On this week's #RefsPodcast:

Kicking off the 2025-26 season!

• Wrapping up NHL officials’ training camp
• Promotions for ref Jordan Samuels-Thomas and liney Ryan Jackson
• New names joining the NHL: referee Ben Betker and linespersons Dylan Blujus, Jeremy Faucher, and Shawn Oliver.
• Retirements of referee Ghislain Hebert and linesman Derek Nansen
• But, wait – Hebert’s not done yet! He’s wearing the stripes in Germany!
• The NHL makes a few minor changes to the NHL rulebook, including officially adding “common sense” to the book, an offside clarification, a new high-sticking definition, and some added hand-pass criteria.
• We haven’t even played a game and Linus Ullmark is already complaining about goaltender interference. He’s got an interesting proposal.

Oh, and have we got some summer plans for you...

Oilers fans—imagine spending a week in the sun with Edmonton legends! The Edmonton Hockey Legends Cruise 2026 sails July 17–24, 2026 aboard Royal Caribbean’s Navigator of the Seas, cruising the Mexican Riviera.

On board: Jason Strudwick, Bill Ranford, Ron Low, Gene Principe, Jack Michaels, Kelly Buchberger, and Louie DeBrusk.

You’ll get meet & greets, hot-stove sessions, Q&A panels, autographs, and a chance to watch the World Cup Final at sea with the legends. Cabins start at $2,399 CAD, and it’s just a $500 deposit to lock it in.

Book at cast.tours/edmonton and use promo code [REFS2026] for $100 off per person—again, that’s cast.tours/edmonton, promo code [REFS2026], to save $100 per guest.

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The Scouting The Refs Podcast is a weekly look at the world of officiating and player safety within the National Hockey League, AHL, ECHL, and other leagues around the world. We'll break down the calls and the rules behind them to help understand why a penalty or suspension was - or wasn't - handed out.