New Officials

Interested in becoming an on-ice official? Here is what you need to get your officiating career started.

The Hockey Canada Officiating Program (HCOP) offers the opportunity for participants of all ages to be involved in the game beyond playing. By following the levels of development, along with hard work and dedication, officials can find fulfillment in the form of advancement while making the game safe, fair and fun for all participants.

The Officiating Pathway is the foundation for the training, development and advancement for all officials across Canada. Hockey Canada has categorized the hockey played in Canada into five basic streams, each with different priorities. They include:

• Introduction
• Recreational
• Competitive
• High Performance
• Adult Recreational

The Hockey Canada Officiating Pathway has been developed to address the following components of the program at both the Member and national levels:

• Be inclusive and gender neutral
• Defining a process to allow individuals to join the system at the appropriate level
• Providing equal opportunities for officials of the same skill level
• Developing a national standard that is adhered to by Members
• Building flexibility into a linear system

For more detail on how to begin your officiating career please reach out to the Assistant Referee-in-Chief for Hockey Eastern Ontario, your District Referee-in-Chief (see below), or local hockey association Referee-in-Chief.

Download the Officiating Pathway Document

Referees-in-Chief (RICs)

Hockey Eastern Ontario (the Branch) governs and oversees ten (10) districts within its boundaries.

Please reach out to your district RIC for more information on becoming an official. If you are unsure which district you would fall under, please use the HEO Hockey Association tool by typing your address into the locator.

If you know which district you fall under, you can locate the RIC's information below: