ECHL Officials to Officiate at NHL Prospects Tournament in Traverse City
Published on September 8, 2011 under ECHL (ECHL) News Release
PRINCETON, N.J. - The ECHL announced on Thursday that 11 on-ice officials, along with Director of Officiating Joe Ernst, will work during the 2011 NHL Prospects Tournament in Traverse City, Mich. from Sept. 10-14.
Debuting in 1988 with four teams, the NHL Prospects Tournament has expanded to now include eight clubs - Buffalo Sabres, Carolina Hurricanes, Columbus Blue Jackets, Dallas Stars, Detroit Red Wings, Minnesota Wild, New York Rangers and St. Louis Blues. Teams are divided into two divisions for a three-day round robin tournament, then ranked by their win-loss records for final placement in seventh, fifth, third and Championship games on the final day.
ECHL Director of Officiating Joe Ernst will be responsible for the selection and scheduling of the officials for each game of the tournament. The officiating staff for the tournament includes six referees and five linesmen who will work in the ECHL during the 2011-12 season.
"It is an honor for the ECHL, myself and our officiating staff to be working such a well-respected tournament as Traverse City," Ernst said. "It will provide our officials excellent experience going into the season as these players are competing for roster spots with their respective NHL clubs. It also allows me to be able to spend time teaching our officials and spend time with them prior to our training camp and season."
ECHL officials who will work during the Prospects Tournament include referees Tom Chmielewski (1st season with ECHL), Fred Leblanc (3rd season with ECHL), T.J. Luxmore (3rd season with ECHL), Geoff Miller (1st season with ECHL), Ryan Murphy (3rd season with ECHL) and Andy Thackaberry (1st season with ECHL) as well as linesmen Jake Brenk (1st season with ECHL), Joe Demizio (1st season with ECHL), Jean Menard (1st season with ECHL), Mike Sheehan (2nd season with ECHL) and Francis Trempe (2nd season with ECHL).
There are 22 former ECHL officials scheduled to work as part of the NHL officiating team in 2011-12 with referees David Banfield, Francis Charron, Ghislain Hebert, Jean Hebert, Marc Joannette, Mike Leggo, Wes McCauley, Dean Morton, Dan O'Rourke, Brian Pochmara, Kevin Pollock, Kyle Rehman, Chris Rooney, Graham Skilliter, Justin St. Pierre and Ian Walsh, and linesmen Steve Barton, Brian Mach, Matt MacPherson, Tim Nowak, Bryan Pancich and Jay Sharrers.
Barton, Joannette, McCauley, Nowak, O'Rourke, Pochmara, Pollock, Rooney, Sharrers and Walsh all worked in the 2011 Stanley Cup Playoffs. O'Rourke and Sharrersworked the Conference Finals and Stanley Cup Final. It was the fifth year in a row that Barton, McCauley, Nowak, Pollock and Sharrers have worked the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
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