Youth hockey games at the Ralph Engelstad Arena, Huck Olson Memorial Civic Center and The Old Arena in Thief River Falls not only develop players, they serve as a learning tool for young referees – many of them who are still playing themselves.

A concentrated effort has been put together by the Thief River Falls Amateur Hockey Association, especially in the last couple of years, to get more young skaters involved in the officiating end of things. The push to re-stock its pool of striped shirts is out of necessity. There are a lot of games to be called, and the number of those willing to work them has been dwindling.

Tim Magnusson was approached to take on the project last year – filling a void left by the passing of long-time hockey supporter  and officiating organizer Al Gustafson.

Magnusson is an instructor in the Thief River Falls school system who served as a co-head coach with Troy Hanestad when the Prowlers fielded their first girls high school hockey team for the 1999-2000 season. He had experience as a youth hockey official, too, but there was about a 20-year gap in that part of his resume when he picked up the whistle again.

He now keeps busy by officiating maybe five games per week – a number that jumps considerably when there is a tournament in town.

Some of those assignments are designed to put him in the role of an on-the-ice instructor to a newcomer. More than qualified to handle the bigger, faster Bantam boys who are just a year away from high school hockey, Magnusson’s presence at a girls 10U game is certainly not required – except as a mentor to a young, wide-eyed, apprehensive partner who is perhaps making his officiating debut.

“They don’t need me out there for those games,” confirmed Magnusson, “but I’m on the ice trying to help the younger officials.”

Most, if not all, apprentice officials currently are, or have been, hockey players. They can skate and they generally know the game, concedes Magnusson. But it’s a different world on the ice with a whistle in your hands.

“The biggest thing,” explained Magnusson, “is positioning – where to be in the zone, and the ability to anticipate. You have to get from blue line to blue line to make offside calls; you have to try to stay out of the way of the play; and you need to put yourself in the right spot where you can signal a goal.”

It can take some time for a young official to get it all down, admitted Magnusson. But if they work hard, are willing to listen and make the necessary adjustments, their comfort level, confidence and ability to call a game will increase every time they step on the ice.

The new recruits  – a half a dozen or so this year, some as young as 13, others high school age – start as a Level 1 official who can call games from 8U through Pee-Wees. They must register with USA Hockey, pass an open book rules exam and attend an officiating seminar administered by USA Hockey.

If you have been at Level 1 within the last year, you can advance to Level 2 – a process that also includes a closed book exam. At this point you can call a Bantam game.

Beyond that are Levels 3 and 4 for the experienced officials.

Magnusson says he has plenty of patience with his new officials, and coaches are very understanding of the situation. “I will tell coaches that I have a young official working with me, and it might even be his first game,” he said. “And they’re okay with that. They know what we’re trying to do, and  that without refs, there would be no games.”

Fan behavior at the youth hockey level isn’t usually a major concern, either. “In the Ralph, you can’t hear a thing,” noted Magnusson. “At the Huck, you can hear a little. In the Old Arena, people are right on top of you, but generally it’s not a problem.” 

At the start, a new official is always matched with an experienced partner. The goal, noted Magnusson, is to have a set of young officials ready to work together as a team at the Mite level when those 8-9-year-olds begin their limited travel schedules in January.

“We need new officials,” said Magnusson. “We lose some every year. They decide they don’t want to ref any more, or they move away. And sometimes our refs are playing themselves or out of town.”

A pool of 20 to 25 officials who are willing and qualified to work TRFAHA games would be ideal, according to Magnusson. That would ease a busy schedule for an under-staffed group. 

And if a handful of them stay with the program, down the line there’s a possibility they could be joining the ranks of hockey officials in the Minnesota State High School League, where a shortage also exists.