How To Become An Official

Follow these steps to become a new official

  1. 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 Official 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.
  2. Register online at USA Hockey. Select the Ice Official (Official) Link and follow the procedure. Note: Your referee number is different than your player or coaching number. With in 10 business days you will receive a rulesbook and information on refereeing.
  3. Complete the Open Book rules exam on line. You will receive information in the E-mail you provided to USA Hockey how to login. It is suggested that you print out the exam and then login once you have the answers to the exam. USA Hockey will send you an E-mail with your results. 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.
  4. If you did not have success in passing the open-book rules exam, you will be given one more chance to take it. Complete again on line. Note the questions will NOT be in the same order as the first exam. You are not fully registered until you have passed the exam.
  5. Contact one or more of the local officiating schedulers in your area. If you don't know who they are, call your Supervisor (The 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!
  6. Skate games, learn as you go and enjoy officiating this fast and exciting game.
  7. Be sure to take advantage of the USA Hockey Officiating Evaluation Program to help you improve your skills.

Follow these steps to renew your registration

  1. 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. Register online at USA Hockey. Select the Ice Official (Referee) Link and follow the procedure. Note: Your referee number is different than your player or coaching number. With in 10 business days you will receive a rulesbook and information on refereeing.
  3. BRING YOUR USH HOCKEY REFEREE NUMBER TO THE SEMINAR TO INSURE YOU ARE PROPERLY LISTED ON THE RESIGTRATION 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. Note: If you don’t bring your referee registration number to the seminar problems may occur and you will not be able to referee until it is resolved.

  4. Complete the Open Book rules exam on line. You will receive information in the E-mail you provided to USA Hockey how to login.
  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. Your registration is valid through November 30 of the following year.

    If you did not have success in passing the open-book rules exam, you will be given one more chance to take it. Complete again on line. Note the questions will NOT be in the same order as the first exam. 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. Continue officiating games at the level you are capable of doing!
  7. 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.