VIJHL Officials Invited To NHL Combine
PORT ALBERNI – The Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League announced today that 5 of their on-ice league officials have been selected to participate in the National Hockey League’s Officiating Exposure Combine August 14-17 in Buffalo, New York.
This is the highest representation the VIJHL has ever received at this event, and the BCHL, which the VIJHL works in association with as an independent junior hockey league, will be sending 12 officials, including the 5 from the VIJHL.
Referee Keagan Abbott and linesmen Tyler Pang, Sasha Perron, Aiden Small and Matt Williams will represent the VIJHL at the four-day event, which consists of physical on and off-ice testing as well as game action. The combine is designed to give high-level officials increased development opportunities, as well as exposure to the NHL.
“I am extremely proud of the development of these officials and great opportunities that are ahead of them with the NHL Officiating Combine,” says VIJHL Director of Officiating & Player Safety Carl Poole. “It has been a pleasure to work closely with these officials and see their tremendous growth, hard work and dedication to the game.”
Poole works closely with BCHL Vice President of Hockey Operations and head of the league’s Officiating Department Brad Lazarowich, himself a former NHL official, who adds “Through our relationships with the National Hockey League, we are proud to be able to provide our officials with these types of opportunities and look forward to even greater participation in these events in the years to come.”
Abbott began focusing on refereeing this season in the VIJHL and established himself as one of the top referees in the circuit, and worked game seven of the playoff final championship series. Small and Williams both worked in the playoff finals, while Pang and Perron are both former players that have played university and minor pro hockey.
“We are so proud to have five of our officials getting a chance to learn firsthand from the NHL,” says VIJHL Chair Shawn Vincent. “We could see the standard of our officiating increased greatly this year, and our league is all about developing young men so they can reach higher levels in our great sport, so this is a crowning achievement for them and for us.”
