.
Referee Nick Isaacson (#46)
After a pro career that included stints with the AHL’s Hershey Bears and the ECHL’s South Carolina Stingrays, Maine Mariners, Jacksonville Icemen, Cincinnati Cyclones, and Allen Americans, former forward Nick Isaacson, 27, made the switch to officiating.
From the NHLOA:
He attended the NHL Officiating Exposure Combine in the summer of 2025 where he discovered a new passion for officiating and quickly embraced the challenge of seeing the game from a different perspective. His performance at the combine earned him the invite to officiate games in the OHA, OHL, ECHL and AHL for the 2025-2026 season. The opportunity ultimately led him to retire from playing and pursue a new career in officiating.
Referee Austin Rook (#48)
Rook, 29, grew up in Massachusetts, playing college hockey at nearby Skidmore College and Long Island University.
Following the conclusion of his playing career, Rook transitioned into officiating in the summer of 2023. Beginning his officiating career in New England, Rook quickly progressed through the ranks, working youth, junior, collegiate, and professional hockey, including assignments in the Southern Professional Hockey League (SPHL).
In August 2024, Rook attended the NHL Officiating Exposure Combine in Buffalo, New York, an opportunity that led to his selection for the American Hockey League (AHL) and East Coast Hockey League (ECHL). Over the next two seasons, he established himself at the professional level, earning assignments in both leagues and culminating in appearances in the 2026 AHL Divisional Finals and the 2026 ECHL Kelly Cup Finals.
Referee Hayden Verbeek (#40)
Verbeek, from Kingston, ON, wrapped up his professional playing career in 2024 after spending time in the AHL, ECHL, and the German Elite League (DEL).
In 2024, Verbeek attended the NHL Officiating Combine, an opportunity that led to his selection to begin working games in the AHL, ECHL, and OHL. His career thus far is highlighted by the 2026 Connor McDavid OHL Top Prospects Game and the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship, where he was one of the officials selected to represent Canada.
And, no, his dad isn’t Pat Verbeek. The “Little Ball of Hate” is his uncle.
Linesperson Onni Hautamäki (#62)
Hautamäki becomes just the second European-trained linesperson to be hired by the NHL, alongside current full-timer Libor Suchanek, and the fourth official, after Russia’s Evgeny Romasko and Sweden’s Marcus Vinnerborg. He’s also the first Finnish official to work in the National Hockey League.
Hautamäki got a taste of what he might expect to see this season, as he worked the 2026 Winter Olympics alongside NHL players and officials. He skated the Gold Medal Game between USA and Canada alongside NHL linesperson Jonny Murray and referees Gord Dwyer and Chris Rooney.
The 30-year-old official has spent the past seven years in stripes in Liiga, the top Finnish league. He also has tons of international experience, including three IIHF World Championships (2023, 2025, 2026), two World Junior Championships (2023, 2025), the 2022 U18 World Championship, and the 2023 Spengler Cup.
Last December, Hautamäki was invited to spend a week working AHL games in Canada. Seems like it went well, as he’ll be working 40 games in the NHL and 40 games in the AHL for the 2026-27 season.
Linesperson Chris Martenet (#78)
Indianapolis native Chris Martenet, 29, had an amazing run in junior hockey as part of the London Knights club that won the OHL Cup, Robertson Cup, and Memorial Cup, playing alongside teammates Mitch Marner, Matthew Tkachuk, Evan Bouchard, and Robert Thomas. He went on to play professionally in the AHL and ECHL, as well as in Europe.
From the NHLOA:
After concluding his playing career in 2025, Martenet transitioned into officiating. He began his officiating career as a linesman, working games in the OHL and AHL. Drawing on more than a decade of experience as a professional player, Martenet brings a strong understanding of the game, professional-level experience and a player’s perspective to his work on the ice.
The former blueliner – drafted 103rd overall by the Dallas Stars in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft – will now be working the bluelines in the AHL and NHL this season.
Ontario Hockey League Director of Officiating Conrad Haché spoke about having three of his officials — Isaacson, Martenet, and Verbeek — moving up to the NHL.
“To have three former OHL players earn NHL officiating contracts is an outstanding accomplishment for Nick, Hayden and Chris, and a proud moment for our program,” said Haché. “They understood the game at a high level as players and have put in an incredible amount of work to learn a completely different side of it as officials. Their progression shows there is another meaningful path in hockey after a playing career ends, and we’re proud that the OHL could play a role in preparing all three for this opportunity.”
They’ll all see the ice during the preseason. Expect the linespersons to make their regular season debuts early in the season, with refs Isaacson, Rook, and Verbeek working their first games in late March or early April.
Congratulations to the promotions and new hires joining the National Hockey League officiating team for the 2026-27 season!
