Mentor Program

CDIHOA Mentoring Program 

About the Program 

Life as an official is never easy, and when you are first beginning to wear the stripes, it can be intimidating, scary, and overwhelming. The Mentoring Program is designed to link up a newer official with a more experienced official. By doing this, a helping hand can be given to you in the form of a friend, or an experienced ear. This program can help you to build confidence as an official on the ice. As an ice hockey official, it is necessary to have both a presence on the ice and confidence about your abilities to control the game.

Getting ready to get out there

As a new official before you step on the ice to work your first game with your mentor you will first need to ensure that you:

  • Attend a seminar including the on-ice portion
  • Complete the 50-question open book test
  • Receive your USA Hockey officiating crest

Once you have completed the three bullets above, send an email to newofficial@cdihoa.com and do the following:

  • Write in the subject line –> NEW OFFICIAL: <YOUR NAME>
  • In the body of the message please include; your referee number, your screening number (if applicable), and if you paid your dues to CDIHOA.
  • CDIHOA will check your registration status and a HorizonWebRef.com account will be created.  You will need to set up your Horizon account and set up your availability.
  • Please review the Horizon User Instructions PDF to help login and set up an account.

Mentor/Mentee Shadow Program

In the shadow program as a mentee, you will be on the ice in two possible situations with your mentor.

Scenario 1: Shadow Program

  • In the shadow program, you will work with another mentee and officiate the game as you normally would in a two-man system. It is necessary to reference and know you read the basic manual before working on this system! Don’t just think that because you have seen the game you know how to ref! Your mentor will follow, or shadow, you as you ref the game. The mentor will work to ensure that the game is called fairly and control is kept. They will help the mentor to better understand positioning, penalty calling procedure, and off-sides.

Scenario 2: Lining in a Three-Man Game

  • In this scenario, you and another mentee will be responsible for working as a linesman while your mentor referees the game. Your main responsibility in this system is to appropriately call offsides. In most cases, when this system is being used you will not be evaluated by your mentor on the ice with you but rather by an off-ice mentor (usually the mentoring coordinator.)

Before entering into either system you should always review the system you are working on from your manuals! Don’t think that just cause you’ve seen a few games you will know what you are doing out there! 

Before, During, and After the Game

It’s all about presentation, showing up to a game 5 minutes before the game starts in sweatpants and a hoodie does not present to players, parents, and coaches that you take pride in what you are doing. Be on time, you should arrive at the game 30 minutes in advance. Use this time to discuss any questions with your mentor and prepare for the game. Make sure you bring the appropriate gear! Black helmet, Black pants, skates, officials jersey, protective gear, and crest!

On the ice, it’s all about presentation. Skate like you WANT to be there! Hustle to the lines, even if it’s 7am on Sunday morning in the middle of January at Frear Park, and it’s a Squirt House game! These players, coaches, and parents want good officials. If you want credibility as a referee, take pride in your work, and present yourself on the ice with authority and knowledge!

After the game, LISTEN. Hear what your mentor has to say, take notes and learn from your mistakes. We all make them, but what you do about them is what really matters! In addition, after each game, you are to fill out the post-game evaluation online (found on the CDIHOA.COM website!)

Starting your Journey as a Ref

This is different for every mentee. It is based on how quickly you become a confident official with the necessary skating skills to make it out there on your own. At a minimum, it means you will need two games with two different mentors. When the mentors feel you are ready the Mentoring Coordinator will be contacted and you will be moved up into doing games without a mentor. Learning and growing as an official does not end just because there isn’t a mentor out there on the ice with you. Know this, you never know who is watching our game, officiate every game like there is an evaluator in the stands because you don’t know where they will actually be there!

See you at the rink,

Jerry Witkop
Mentoring Coordinator
Witkop@cdihoa.com