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ECHL Officials Work NHL Preseason Rookie Contests

September 9, 2008 - ECHL (ECHL) News Release


PRINCETON, N.J. - The ECHL announced that the National Hockey League has recognized several ECHL officials by selecting them to work preseason rookie games.

"The ECHL is pleased that the National Hockey League is turning to ECHL Officials and having them participate in NHL functions when the opportunity presents itself," said ECHL Director of Officiating Bryan Lewis. "This speaks to the caliber of officials used in the ECHL.

"This also speaks to the close working relationship with the junior development programs specifically the USA Hockey Junior Development Program, the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, the Ontario Hockey League and the Western Hockey League."

Referees Francis Charron, David Lewis, Jean Hebert and Patrick Smith and linesman Michael Hamilton will all be working the rookie tournament at the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium in Kitchener, Ontario from Sept. 13-15. The round-robin tournament is hosted by the Florida Panthers and includes the Ottawa Senators, the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Referees Shane Warschaw and Joe Sullivan and linesmen Wally Lacroix, Todd Owen and Shane Rensmon will work the Sept. 16 game between rookies from the Anaheim Ducks and the San Jose Sharks at the Orleans Arena.

Warschaw and Steve Patafie have been chosen to work regular season games in the Japan Professional Hockey League. The two were selected after attending the USA Hockey/International Ice Hockey Federation Officiating Clinic in Lake Placid, N.Y. during the offseason.

Referee Andy Thiessen and linesman Rob Fay will work the NHL prospect tournament at Center ICE in Traverse City, Mich. from Sept. 12-17. The tournament features prospects from the Atlanta Thrashers, the Columbus Blue Jackets, the Dallas Stars, the Detroit Red Wings, the Minnesota Wild, the New York Rangers, the St. Louis Blues and the Tampa Bay Lightning.

There are 18 former ECHL officials scheduled to work as part of the NHL officiating team in 2008-09 with referees David Banfield, Chris Ciamaga, Ghislain Hebert, Mike Leggo, Wes McCauley, Dean Morton, Dan O'Rourke, Brian Pochmara, Kevin Pollock, Kyle Rehman, Chris Rooney, Justin St. Pierre, Ian Walsh and Dean Warren and linesmen Steve Barton, Brian Mach, Tim Nowak and Jay Sharrers. Barton, Leggo, McCauley, Nowak, Pollock, Rooney and Sharrers all worked the 2008 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Former ECHL coaches working as head coaches in the NHL are Bruce Boudreau of the Washington Capitals, at Scott Gordon of the New York Islanders and at Peter Laviolette of the Carolina Hurricanes. Boudreau, who coached Mississippi for three seasons winning the Kelly Cup championship in 1999, was named NHL Coach of the Year in 2007-08 becoming the first former ECHL coach to receive the award. Laviolette, who began his coaching career with the Wheeling Nailers, led Carolina Hurricanes to the Stanley Cup in 2006. There are 15 assistant coaches in the NHL who were players or coaches in the ECHL.

The Premier 'AA' Hockey League has affiliations with 26 of the 30 teams in the NHL, marking the 12th consecutive season that the league has had affiliations with at least 20 teams in the NHL. There have been 355 former ECHL players who have gone on to play in the NHL after playing in the ECHL, including a record 47 in 2005-06 and 26 in 2006-07 and 2007-08.

The ECHL is represented for the eighth consecutive year on the National Hockey League championship team in 2008 by at Aaron Downey of the Detroit Red Wings.

ECHL
The ECHL celebrated its 20th Anniversary in 2007-08 and is the third-longest tenured professional hockey league behind only the National Hockey League and the American Hockey League.

The Premier 'AA' Hockey League began in 1988-89 with five teams in four states and has grown to be a coast-to-coast league that will play with 23 teams in 16 states and British Columbia in 2008-09.

The league officially changed its name to ECHL on May 19, 2003.

The ECHL has affiliations with 26 of the 29 teams in the American Hockey League in 2007-08 and for the past 19 years there has been an ECHL player on the Calder Cup champion.

In the last six seasons the ECHL has had more call ups to the AHL than all other professional leagues combined with over 2,300 call ups involving more than 1,200 players. In each of the last three seasons there have been more than 225 players who have played in both the ECHL and the AHL in the same season.

Further information on the ECHL is available from its website at ECHL.com.

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The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.


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