NEWS

CAMBRIDGE, Ont. – The Ontario Hockey Association (OHA) today announced the recipients of its three officiating awards:

 

OFFICIATING AWARD OF EXCELLENCE – Darryl Wolfe
Darryl Wolfe (Grimsby, Ont.) began officiating Minor Hockey in his hometown of Grimsby in 1996, and was offered a position as a Linesman with the OHA four years later in 2000.

During his time as a Linesman, Wolfe was selected to the championship finals in all OHA categories along with the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) Queen’s Cup Finals. He also was selected by Hockey Canada as a Linesmen for the 2006 RBC Cup, the 2008 Allan Cup and the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) U17 championships in 2007

In 2005, Wolfe caught the eye of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) and was offered a position as a Linesman, and in turn was selected to become a Referee in 2012, a position he held until 2016.

Since the OHA appointed Wolfe as a Referee in 2009, he has continued his appearances in all OHA category championships. He has also been selected by Hockey Canada to participate in the IIHF U18 DIV III 2010, the OUA Queen’s Cup Finals in 2016 and 2018 as well as the 2019 Allan Cup in Lacombe, Alberta.

2017 saw Wolfe selected by Hockey Canada to attend the prestigious Level VI certification seminar in Moncton, N.B. His subsequent certification made him one of a small group of elite Officials in Canada allowing him to be assigned Hockey Canada National Championships (2019 Allan Cup) and the highest level of IIHF play. Currently, the OHA has thirteen (13) active HCOP Level VI Officials, the most of any Association in Canada.

Off the ice, Wolfe is a Financial Analyst, is married and has two young children.

Congratulations to 2019-20 OHA Officiating Award of Excellence recipient, Darryl Wolfe.

 

TOP PROSPECT LINESMAN – Nicholas Arcan
After playing AAA hockey in the Barrie Area, Nicholas Arcan (Thornton, Ont.) went on to the OHA where he played 162 games at the Junior A, B and C levels.

As a player, Arcan played in two Carruthers Division finals with the Alliston Hornets. He appeared in games in the Ontario Junior Hockey League (OJHL) with the Aurora Tigers and Collingwood Blackhawks and played Junior B in the now Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League (GOJHL) with the Listowel Cyclones and Brampton Bombers.

After his playing days were over, 2017 saw Arcan began officiating minor hockey. In 2018 he was selected as a linesmen to participate in the Minor Midget Showcase Tournament and then Ontario Minor Hockey Association Midget AAA Championships, being assigned to the Gold Medal game.

In June 2019, he attended the Don Koharski Referee Camp, where he caught the eye of the OHA Director of Officiating Bob Morley. After the camp, he was one of 24 officials that were offered a membership opportunity with the OHA for the 2019-20 season.

Arcan had a very strong start to the season being assigned his first OJHL regular season game Sept. 12, 2019. As he progressed throughout the 2019-20 he was assigned to the OHL Cup, the OMHA Midget Championships, and various OJHL and Provincial Junior Hockey League (PJHL) regular season and playoff games, which included a PJHL Game 7 between the Orillia Terriers and Schonberg Cougars and the Allan Cup Hockey semifinal series.

During his playing days and into his involvement in officiating, Arcan has been a power skating instructor since 2012, an activity that certainly shows in the linesman’s skating abilities.

Away from the ice, Arcan is employed as a field engineer with Ellis-Don Corporation. 

Congratulations to 2019-20 OHA Top Prospect Linesman award recipient, Nicholas Arcan.

 

TOP PROSPECT REFEREE – Kyle Pessoa
Kyle Pessoa (Mississauga, Ont.) began officiating in 2005 in the Greater Toronto Hockey League (GTHL) after playing his minor hockey in the GTHL and in the Mississauga Hockey League (MHL). Pessoa continues to officiate in both associations.

Pessoa has continued his involvement with minor hockey by mentoring MHL officials along by being an instructor with the Canadian School of Officiating operated by the GTHL.

In 2014, Pessoa was offered a position as a Linesman with the OHA where he was assigned games in the OJHL and the GOJHL, but at the same time making his mark as a referee in minor hockey.

He caught the attention of various organizations and was assigned a number of Ontario Hockey Federation (OHF) events, the OHL Cup Gold Medal game and attended the Hockey Canada Ontario Program of Excellence camp.

As Pessoa developed his linesman skills at the junior level, he was then assigned OUA games, and in turn began to referee in the OJHL in 2018 on a limited basis. In those games, OHA Officiating Managers were impressed with his abilities, work ethic and game management skills and recommended him for a permanent Referee position.

In 2019, Pessoa completed his transition to referee in the OJHL and GOJHL and in recognition of a strong start to the season he was named one of the referees for the OJHL All-Star game.

When he’s not making calls on the ice, Pessoa works for the City of Toronto at the Humber Water Treatment Plant.

Congratulations to 2019-20 OHA Top Prospect Referee award recipient, Kyle Pessoa.

Recent Winners – Officiating Award Winners
2015-16
Top Linesman Prospect: Matthew Ceko
Top Referee Prospect: Josh Schein
Jack Clancy Award (Most Dedicated): David Sankey
Referees Honor Roll Inductee: Craig Spada

2016-17
Top Referee Prospect: Chris Chapman, Stratford
Top Linesmen Prospect: Konner Roskovich, Burlington
Officiating Award of Excellence: Ken Cornelius, Ajax

2017-18
Top Referee Prospect: Ty Sebastian
Top Linesmen Prospect: Tyson Baker
Officiating Award of Excellence: Jesse Wilmot

2018-19
Top Referee Prospect: Chris Long, Windsor
Top Linesmen Prospect: Dean Willmott, Toronto
Officiating Award of Excellence: Brad Moore, Kingston
Officiating Award of Excellence: Ryan Park, Toronto

Photo credits: Andy Corneau/OJHL Images; Spencer Smye/OJHL Images & Ray MacAloney/OJHL Images