Charron and Pancich join NHL staff

NORTH CHARLESTON, SC – Just like players, hockey officials have a goal of moving up to the National Hockey League. This past week, two officials realized their dream. ECHL referee Francis Charron, who worked game seven of the ECHL finals last season and built a strong officiating resume in the ECHL and the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League and Brian Pancich , a linesman who is part of USA Hockey’s Officiating Development Program (ODP), signed their first National Hockey League contracts on August 25th, joining their. Pancich, 26 of Billings, Montana who has been part of USA Hockey’s Officiating Development Program (ODP) for nine season signed a 40-40 contract and will work approximately 40 games in the American Hockey League and 40 games in the NHL in the upcoming season. Charron as a referee will start in the AHL and work his way into NHL assignments. The 26-year old Pancich began working with USA Hockey’s ODP at age of 17 and after multiple seasons working in both the USHL and the American Hockey League as well as a number of other leagues becomes the first official signed directly from the USA Hockey Officiating Development Program and the United States Hockey League into the NHL.   Pancich has worked in a number of   significant assignments over the years including working multiple USHL All-Star Games, USHL Championship Rounds, the American Hockey League playoffs including five Calder Cup Finals from 2005-2009. Charron, 25 from Gatineau Quebec spent six seasons officiating in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) before moving to the ECHL. He quickly established himself as one of the premier officials in the ECHL as he was chosen to work the Kelly Cup finals last season in his first full year in the league. He worked the series’ decisive game seven won by the South Carolina Stingrays over the Alaska Aces.   He built a strong officiating background working extensively in various international and collegiate venues including the World Under-18 Hockey Championship in 2005, the 2006 C.I.S. National Championship, which is the Canadian equivalent of the NCAA Frozen Four, and two World Junior Championships in 2007 & 2008. Importantly, his officiating resume also includes working three Canadian Hockey League (CHL) Memorial Cup Tournaments.   
 
The CHL is an umbrella organization consisting of the three major junior hockey leagues in Canada.    The memorial Cup tournament produces an overall champion from among the playoff winners of the three major junior leagues based in Canada the QMJHL, the Ontario Hockey League and the Western Hockey League plus a team from the host city.   
 
The CHL and US Junior Hockey feature players between 16 to 20 years of age but differ as CHL players are considered professionals while the United States Hockey League, the North American Hockey League and other Junior Leagues in the US are set up so that players in these leagues retain their amateur status and NCAA eligibility.  
 
In addition to the NHL signing of Pancich a number of other USA Hockey ODP Officials have accepted full-time positions with several professional hockey leagues.   Tim Mayer (Okemos, MI); JM McNulty (Huntington Beach, CA); Nick Krebsbach (Minot, ND); and Jim Scarpace (Detroit, MI) have all accepted positions with the ECHL,   In addition Dan Dreger (Denver, CO); Justin Greene (Plymouth, MA); Ryan Hersey (San Diego, CA); Jon Shaw (Boulder, CO); John Grandt (Denver, CO); and Bill McGoldrick (Hyannis, MA) will be joining the Central Hockey League which has teams in the South Central and Southwest United States.
 
Contact phil.brand@prohockeynews.com

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