A Season of 500 Games – As A Hockey Referee

By Ross Forman
Colby Byers was officiating his first game in the NAHL, the only USA Hockey-sanctioned Tier II Junior league boasting 34 teams in 19 states across the U.S. He was working that October 2024 game in Janesville, Wisc., along with Sean Pondelicek, another official from Illinois, whom Byers was friends with.

Byers was nervous. So nervous, in fact, “you could see my hands shaking on the video broadcast for the entire first period,” he said.

Byers, though, conveniently forgot to tell anyone that night that he was working his first game in the league, mostly so the officiating crew didn’t make him do a solo hot lap around the ice. “I felt so nervous that I believed I would’ve caught an edge and fallen down while skating a fast lap by myself in a packed NAHL arena,” Byers admitted. “I told my crew after the game and we had a good laugh about it. I did, however, do a ‘second game debut’ hot lap the next night. Luckily, I was able to stay vertical.”

Byers, 20, who lives in Chicago, has been a USA Hockey-registered official for seven seasons. He also has eight seasons as a high school and college softball umpire.

Originally from Wichita, Kansas, Byers is now a level 4 official who worked about 500 games this past season. He works full time in the NA3HL and the NAHL, and during the week, he adds in local AAA midgets, high school and adult league games. 

He skates throughout the Chicagoland area on purpose, hitting up to 20 different area rinks. “I like seeing new rinks and new teams, so I try to go anywhere within an hour of Chicago. One of my favorites is the Blackhawks Ice Center,” he said.

Byers was selected to attend the USA Hockey Officiating Development Program (ODP) prospects camp in 2023, the same year he was hired as a full time official for the USA Hockey ODP. He has worked post-season assignments across various AAA and high school leagues in Illinois and was on the ice for the NA3HL divisional finals in 2026.

Byers also officiated the 2026 16U AAA state final at Mount Prospect Ice Arena.

His 2025-26 season also included:

•    The 2026 NA3HL Central Division Final;
•    The 2026 Scholastic Hockey League semifinals; and 
•    The 2026 AHAI State Tournament Red Division Semi-Finals.

“I was interested in officiating from a very young age and felt like trying something that I was interested in and also could make money doing,” he said. “I am from Wichita, and my officiating career began in the world of traveling youth softball. I registered with USA Hockey when I turned 14 and worked a few youth leagues in Kansas along with the NAPHL. I was introduced to the vast world of youth, college and junior hockey when I moved to Chicago in 2024.

“I started officiating for a small organization in Kansas when I was 14. We had around 30 registered officials in the association. The hockey community was small and tight knit. Many of the hockey community members were also close family friends. My first game was with a man named Brian Bishop, whom my family was close with outside of hockey. Trying something new, especially officiating, was easier to conquer with support from people who are personally connected to you outside of hockey.”

Byers said IHOA helped fine-tune his skills in the 3- and 4-official systems. “The support from so many different colleagues allows me to bounce ideas and opinions off of people who have a lot of experience and come from officiating backgrounds across the country,” he said. “Currently, I officiate ice hockey as my main source of income. It is a grind and takes a lot of dedication to late night men’s league games, many hours in the car and lots of weekends spent at the ice rink … but I wouldn’t trade it for anything else. 

“IHOA has given me the resources to network with officials and supervisors from across the country. Through this networking, I can officiate games not only in Illinois, but in many other states.”

Byers’ playing career started in Kansas when he was 6 – as a goalie in the Wichita Youth Hockey Association until he graduated from high school at 18. He then “received a few opportunities to take my playing career further but ultimately found more sound opportunities and a brighter future by taking the officiating path,” he said.

“My playing gave me the confidence to know the rules, see the rules in real (time), experience unique situations and most importantly how to build and maintain connections and bonds with fellow hockey lovers.”

In his eight years as an official, Byers has worked in 10 states.

Byers praised Tony Ries, the president of officiating in Wichita, for helping his career. “I wouldn’t have come across the opportunity to officiate junior hockey, which has essentially led to my entire officiating career,” without Ries, he said. “Without his confidence in me at 14 years old, I wouldn’t have ended up moving to Chicago to follow my dreams of becoming an official at the professional level and I wouldn’t have been able to meet all of the officials in Illinois who I consider to be some of my best friends.

“I would like to shoutout Scott Gaffney, Brett Straley, Dave Zednik and all the other schedulers and officiating administrators in Illinois who have become my closest mentors of the game. Not only are these the men who give me the opportunity to officiate some of the best hockey that Illinois has to offer, but they are always willing to stop what they are doing and have a chat, whether it be about hockey or life. Living 13 hours away from my family can be very daunting, but these guys have become my family while I’m away from Kansas.”

Byers added: “Thank you to IHOA, MCHO and AHAI for all the opportunities that I have been gifted with. The knowledge, experience and memories that I have gained by officiating in the state of Illinois will stay with me for the rest of my life and I am forever indebted to this great game for shaping my life into what it is today.”