Thank you for your interest in officiating USA Hockey.The Minnesota Hockey Officials Association (MHOA) is dedicated to improving the quality and consistency of youth hockey officiating throughout the state of Minnesota. In order to become certified in officiating, there are a number of steps you will need to take:
1.USA Hockey uses an online registration program. The registration period for 2016-17 opensMonday August 1.You will simply need toclick hereto register and look for theRegister Nowbutton to complete your officiating application.You will have to pay the appropriate fee for the level you are applying for. (All first year officials must register at Level 1 and only one additional level may be attained each year). You need to complete your registration with USA Hockey before you can register for the seminar.
- Another method is to go to and click on “Become a Member” on main page or “Membership” tab and then “Register Now”. Follow the directions.
2.Once you have registered with USA Hockey, you will need to register for a MN Hockey local instructional seminar. This can be done by clicking on the seminar link at the end of USA Hockey registration or from the home page, “officials” then “seminar registration”. Once you have determined which seminar you want to attend, you need to create a profile (follow the link). This is a one-time thing and you will use this profile for all future registration. Remember the username and password. If you cannot find the seminar you are looking for the seminar is full and cannot accept any more registrations and you must choose a different one. You may attend any USA Hockey local seminar that fits your schedule. There will also be an online portion of the seminar that you must complete. This will reduce the time you are required to spend at a live seminar (Step 4 below).
Note – All Level 1 Seminarswill require an on-ice skating session. You must bring skates, helmet and finger style whistle. It is also a good idea to bring a pencil and notepad for note taking.
WHAMLevel 1 Seminar:
-Sunday August 14th Augsburg Arena L1 11am-6pm
Other Seminars are available for Level 1 in the Twin Cities and can be searched by filtering Seminar Level & State @
However, I urge you to attend the August 14th Seminar which is specific for WHAM Officials Association.
This is also the earliest seminar available and can helpassist you in completing the certification steps & get your crest in time to start working preseason games in early September. As a first year official, you may not referee a game until you are in possession of these.
3. Once you are registered online, you will receive an email notice to inform you that you are now able to take your online open book exam. Please do not attempt to take the exam until you receive your current rulebook in the mail. This is an open book test that is designed and meant for you to look up the answers and familiarize yourself with the rules of USA Hockey. A good tip is to print out the entire test and then return online at a later date and enter the answers.
4.In addition to the in-person seminar and open book test, you are required to complete an online seminar. USA Hockey has created an online seminar curriculum that is specific to each level that every official is required to complete. This online seminar curriculum will replace a portion of your normal classroom seminar. This consists of multiple modules that can be completed online at your leisure. Follow the instructions after you register to access and complete these video modules.
5.Officials 18 years of age and older prior to August 1st of the current year will be required to complete the online SafeSport training. This must be completed before your officiating registration is complete. This training is available from the USA Hockey home page, “officials”, then “SafeSport Training”. This should take about 90 minutes. There is no cost to this program. This has to be done every other year and once you complete the original training, the renewal course every other year is shorter.
6.Once you have attended your in-person seminar, completed your online seminar, and passed your online open book exam, you will receive your USA Hockey officials crest and card which will make you eligible for officiating in Minnesota. As a first year official, you may not referee a game until you are in possession of these.
7. Contact your local supervisor of officials (there are 13 supervisors around the state). Your local supervisor can help you find the local assignor in your area. Please note that it is your responsibility to contact the supervisor in your area to find local assignors to receive game assignments. Being a fully registered official does not guarantee game assignments. If you have problems receiving game assignments contact your local supervisor of officials to assist you.
- For WHAM – the supervisor of officials is Krissy Morrison. She can be reached at
- The WHAM Officials Scheduler is Jeff Carlen. He can be reached at . He is responsible for scheduling all officials for WHAM Hockey in the Twin Cities. Once you are completely registered, please send him an email with a photocopy of your USA Hockey Registration card and he will explain the scheduling process. You will also learn more about this at the local seminar (August 14th).
Here is a brief recap of each step that must be completed. (It looks a lot worse than it is!)
The following items have to be completed before you received your card and crest:
1. You must have registered online with USA hockey.
2. You must have attended an in person seminar.
3. You must successfully complete the online seminar modules, both required and elective for your level. Please note that once started Level 1 officials have 60 days to complete the entire set. Level 2, 3, and 4 officials have 45 days to complete the entire set. If not done in that time it will be necessary to start over.
4. You must have successfully completed your open book test.
5. If you are 18 years of age or more you must successfully complete the SafeSport training.
Again, thank you for your interest and excitement to become an official for USA Hockey and WHAM! We hope to see you on August 14th at our Seminar.
Best wishes for a great season!
Krissy Morrison
Supervisor of Officials
WHAM Officials
612-710-2242