How To Become an Ice Hockey Official

Only people fully registered with USA Hockey can officiate games involving USA Hockey-registered teams and players.

Here are the steps to either become an ice hockey referee for USA Hockey or to continue for another season as a USA Hockey referee:

Step	New Referee	Referee Returning for Another Season
1.	Contact a USA Hockey Supervisor of Officials in your home area for information you will need to become a referee and do it before the end of October of the season you want to officiate. The best time to contact a supervisor is in July and August preceding the hockey season. Once November comes and you have not contacted a Supervisor for information, it is probably too late to become a referee for that season. Try again during the following summer.	Your registration with USA Hockey expires on November 30. If you do not attend a seminar and complete all of the testing for the upcoming season prior to that date, you will not be allowed to officiate any USA Hockey contests from December 1 onward.
2.	Attend a USA Hockey Officiating Seminar anywhere in the country (you do not have to attend one in your home area necessarily). At the seminar, make sure to receive a USA Hockey Referee Application Form. Bring skates, helmet and a whistle as a minimum for the on-ice portion. Also, to receive credit for attending the seminar, make sure that you have signed the official attendance sheet at the end of the seminar.	Your USA Hockey Referee Application is directly mailed to you from Colorado during the month of August. Complete the form promptly and return it with the appropriate fee to Colorado in order to receive your test materials.
3.	Mail in the USA Hockey Referee Application Form along with the appropriate fee directly to USA Hockey in Colorado. You will receive a rule book and open book rules exam directly from Colorado when they receive your form.	Attend a USA Hockey Officiating Seminar anywhere in the country (you do not have to attend one in your home area necessarily). Bring full equipment for the on-ice portion. For levels other than Level 1, be prepared to take a closed-book exam at the seminar. To receive credit for attending the seminar, make sure that you have signed the official attendance sheet at the end of the seminar.
4.	Do the open book rules exam when it comes to you from USA Hockey. Carefully mark the answer sheet. When you are done, mail the answer sheet directly back to USA Hockey in Colorado.	Do the open book rules exam when it comes to you from USA Hockey. Carefully mark the answer sheet. When you are done, mail the answer sheet directly back to USA Hockey in Colorado.
5.	If you have passed the exam and have attended a seminar, you will receive your officiating crest for your sweater and your referee ID card. Place the crest on your officiating sweater. It is at this point that you are now fully registered with USA Hockey and you are covered fully by USA Hockey medical and liability insurance. It is at this point in time that you now may be scheduled to officiate ice hockey games. Your registration is valid through November 30 of the following year. If you have not passed the open-book rules exam, you will be given one more chance to take it. Complete the new answer sheet and mail it in. You are not fully registered until you have passed the exam.	If you have passed the exam and have attended a seminar, you will receive your officiating crest for your sweater and your referee ID card. Place the crest on your officiating sweater. Your registration is valid through November 30 of the following year. If you have not passed the open-book rules exam, you will be given one more chance to take it. Complete the new answer sheet and mail it in. You are not fully registered until you have passed the exam. If you have not passed the closed-book exam for your level, your level will be adjusted downward per the policies of USA Hockey.
6.	Contact one or more of the local officiating schedulers in your area. If you don't know who they are, call your Supervisor (typically, USA Hockey local Supervisors are not the same as the schedulers; the Supervisor can direct you to the people who schedule officials). Sometimes the schedulers are part of a local officiating organization and membership in that organization is required in order to get games. Find out all about the various methods that local scheduling is done. It is up to you to find out! The local schedulers will not come looking for you once you get your materials from USA Hockey!	Continue officiating games at the level you are capable of doing!
7.	Skate games, learn as you go and enjoy officiating this fast and exciting game.	Be sure to take advantage of the USA Hockey Officiating Evaluation Program to help you improve your skills. Level 4 officials insure that your evaluation requirement is always up to date.

If you have any questions along the way, please contact your local USA Hockey Supervisor of Officials.