COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The first-ever USA Hockey Advanced Officiating Symposium will take place Friday through Sunday (July 26-28) at the Minneapolis Airport Marriott in Bloomington, Minn., with more than 250 officials attending from 34 states across the country.

A new initiative to provide enhanced education and benefit to the top officials from around the country, the USA Hockey Advanced Officiating Symposium will include high-level speakers and a unique chance for collaboration aimed at improving the overall landscape of officiating in the United States.

Some of the most accomplished officials in the game will be featured speakers at the Symposium, including a keynote address by Kevin Collins, who worked more than 2,000 NHL games in an esteemed career that was culminated by his enshrinement into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame in 2017.

In addition, NHL officials including Chris Rooney, Brian Murphy, Dennis LaRue, Andy McElman and Bryan Pancich are also among the prominent speakers during the three-day event.

USA Hockey President Jim Smith, himself a long-time on-ice official, will be in attendance to welcome attendees, along with Dave LaBuda, USA Hockey’s national referee-in-chief and Matt Leaf, director of officiating for USA Hockey.

In addition, attendees will have the unique opportunity to hear from Joy Johnston, who officiated hockey in three Olympic Winter Games and is the current referee-in-chief from Ice Hockey United Kingdom.

“As part of our continued evolution and desire to provide the best possible educational opportunities and experiences for officials, we’re excited about this new initiative in the Advanced Officiating Symposium,” said Matt Leaf, who for the last 25 years has served as the director of officiating for USA Hockey. “A lot of people contributed to this concept and we want to use this opportunity to recognize dedicated officials and give them a reason to celebrate the “art of officiating” this weekend and when they return to their local areas.”

NOTES: The lineup of distinguished speakers or panelists is lengthy and also includes Don Adam, Joe Bertagna, Paul Carnathan, Guy Gosselin, Matt Hendricks, Mike MacMillan, Tim Mayer, Steve McInchak, Patrick Richardson, BJ Ringrose, Melissa Skzola, Lou Vairo, Matt Van Dyke and Scott Zelkin … Officials attending the Symposium have the opportunity to earn USA Hockey’s new “tenured” status. To learn more about the benefits of the “tenured” status, click here … For a complete Symposium schedule, click here.