A few weeks ago in Buffalo, New York, under the auspices of the IIHF’s Officiating Manager Danny Kurmann, referees and linesmen from the international hockey world and NHL met in preparation for the blended officiating that will be part of the Milano Cortina Olympics on the men’s side next February.
One of those men was Jake Davis, an American linesman who has worked IIHF tournaments for the last decade, most recently the 2025 World Championship (including the bronze-medal game) and the 2025 World Juniors (gold-medal game).
“It was a blend of IIHF officials and NHL officials,” he explained. “It was a three-day camp, and the priority was to get to know both sides. A lot of us haven’t met each other, so just to make those connections, get to know them, their routines, how they work, is really important. The goal is that we are all together as one unit when it comes to the Olympics.”
Blended officiating is nothing new, but it isn’t recent either. The last time officials from both sides of the Atlantic worked together was at the 2014 Olympics. Many new faces have come up through the system since then, so a camp only makes sense.
“We also had some classroom sessions, to go through videos, know what the standards will be in February because the NHL and IIHF have slightly different standards, but we’re close. We just want to be sure we’re unified,” David added.
Indeed, the IIHF and NHL rule books have become closer in language and nuance in the last few years, but there are still differences that need to be addressed and understood. “When it comes to restraining fouls, stick fouls, things like that, it’s pretty much the same,” Davis continued. “The videos we watched were on things like, what constitutes a minor versus a major penalty, what is a boarding versus a major or no penalty. The discussion was mostly about the physical fouls, and making sure we’re aligned. The tournament is so short, so every game is important. And we discussed if we are going to give a player a game misconduct, that’s a lot of the tournament, so we want the coaches and players to know the standard.”
The NHL has its own methodology for assessing its officials and nominating them for the Olympics, but at the IIHF the process was given a name over the last season—Road to Milan—so that all referees and linesmen could prepare and train in the same way.
“We had the Olympic qualifiers and the World Juniors, and we were evaluated at those events to determine who would be selected,” Davis noted. “Six of us got selected. It was a virtual call with all of the officiating coaches, and they told me I was in, which was awesome. It’s something I’ve been working on for ten years. It was definitely satisfying. You put in all that effort, and now it’s time for the big stage.”
Being named to the roster of officials elicits many emotions. On the one hand, you are proud for being singled out among the IIHF family of officials; on the other hand, it is an enormous personal accomplishment.
“Being named gives me a chance to reflect on the years I’ve put in, the time I’ve spent away from the family. Officials are gone pretty much every weekend, and when I was younger it was sometimes weeks at a time,” Davis said with humility and pride. “All that time put in, I just reflect on all the people who were my mentors, who supported me throughout the years. A lot of people helped me along the way. It was a group effort, and I learned from a lot of very experienced officials. It’s a tribute to them as well.”
IIHF Officials nominated for Milano Cortina 2026 (men)
Referees
Andris Ansons, LAT
Michael Campbell, CAN
Christopher Holm, SWE
Michael Holm, SWE
Jan Hribik, CZE
Sean MacFarlane, USA
Andre Schrader, GER
Linesmen
Albert Ankerstjerne, DEN
Nick Briganti, USA
Jake Davis, USA
Onni Hautamaki, FIN
Daniel Hynek, CZE
Tarrington Wyonzek, CAN