Austrian referee Andreas Huber is working his first top-level IIHF event in Frisco.
photo: Micheline Veluvolu/IIHF
Andreas Huber is not your typical referee. The affable and smooth-skating caller of penalties and signaller of goals comes from Austria, a country that is not in the top level of any IIHF tournament this season. Yet here he is, in Frisco for the U18, the only member of the officiating crew not from one of the ten competing nations. That in itself says a lot.
On top of that, he is only the fifth Austrian ever to referee at the Men’s U18 after Kristijan and Manuel Nikolic, Christian Ofner, and Ladislav Smetana.
So how did he get here? Sports-wise, Austria is known for skiing and football, and despite Innsbruck being host nation of the 1976 Olympic Winter Games, hockey is way down the list of most popular sports in the country.
“My family is a hockey family,” Huber, 27, explained. “I have two brothers who also play hockey. One is still a professional. Mario. He played for Austria the last two Men's Worlds. Number 96. I grew up in Innsbruck and that's where I fell in love with hockey.”
Like almost all top officials, Andreas wanted to be a player, but injuries cut that dream short. “I gave pro a try, but it didn't work out. I needed two surgeries on my shoulder. I wanted to stay involved with hockey, and so I looked into officiating. I started with junior games, kids games, and after two years I made it to the pro level in Austria, and after two more years I started working in the DEL in Germany. So I'm really fortunate to work there."
To move up from kids hockey to pro hockey in Germany so quickly speaks to Huber’s skills. He has the tools; now, he needs the experience, and he’s getting that with each passing day and week and month.
“The DEL is a very high level of play, one of the best leagues in Europe," he noted. "It's a great chance to be on the ice with really good players. I also did some Champions Hockey League games this year. It's a pretty big privilege for me to be here now and spending time with top referees and learning from them every day.”
Of course, Huber knows the U18 is big for the players, but it is also a critical stepping stone for the referees and linespeople. “It's a big tournament for the players who want to get to the NHL,” he continued, “but it's also an important development tournament for us. We also want to go to the next level, World Juniors or World Men's. But it depends on what we do here. Our performance must be good, and our learning progress must be good.”
Before you can move up, before you learn the rule book and get the top assignments, the first thing you need is good skating skills, and Huber feels good about that part of his game. “I think skating is my biggest asset,” he offered. “Everywhere I have worked, I think I have shown I'm a pretty good skater, and I'm confident about that and my positioning. It comes down to the details. Managing the game, game flow. I did 70 pro games this year before coming here, and the flow is just different. It's tough to go from pro to junior, where here they might do things pro players wouldn't do. It's an adjustment, but I trust myself.”
For an Austrian to get to the top, he must be supported by his own country’s federation, and that starts with the proper qualifications. “I got my A license this year from my country, and then the DEL was also important,” he continued. “I think if I didn't have that experience, I wouldn't be here. Lars Bruggemann in the DEL and Tom Kowal in Austria have helped me out a lot. Danny [Kurmann, IIHF Officiating Manager] saw me at the Continental Cup finals this year, and that was also important for me getting here.”
So Mario Huber plays in the DEL and brother Andreas refs there. Have their paths crossed on ice? Yes. Many times.
“A week ago, his team won the finals in a sweep, their fourth title in a row,” Andreas said with a smile. “I was on the ice for the first and fourth games. It was a big deal with the media at home, and I got a lot of attention for that, but it was big for me to work a finals. But by now I've worked about 30 or 40 games when my brother has been playing, so it’s not a big deal.
Have you ever called a penalty on him?
"Sure."
Over and above that, Huber enjoys the democratic approach the IIHF takes, and he hopes to continue to learn, improve, and move up.
“I'm really proud of working in the IIHF system," he said. "It doesn't matter where you come from; you get the same chance. It's just performance based.”
On top of that, he is only the fifth Austrian ever to referee at the Men’s U18 after Kristijan and Manuel Nikolic, Christian Ofner, and Ladislav Smetana.
So how did he get here? Sports-wise, Austria is known for skiing and football, and despite Innsbruck being host nation of the 1976 Olympic Winter Games, hockey is way down the list of most popular sports in the country.
“My family is a hockey family,” Huber, 27, explained. “I have two brothers who also play hockey. One is still a professional. Mario. He played for Austria the last two Men's Worlds. Number 96. I grew up in Innsbruck and that's where I fell in love with hockey.”
Like almost all top officials, Andreas wanted to be a player, but injuries cut that dream short. “I gave pro a try, but it didn't work out. I needed two surgeries on my shoulder. I wanted to stay involved with hockey, and so I looked into officiating. I started with junior games, kids games, and after two years I made it to the pro level in Austria, and after two more years I started working in the DEL in Germany. So I'm really fortunate to work there."
To move up from kids hockey to pro hockey in Germany so quickly speaks to Huber’s skills. He has the tools; now, he needs the experience, and he’s getting that with each passing day and week and month.
“The DEL is a very high level of play, one of the best leagues in Europe," he noted. "It's a great chance to be on the ice with really good players. I also did some Champions Hockey League games this year. It's a pretty big privilege for me to be here now and spending time with top referees and learning from them every day.”
Of course, Huber knows the U18 is big for the players, but it is also a critical stepping stone for the referees and linespeople. “It's a big tournament for the players who want to get to the NHL,” he continued, “but it's also an important development tournament for us. We also want to go to the next level, World Juniors or World Men's. But it depends on what we do here. Our performance must be good, and our learning progress must be good.”
Before you can move up, before you learn the rule book and get the top assignments, the first thing you need is good skating skills, and Huber feels good about that part of his game. “I think skating is my biggest asset,” he offered. “Everywhere I have worked, I think I have shown I'm a pretty good skater, and I'm confident about that and my positioning. It comes down to the details. Managing the game, game flow. I did 70 pro games this year before coming here, and the flow is just different. It's tough to go from pro to junior, where here they might do things pro players wouldn't do. It's an adjustment, but I trust myself.”
For an Austrian to get to the top, he must be supported by his own country’s federation, and that starts with the proper qualifications. “I got my A license this year from my country, and then the DEL was also important,” he continued. “I think if I didn't have that experience, I wouldn't be here. Lars Bruggemann in the DEL and Tom Kowal in Austria have helped me out a lot. Danny [Kurmann, IIHF Officiating Manager] saw me at the Continental Cup finals this year, and that was also important for me getting here.”
So Mario Huber plays in the DEL and brother Andreas refs there. Have their paths crossed on ice? Yes. Many times.
“A week ago, his team won the finals in a sweep, their fourth title in a row,” Andreas said with a smile. “I was on the ice for the first and fourth games. It was a big deal with the media at home, and I got a lot of attention for that, but it was big for me to work a finals. But by now I've worked about 30 or 40 games when my brother has been playing, so it’s not a big deal.
Have you ever called a penalty on him?
"Sure."
Over and above that, Huber enjoys the democratic approach the IIHF takes, and he hopes to continue to learn, improve, and move up.
“I'm really proud of working in the IIHF system," he said. "It doesn't matter where you come from; you get the same chance. It's just performance based.”