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declining pool of officials in various youth sports across the country has associations and administrators looking for ways to engage prospective officials and increase registra- tions and retention. To address the issue, a trio of Minnesota- based organizations—Minnesota Hockey, the Minnesota Hockey Officials Association and the Minnesota Wild—have come together to help bolster the officiating ranks in the State of Hockey. The result of their partnership is the annual Level 1 Hockey Referee Seminar & Clinic, held most recently on September 29 at the Wild's facilities in St. Paul. "Of all the events we host, this may be one of the easiest to execute because everyone is so willing to participate, and it's also very impactful," said Wayne Petersen, Senior Director, Community Relations & Hockey Partnerships for the Wild, which, in addi- tion to this event, has introduced several programs over the years to recognize and humanize officials. "We are all about sup- porting community-based youth hockey and want to keep what we have here because it's very special." LEARN FROM THE BEST The event provides newcomers the oppor- tunity to get a taste of being an ice hockey official while completing their USA Hockey Level 1 Seminar. Participants also had the opportunity to skate at TRIA Rink, hear directly from National Hockey League offi- cials and attend the Minnesota Wild pre- season game versus the Dallas Stars at Xcel Energy Center later that night. "My favorite part of the day is when the NHL officials who were working the game that night came and talked to the group," said Petersen. "The attendees could hear directly from people who are at the very top of the profession and get advice from them, and then later see them in action." ALL SMILES, ALL AGES According to MHOA President Tod Plackner, this year's event was another huge success, with more than 100 attendees, mostly boys and girls and some adults, ranging in age from 10 years old all the way to 61. "We started at 8 a.m. with introductions and went through the basics in a class- room experience and also on-ice sessions at TRIA Rink," said Plackner. "We throw a lot at them. They'll do drills for new offi- cials, such as positioning for offsides, icing drills, dropping the puck, penalty calling drills and also skating mechanics. A lot of people came up and thanked us afterwards. I don't think anyone left without a smile on their face." It was Petersen who both conceptualized and helped bring to life the inaugural event in 2018. He's seen participation numbers increase each year (with the exception of 2020 and 2021, when the event was not held due to COVID). "We were aware that the number of play- ers was going up and the number of refer- ees was going down, and games were get- ting canceled as a result," Petersen said. "I thought there was something we could do to address this, so we met with Minnesota Hockey and MHOA and put together the first event, and it was a big success. We're super excited to be able to play a small part in 'skating it forward' and getting more officials involved in the game." IT TAKES A VILLAGE Building up the pool of officials in Minnesota —and increasing retention of officials after their first year—will likely remain key areas of focus for the foreseeable future. It's a critical issue, and one Plackner says takes a village. "While the number of registered officials here has been on a positive trend, we lose about 50% of our Level 1 officials every year, so we need to continuously recruit and build up the numbers," said Plackner. "Our goal is to promote officiating, get kids involved and also work on development. We want to put good officials out there and help them get to the next level." That these three organizations could come together to create what has become— by all accounts—a now turnkey and well- received event, and currently the only in-person USA Hockey seminar in Minnesota and 1 of approximately 6 in the U.S., speaks to the level of commitment and dedication of the leadership in Minnesota's hockey community. Plackner said he hopes to see even more get involved next year. "It's such an awesome event; people should mark it on their calendars," Plackner said. "One thing people don't think about is that the people you meet on your journey to becoming an official actually become your very best friends in life. You don't realize it until later. I have close friends that are 25 and also those that are 75 that are still involved in the game. It's been that way since I started." N O V / D E C 2 0 2 4 | M H J ON L I N E . C O M 23 Photos / Minnesota Wild A We throw a lot at them. They'll do drills for new officials, such as positioning for offsides, icing drills, dropping the puck, penalty calling drills and also skating mechanics. A lot of people came up and thanked us afterwards. I don't think anyone left without a smile on their face." –Tod Plackner, MHOA President More than 100 attendees, aged 10-61, showed up to the Level 1 Hockey Referee Seminar and Clinic on Sept. 29.