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Ernst Promoted To ECHL Director Of Officiating

Published on July 6, 2009 under ECHL (ECHL) News Release


PRINCETON, N.J. - The ECHL announced that Joe Ernst has been promoted to director of officiating replacing Bryan Lewis, who will remain with the league as a consultant.

Ernst will be responsible for all aspects of the officiating department, including the recruitment, training, supervision and scheduling of on-ice officials, as well as the administration of rules and directives.

"We thank Bryan for his leadership in elevating the ECHL officiating staff to an important part of a young official's path to the National Hockey League," said Rod Pasma, ECHL Senior Vice President of Hockey Operations. "Joe has tutored under Bryan for the past two years and has gained valuable knowledge to make this transition seamless. His on-ice background and first-hand experience of the inner workings of management make him an ideal person to lead our officiating department into the next chapter of our history."

Ernst has worked the last two seasons as assistant director of officiating following 16 seasons as an on-ice official in the Premier 'AA' Hockey League. He also worked in the American Hockey League and the original International Hockey League, including the Calder Cup Playoffs and the Turner Cup Playoffs. He was a member of the National Hockey League official trainees program for seven years, including working three NHL preseason games.

"I would like to thank Bryan Lewis for all that he has done to prepare me for this opportunity. Being able to work with him for the last two seasons has been a very valuable and needed learning experience," said Ernst. "I would also like to thank everyone at Oglebay Resort who I have worked with for the last eight years."

Born in Hamburg, N.Y., Ernst worked the ECHL playoffs for 16 consecutive years and officiated more than 200 postseason games, including the Kelly Cup Finals from 2002-07 and the Riley Cup Finals in 1993, 1994 and 1995. He refereed more than 1,000 regular season games in the ECHL and in 1999 was selected as the referee for the ECHL All-Star Game.

Lewis was director of officiating for the 2007-08 and 2008-09 seasons after working as a consultant in 2006-07 and 2005-06. He will continue to assist with the administration of training camp, recruiting and rules and directives as well as working in a supervisory capacity.

Premier 'AA' Hockey League Fast Facts
- 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.
- ECHL began in 1988-89 with five teams in four states and has grown to be a coast-to-coast league with 20 teams in 15 states and British Columbia in 2009-10.
- The league officially changed its name from East Coast Hockey League to ECHL on May 19, 2003.
- ECHL had affiliations with 24 of the 30 teams in the National Hockey League in 2008-09 marking the 12th consecutive year for affiliations with at least 20 teams in the NHL.
- 407 former ECHL players have played in NHL.
- 151 former ECHL players have played their first NHL game in the last four seasons.
- Record 52 former ECHL players made their NHL debut in 2008-09 and eight players played in both the ECHL and the NHL: goaltenders Matt Climie (Idaho and Dallas), Riku Helenius (Elmira, Mississippi and Tampa Bay), Michal Neuvirth (South Carolina and Washington) and Marek Schwarz (Alaska and St. Louis), defensemen Wes O'Neill (Johnstown and Colorado), Raymond Macias (Johnstown and Colorado) and Kevin Quick (Augusta, Elmira and Tampa Bay) and right wing Joel Rechlicz (Utah and New York Islanders).
- There were 72 former ECHL players on NHL opening-day rosters.
- ECHL has been represented on last nine Stanley Cup champions including 2009 with Pittsburgh Penguins head coach Dan Bylsma, player Ruslan Fedotenko, equipment managers Dana Heinze and Dave Zeigler, athletic trainers Chris Stewart and Scott Adams and scout Derek Clancey.
- Former ECHL coaches working as head coaches in the NHL are Bruce Boudreau of the Washington Capitals and Scott Gordon of the New York Islanders while former ECHL player Dan Bylsma is the head coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins. 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. Peter 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.
- Eighteen former ECHL officials worked in the NHL in 2008-09 with referees David Banfield, Chris Ciamaga, Ghislain Hebert, Marc Joannette, Mike Leggo, Wes McCauley, Dean Morton, Dan O'Rourke, Brian Pochmara, Kevin Pollock, Kyle Rehman, Chris Rooney, Justin St. Pierre and Ian Walsh and linesmen Steve Barton, Brian Mach, Tim Nowak and Jay Sharrers. Barton, Joannette, Leggo, McCauley, Nowak, Pollock, Rooney and Sharrers all worked the 2008 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
- ECHL has affiliations with 23 of the 29 teams in the American Hockey League and for the past 20 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 2,500 call-ups involving more than 1,300 players since 2002-03.
- Further information on the ECHL is available from its website at ECHL.com.

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