ZURICH – The Champions Hockey League is probably the biggest on-ice officials’ assignment program in European hockey ever. Some 160 officials from 13 countries will be assigned to the 161 CHL games. See below for who will be calling which game during the first two rounds.
by Szymon Szemberg
One of the 160 on-ice officials who will be calling Champions Hockey League games is Marcus Vinnerborg, who also is the lone European who has been an NHL-referee. For two seasons (2010-11 and 2011-12) Vinnerborg worked games in the NHL and in the American Hockey League before returning home to Sweden.
But for this season, which coincides with the launch of the Champions Hockey League, Vinnerborg jumped at an offer from the Swiss National League A which means that he will combine doing Swiss league games and CHL games.
Vinnerborg, who has done six IIHF World Championships (finals in 2007, and 2008) and two Olympic Games, will open his Champions Hockey League campaign on Thursday with EV Zug against SaiPa Lappeenranta and on Saturday it will continue with the super-clash between defending CHL champion ZSC Lions Zurich and Swedish powerhouse Färjestad Karlstad.
The second game will be very interesting for Vinnerborg, as he will be a “Swiss” referee calling a Swedish team.
“I am really looking forward to this new challenge of working in a new country and league and also getting the opportunity to do games in the Champions Hockey League,” said Vinnerborg. “I have always enjoyed calling international games. It is good development and a learning experience, as international games always bring something different if you compare with national league games.”
The CHL On-Ice Official program is headed by Bo Lennartsson, the league’s Sports Director. He will also be in charge of the CHL’s disciplinary program.
“With 44 teams from 12 leagues and 161 games, it has been quite a challenge to make sure that we have officials for each game,” said Lennartsson. “It would not have been possible had we not received such good support from the national leagues and from the IIHF.”
During the 132-game group stage, each game will be officiated by two domestic linesmen, one international and one domestic referee. For the playoffs both referees will be international.
The International Ice Hockey Federation will have part of their regular Referee Exchange Program include CHL games. This means that we will see Russian referees from the KHL doing Champions Hockey League games.
On-Ice Officials assignments for Game Days 1 – 4 (21 – 24 August):
| Day | Date | Time | Group | Home | Guest | Referee | Country | |
| Thursday | 21/08/2014 | 19:30 | A | Kölner Haie | HC Košice | R | Sören Persson | SWE |
| R | Markus Krawinkel | GER | ||||||
| L | Benjamin Hoppe | GER | ||||||
| L | Christoph Hurtik | GER | ||||||
| Thursday | 21/08/2014 | 20:00 | A | Bílí Tygři Liberec | Kärpät Oulu | R | Wolmer Edqvist | SWE |
| R | Martin Fraňo | CZE | ||||||
| L | David Jelinek | CZE | ||||||
| L | Tomáš Pešek | CZE | ||||||
| Thursday | 21/08/2014 | 19:30 | B | Vienna Capitals | Färjestad Karlstad | R | Vladimir Baluska | SVK |
| R | Viktor Trilar | AUT | ||||||
| L | Attila Nagy | AUT | ||||||
| L | Damir Rakovic | AUT | ||||||
| Thursday | 21/08/2014 | 19:45 | B | ZSC Lions Zurich | Vålerenga Oslo | R | Linus Öhlund | SWE |
| R | Stephan Eichman | SUI | ||||||
| L | Roman Kaderli | SUI | ||||||
| L | Andreas Kohler | SUI | ||||||
| Thursday | 21/08/2014 | 19:45 | C | Genève-Servette | Frölunda Gothenburg | R | Vladimír Šindler | CZE |
| R | Didier Massy | SUI | ||||||
| L | Michael Tscherrig | SUI | ||||||
| L | Michael Rohrer | SUI | ||||||
| Thursday | 21/08/2014 | 19:45 | C | Briançon Diables Rouges | Villach SV | R | Lars Bruggeman | GER |
| R | Geoffrey Barcelo | FRA | ||||||
| L | Yann Furet | FRA | ||||||
| L | Margry Gwilherm | FRA | ||||||
| Thursday | 21/08/2014 | 20:05 | D | Djurgården Stockholm | Fribourg-Gottèron | R | Antti Boman | FIN |
| R | Marcus Linde | SWE | ||||||
| L | Fredrik Carlman | SWE | ||||||
| L | Fredrik Altberg | SWE | ||||||
| Thursday | 21/08/2014 | 17:30 | E | Oceláři Třinec | SC Bern | R | Ladislav Smetana | AUT |
| R | Roman Polák | CZE | ||||||
| L | Jiří Gebauer | CZE | ||||||
| L | Vít Lederer | CZE | ||||||
| Thursday | 21/08/2014 | 18:30 | E | Tappara Tampere | Stavanger Oilers | R | Morgan Johansson | SWE |
| R | Aleksi Rantala | FIN | ||||||
| L | Markus Hägerström | FIN | ||||||
| L | Sakari Suominen | FIN | ||||||
| Thursday | 21/08/2014 | 18:30 | G | KalPa Kuopio | Sparta Prague | R | Patrik Sjöberg | SWE |
| R | Timo Metsälä | FIN | ||||||
| L | Samuli Orava | FIN | ||||||
| L | Harri Perämäki | FIN | ||||||
| Thursday | 21/08/2014 | 20:05 | G | Växjö Lakers | Adler Mannheim | R | Stefan Fonselius | FIN |
| R | Mikael Holm | SWE | ||||||
| L | Jimmy Dahmén | SWE | ||||||
| L | Tobias Haster | SWE | ||||||
| Thursday | 21/08/2014 | 17:00 | H | Vítkovice Ostrava | ERC Ingolstadt | R | Daniel Konc | SVK |
| R | Robni Šir | CZE | ||||||
| L | Tomáš Brejcha | CZE | ||||||
| L | Libor Suchánek | CZE | ||||||
| Thursday | 21/08/2014 | 19:45 | H | EV Zug | SaiPa Lappeenranta | R | Mikael Nord | SWE |
| R | Marcus Vinnerborg | SUI | ||||||
| L | Peter Kung | SUI | ||||||
| L | Roger Burgi | SUI | ||||||
| Thursday | 21/08/2014 | 19;30 | J | Krefeld Pinguine | Skellefteå AIK | R | Petri Lindqvist | FIN |
| R | Daniel Piechaczek | GER | ||||||
| L | Andreas Kowert | GER | ||||||
| L | Andre Schrader | GER | ||||||
| Thursday | 21/08/2014 | 20:00 | J | SønderjyskE Vojens | IFK Helsinki | R | Marcus Brill | GER |
| R | Jacob Grumsen | DEN | ||||||
| L | Henrik Haurum | DEN | ||||||
| L | Thomas Andersen | DEN | ||||||
| Friday | 22/08/2014 | 19:30 | D | Eisbären Berlin | PSG Zlín | R | Sören Persson | SWE |
| R | Markus Krawinkel | GER | ||||||
| L | Eugen Berger | GER | ||||||
| L | J-CH Muller | GER | ||||||
| Friday | 22/08/2014 | 18:30 | F | TPS Turku | HC Bolzano | R | Morgan Johansson | SWE |
| R | Jussi Leppänen | FIN | ||||||
| L | Markus Hägerström | FIN | ||||||
| L | Daniel Österholm | FIN | ||||||
| Friday | 22/08/2014 | 20:05 | F | Linköping HC | HC Pardubice | R | Stefan Fonselius | FIN |
| R | Marcus Linde | SWE | ||||||
| L | Henrik Pihlblad | SWE | ||||||
| L | Tobias Haster | SWE | ||||||
| Friday | 22/08/2014 | 18:30 | I | JYP Jyväskylä | Red Bull Salzburg | R | Patrik Sjöberg | SWE |
| R | Timo Metsälä | FIN | ||||||
| L | Samuli Orava | FIN | ||||||
| L | Harri Perämäki | FIN | ||||||
| Friday | 22/08/2014 | 20:05 | I | HV71 Jönköping | Kloten Flyers | R | Antti Boman | FIN |
| R | Mikael Holm | SWE | ||||||
| L | Fredrik Altberg | SWE | ||||||
| L | Ludvig Lundgren | SWE | ||||||
| Friday | 22/08/2014 | 19:00 | K | Nottingham Panthers | Lukko Rauma | R | Shane Warshaw | AUT |
| R | Tom Darnell | GBR | ||||||
| L | Lee Young | GBR | ||||||
| L | Andrew Dalton | GBR | ||||||
| Friday | 22/08/2014 | 19:30 | K | Hamburg Freezers | Luleå HF | R | Manuel Nikolic | AUT |
| R | Bastian Haup | GER | ||||||
| L | Marcus Höfer | GER | ||||||
| L | Andre Schrader | GER | ||||||
| Saturday | 23/08/2014 | 17:30 | A | HC Košice | Kärpät Oulu | R | Wolmer Edqvist | SWE |
| R | Juraj Konc | SVK | ||||||
| L | Martin Korba | SVK | ||||||
| L | Martin Smrek | SVK | ||||||
| Saturday | 23/08/2014 | 17:45 | A | Kölner Haie | Bílí Tygři Liberec | R | Petri Lindqvist | FIN |
| R | Daniel Piechaczek | GER | ||||||
| L | Andreas Kowert | GER | ||||||
| L | Andre Schrader | GER | ||||||
| Saturday | 23/08/2014 | 17:45 | B | Vienna Capitals | Vålerenga Oslo | R | Thomas Berneker | AUT |
| R | Viktor Trilar | AUT | ||||||
| L | Matjaz Hribar | AUT | ||||||
| L | Martin Smeibidlo | AUT | ||||||
| Saturday | 23/08/2014 | 19:45 | B | ZSC Lions Zurich | Färjestad Karlstad | R | Vladimír Šindler | CZE |
| R | Marcus Vinnerborg | SUI | ||||||
| L | Peter Kung | SUI | ||||||
| L | Roger Burgi | SUI | ||||||
| Saturday | 23/08/2014 | 19:45 | C | Briançon Diables Rouges | Frölunda Gothenburg | R | Lars Bruggeman | GER |
| R | Geoffrey Barcelo | FRA | ||||||
| L | Yann Furet | FRA | ||||||
| L | Pierre Dehaen | FRA | ||||||
| Saturday | 23/08/2014 | 19:45 | C | Genève-Servette | Villach SV | R | Linus Öhlund | SWE |
| R | Danny Stricker | SUI | ||||||
| L | Roman Kaderli | SUI | ||||||
| L | Michael Rohrer | SUI | ||||||
| Saturday | 23/08/2014 | 19:45 | D | Fribourg-Gottèron | Eisbären Berlin | R | Mikael Nord | SWE |
| R | Danny Kurman | SUI | ||||||
| L | Michael Tscerrig | SUI | ||||||
| L | Michael Rohrer | SUI | ||||||
| Saturday | 23/08/2014 | 16:00 | E | Tappara Tampere | SC Bern | R | Thomas Andersson | SWE |
| R | Aleksi Rantala | FIN | ||||||
| L | Henri Neva | FIN | ||||||
| L | Hannu Sormunen | FIN | ||||||
| Saturday | 23/08/2014 | 20:00 | E | Oceláři Třinec | Stavanger Oilers | R | Daniel Konc | SVK |
| R | Robin Šir | CZE | ||||||
| L | Tomáš Brejcha | CZE | ||||||
| L | Libor Suchánek | CZE | ||||||
| Saturday | 23/08/2014 | 17:00 | H | Vítkovice Ostrava | EV Zug | R | Vladimír Baluška | SVK |
| R | René Hradil | CZE | ||||||
| L | Jiří Gebauer | CZE | ||||||
| L | Vít Lederer | CZE | ||||||
| Saturday | 23/08/2014 | 17:45 | H | ERC Ingolstadt | SaiPa Lappeenranta | R | Pavel Hodek | CZE |
| R | Stephan Bauer | GER | ||||||
| L | Markku Buse | GER | ||||||
| L | Andreas Flad | GER | ||||||
| Saturday | 23/08/2014 | 17:05 | J | SønderjyskE Vojens | Skellefteå AIK | R | Marcus Brill | GER |
| R | Jan Bigum | DEN | ||||||
| L | Jonas Reimer | DEN | ||||||
| L | Thomas Andersen | DEN | ||||||
| Saturday | 23/08/2014 | 17:45 | J | Krefeld Pinguine | IFK Helsinki | R | Manuel Nikolic | AUT |
| R | Bastian Haupt | GER | ||||||
| L | Benjamin Hoppe | GER | ||||||
| L | Christoph Hurtik | GER | ||||||
| Sunday | 24/08/2014 | 17:05 | D | PSG Zlín | Djurgården Stockholm | R | Vladimír Baluška | SVK |
| R | René Hradil | CZE | ||||||
| L | Jiří Gebauer | CZE | ||||||
| L | Vít Lederer | CZE | ||||||
| Sunday | 24/08/2014 | 14:35 | F | Linköping HC | HC Bolzano | R | Antti Boman | FIN |
| R | Pehr Claesson | SWE | ||||||
| L | Örjan Åhlén | SWE | ||||||
| L | Fredrik Altberg | SWE | ||||||
| Sunday | 24/08/2014 | 16:00 | F | TPS Turku | HC Pardubice | R | Patrik Sjöberg | SWE |
| R | Jukka Hakkarainen | FIN | ||||||
| L | Iikka Kiilunen | FIN | ||||||
| L | Henri Neva | FIN | ||||||
| Sunday | 24/08/2014 | 16:00 | G | KalPa Kuopio | Adler Mannheim | R | Martin Fraňo | CZE |
| R | Jussi Leppänen | FIN | ||||||
| L | Jani Pesonen | FIN | ||||||
| L | Hannu Sormunen | FIN | ||||||
| Sunday | 24/08/2014 | 16:00 | G | Växjö Lakers | Sparta Prague | R | Ladislav Smetana | AUT |
| R | Marcus Linde | SWE | ||||||
| L | Ludvig Lundgren | SWE | ||||||
| L | Tobias Haster | SWE | ||||||
| Sunday | 24/08/2014 | 14:35 | I | HV71 Jönköping | Red Bull Salzburg | R | Stefan Fonselius | FIN |
| R | Mikael Holm | SWE | ||||||
| L | Emil Wernström | SWE | ||||||
| L | Jimmy Dahmén | SWE | ||||||
| Sunday | 24/08/2014 | 16:00 | I | JYP Jyväskylä | Kloten Flyers | R | Thomas Andersson | SWE |
| R | Jari-Pekka Pajula | FIN | ||||||
| L | Joonas Saha | FIN | ||||||
| L | Pasi Nieminen | FIN | ||||||
| Sunday | 24/08/2014 | 13:35 | K | Nottingham Panters | Luleå HF | R | Shane Warshaw | AUT |
| R | Mike Hicks | GBR | ||||||
| L | Lee Young | GBR | ||||||
| L | Andrew Dalton | GBR | ||||||
| Sunday | 24/08/2014 | 17:45 | K | Hamburg Freezers | Lukko Rauma | R | Sören Persson | SWE |
| R | Markus Krawinkel | GER | ||||||
| L | J-Ch Muller | GER | ||||||
| L | Marcus Höfer | GER |