The Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League (VIJHL) is sending some serious officiating talent to the big stage this summer – and they’re packing Island pride in their carry-ons.
Referee Keagan Abbott and linesmen Tyler Pang, Sasha Perron, Aiden Small, and Matt Williams have all been tapped to attend the NHL Officiating Exposure Combine in Buffalo, N.Y., running Aug. 14-17.
It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity – and the largest group of VIJHL officials ever invited to the event.
In total, 12 officials from across the British Columbia Hockey League system will make the trip – and five of them are coming straight from the VIJHL, which operates as an independent partner league.
The combine is a four-day gauntlet of on-ice and off-ice testing, designed to push young officials and identify who might be ready to take the next step toward the game’s highest levels.
Leading the Island contingent is Abbott, the lone referee in the group, who hails from Powell River. He made the jump to full-time officiating this season and wasted no time making an impression, earning the assignment for Game 7 of the VIJHL final.
Small and Williams, both Victoria products, also drew key roles throughout the post-season.
Pang, another Victoria native who previously suited up for both the Victoria Cougars and Peninsula Panthers, and Perron, from Sooke, bring a player’s eye to the officiating world, with both having competed at the university level.
“We are so proud to have five of our officials getting a chance to learn firsthand from the NHL,” VIJHL chair Shawn Vincent said. “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.”
The combine also offers a front-row seat to NHL expectations – and a chance for scouts to see who rises to the occasion.
Carl Poole, the VIJHL’s director of officiating and player safety, said the nods are a direct reflection of a season spent grinding.
“I am extremely proud of the development of these officials and great opportunities that are ahead of them with the NHL Officiating Combine,” Poole said. “It has been a pleasure to work closely with these officials and see their tremendous growth, hard work and dedication to the game.”
Poole has worked closely with BCHL vice-president of hockey operations Brad Lazarowich – a longtime NHL official – to help make opportunities like this possible.
“Through our relationships with the NHL, 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,” Lazarowich said.
Come August, the focus shifts to Buffalo, where five VIJHL officials will skate, sweat and compete for a shot at the pro ranks – and take another step forward for Island hockey.
