The Road to Milano is winding down, and the games are not far off. At the IIHF offices, that means selecting game officials. On the men’s side, there will be a blend of IIHF and NHL game officials, but on the women’s side there has also been plenty of activity as the selection process reaches the end.
The process for 2026 started soon after the Beijing games ended in 2022. Called the Road to Milano, it has been as detailed a process as the IIHF has ever undertaken in selecting the female refs and linespersons for the upcoming Olympics. No stone was left unturned, no name ignored. In the end, there have been 12 referees and 10 linespersons nominated.
“We were down to a group of 30 officials heading into Olympic Qualifications in February 2025,” Vanessa Stratton, a member of the IIHF’s Officiating Committee explained. “Once those tournaments were over, our coaching group selected the 24 officials that would go to Women’s World Championships in Czechia in April 2025. At that point, we had identified our core group of referees (12) for the Olympic Games but still needed to select 10 linespersons from the 12 that were going to WW. Once WW was completed, our coaching group decided on the final 10 and everyone was notified soon after IIHF Council approved the nominations in May.”
The process for 2026 started soon after the Beijing games ended in 2022. Called the Road to Milano, it has been as detailed a process as the IIHF has ever undertaken in selecting the female refs and linespersons for the upcoming Olympics. No stone was left unturned, no name ignored. In the end, there have been 12 referees and 10 linespersons nominated.
“We were down to a group of 30 officials heading into Olympic Qualifications in February 2025,” Vanessa Stratton, a member of the IIHF’s Officiating Committee explained. “Once those tournaments were over, our coaching group selected the 24 officials that would go to Women’s World Championships in Czechia in April 2025. At that point, we had identified our core group of referees (12) for the Olympic Games but still needed to select 10 linespersons from the 12 that were going to WW. Once WW was completed, our coaching group decided on the final 10 and everyone was notified soon after IIHF Council approved the nominations in May.”
photo: © International Ice Hockey Federation / HHOF
The crew will be a blend of old and new, some with many years of experience, like referee Zuzana Svobodova (CZE) or linesperson Justine Todd (CAN), but there are younger officials who have developed quickly and are also going to Milano. Canada’s Michelle McKenna, for instance, who has reffed in the PWHL, worked her first senior IIHF tournament at last year’s Women’s Worlds in Czechia (after having done the 2022 WW18, including the gold-medal game). Two Swedes—ref Ida Henriksson and linesperson Jessica Lundgren—had only WW18 experience prior to working 2025 WW, but they, too, impressed and made the cut.
“We have been very fortunate that we had a fair number of officials return to the Road to Milano program after Bejing in 2022, which is great,” Stratton continued. “The level of experience and skill that those officials bring, the number of games they have worked together, and the camaraderie that exists, is at an elite level. But, you always need to bring in some new folks to help challenge, push, and develop. So we do have a few who are new to the program and some who are early into their officiating careers. But they have been able to jump into the group, fit right in with our experienced officials, and create a really cohesive group.”
“We have been very fortunate that we had a fair number of officials return to the Road to Milano program after Bejing in 2022, which is great,” Stratton continued. “The level of experience and skill that those officials bring, the number of games they have worked together, and the camaraderie that exists, is at an elite level. But, you always need to bring in some new folks to help challenge, push, and develop. So we do have a few who are new to the program and some who are early into their officiating careers. But they have been able to jump into the group, fit right in with our experienced officials, and create a really cohesive group.”
Vanessa Straton
photo: © International Ice Hockey Federation / HHOF
While the men have a more complicated preparation with the blended crews, the women officials are more familiar with each other from league play and previous experience. As such, the final Olympic group of 22 won’t get together as one until the test event in Milano in December.
“We are still working out the details, but the hope is to do a few days prior to the test event together as a group in place of a typical training camp,” Stratton continued. “Our group is fortunate to have worked together a fair amount over the last few years, especially in the last 12-18 months, so we have a different relationship than the male officials who may not know each other from the NHL/IIHF sides, respectively.”
All of these officials have experience at the highest level, not just in IIHF play but various domestic leagues. “They come from the SDHL, SWHL, EWHL, PWHL, basically all of the women’s professional and semi-professional leagues in Europe and North America,” Stratton said. “And then in North America, various NCAA and USports hockey. I would also say that many of them do male hockey, ranging from men’s professional (we had one official in the Champions Hockey League last year and again this year—Julia Kainberger of Austria) through to junior level hockey.”
So there is this selection process. Okay. And we know officials must be good skaters, know the rule book, and be able to think quickly. But what else makes a “good” official? By what criteria are they ultimately judged?
“We are still working out the details, but the hope is to do a few days prior to the test event together as a group in place of a typical training camp,” Stratton continued. “Our group is fortunate to have worked together a fair amount over the last few years, especially in the last 12-18 months, so we have a different relationship than the male officials who may not know each other from the NHL/IIHF sides, respectively.”
All of these officials have experience at the highest level, not just in IIHF play but various domestic leagues. “They come from the SDHL, SWHL, EWHL, PWHL, basically all of the women’s professional and semi-professional leagues in Europe and North America,” Stratton said. “And then in North America, various NCAA and USports hockey. I would also say that many of them do male hockey, ranging from men’s professional (we had one official in the Champions Hockey League last year and again this year—Julia Kainberger of Austria) through to junior level hockey.”
So there is this selection process. Okay. And we know officials must be good skaters, know the rule book, and be able to think quickly. But what else makes a “good” official? By what criteria are they ultimately judged?
photo: © International Ice Hockey Federation / HHOF
“The game has changed – it’s faster, more skilled, and more intense,” Stratton started. “The players have changed – they are stronger and faster. And so, our officials have also changed – they have adapted to the game in their standard of work (the way they call and interpret the game), their own physicality, their strength, and, most importantly, their mental resilience for the intensity and expectations at the highest level.”
“This doesn’t happen over night. They all have put in the work. On ice is one thing, but off ice is another – bettering themselves in the gym, from a physical standard. But off the ice and continuing to push themselves to self-assess and make adaptations. They have such a high level of emotional intelligence. Think about it – they are able to read, react and make decisions in split seconds in an incredibly high-stakes game and timeframe. People often don’t recognize or understand that.”
For Stratton, too, her group has also had to adjust and improve. “How we coach our officials is also different,” she concurred. “It has gone from a directive philosophy to a more collaborative and dialogue-focused approach. We have found way more productivity in that lane with our officials, which is leading to generally higher success and engagement within our group. We look for officials who are not only good on ice but good people off ice, people who give back to the game at home and help develop younger officials. Most of them have full-time jobs, balancing families and other priorities. Having these multi-faceted experiences means they are able to draw boundaries to achieve their goals. It is quite amazing when you think of it!”
Milano Cortina also represents a full-circle moment for Stratton herself. Her dad was an official at the pro and top junior level, and after playing in university she became a linesperson. She worked the 2013 and 2015 WW18 and the 2016 Women’s Worlds, earning a bronze-medal assignment at all three events. But she was one of the last cuts for the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics, and it hurt. She took time away but several years later was asked to return, as a coach. She couldn’t be happier.
“I think I have really found my niche,” she enthused. “I love coaching officials and working with them in this capacity. Being able to guide them through various situations and build some great relationships is where I was meant to thrive. So, it’s a bit of redemption to go to the Olympics now, in a different capacity. It’s a nice feeling. We have such a special group. I can’t wait for February!”
IIHF Women Officials nominated for Milano Cortina 2026
Referees
Linespersons
“This doesn’t happen over night. They all have put in the work. On ice is one thing, but off ice is another – bettering themselves in the gym, from a physical standard. But off the ice and continuing to push themselves to self-assess and make adaptations. They have such a high level of emotional intelligence. Think about it – they are able to read, react and make decisions in split seconds in an incredibly high-stakes game and timeframe. People often don’t recognize or understand that.”
For Stratton, too, her group has also had to adjust and improve. “How we coach our officials is also different,” she concurred. “It has gone from a directive philosophy to a more collaborative and dialogue-focused approach. We have found way more productivity in that lane with our officials, which is leading to generally higher success and engagement within our group. We look for officials who are not only good on ice but good people off ice, people who give back to the game at home and help develop younger officials. Most of them have full-time jobs, balancing families and other priorities. Having these multi-faceted experiences means they are able to draw boundaries to achieve their goals. It is quite amazing when you think of it!”
Milano Cortina also represents a full-circle moment for Stratton herself. Her dad was an official at the pro and top junior level, and after playing in university she became a linesperson. She worked the 2013 and 2015 WW18 and the 2016 Women’s Worlds, earning a bronze-medal assignment at all three events. But she was one of the last cuts for the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics, and it hurt. She took time away but several years later was asked to return, as a coach. She couldn’t be happier.
“I think I have really found my niche,” she enthused. “I love coaching officials and working with them in this capacity. Being able to guide them through various situations and build some great relationships is where I was meant to thrive. So, it’s a bit of redemption to go to the Olympics now, in a different capacity. It’s a nice feeling. We have such a special group. I can’t wait for February!”
IIHF Women Officials nominated for Milano Cortina 2026
Referees
- Kelly Cooke, USA
- Melissa Doyle, USA
- Ida Henriksson, SWE
- Samatha Hiller, USA
- Julia Kainberger, AUT
- Cianna Lieffers, CAN
- Elizabeth Mantha, CAN
- Michelle McKenna, CAN
- Shauna Neary, CAN
- Annina Nurmi, FIN
- Zuzana Svoboda, CZE
- Amanada Tassoni, USA
Linespersons
- Sarah Buckner, USA
- Jennifer Cameron, USA
- Alexandra Clarke, CAN
- Laura Gutauskas, CAN
- Kristyna Hajkova, CZE
- Jessica Lundgren, SWE
- Tiina Saarimaki, FIN
- Justine Todd, CAN
- Kirsten Welsh, USA
- Erin Zach, CAN