The NHL’s 2026 preseason is in the books with 65 games and 260 officiating assignments. Seventy-eight of the league’s 84 officials worked at least one game. Six did not.

 

Injured Reserve


Dan O’Rourke #9, Referee 

O’Rourke’s absence comes due to an undisclosed injury that also kept him out for the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs.  The veteran referee worked just 23 games last season, his last on March 2 – including a gap that held him out for the entire month of December.  

Michel Cormier #76, Linesperson

Cormier also missed the 2026 postseason. He suited up for 50 games at a normal pace from October through January, then nothing after January 31.

We now have a clearer picture of what happened. On September 21, Quebec hockey chronicler Claude Loranger reported that Cormier missed the Canadiens-Senators preseason game at Colisée Vidéotron due to knee issues and foot surgery, and that he’ll also miss the NHL’s Global Series games in Finland, which he was scheduled to officiate.  No timeline on his recovery. 

 

Undisclosed Reasons

The following four officials did not take the ice during the preseason; no details are available regarding their absences. 

Devin Berg #87, Linesperson

Berg worked 91 games in 2025-26, the heaviest workload of any linesperson, with his season ending June 11 in the Stanley Cup Final. While he could certainly use some rest, we’d expect some preseason reps.

Matt MacPherson #83, Linesperson

MacPherson is also coming off a busy campaign that included the 2026 Stanley Cup Final as well as the 2026 Olympic tournament in February as one of six NHL linespersons in Milan. That’s a regular season, an Olympics, and a Cup Final in one year. No injury reported; rest is the obvious explanation.

Brian Pochmara #16, Referee

Pochmara’s 2025-26 was unusual. He started the season sidelined with an injury, returning to action in December, then a steady climb to his busiest stretch in March (14 games) and April (9). In between, he worked the Olympic tournament in February.

He finished the season healthy and working, but wasn’t selected for the playoffs and didn’t draw a preseason assignment. 

Mitch Dunning #20, Referee

Dunning worked 55 games in a full, uninterrupted season from October 8 through April 14, with no gaps suggesting injury and no injury reports anywhere. (The much-discussed stretcher incident after his collision with Josh Manson predates all of this.) He wasn’t selected for the 2026 playoffs, and he didn’t get a preseason game. 

 

Here’s hoping we’ll see all six back on NHL ice soon. Get well, stripes!