Chad Huseby (right) worked the bronze medal game as a linesman at the 2020 WJC in Czech Republic Photo shared by Chad Huseby)

By Troy Gillard and Dan Hermanutz

olympic aspirations

Local linesman grateful for World Juniors experience

Jan 17, 2020 | 7:30 PM

Chad Huseby is like a lot of Canadians in that for him the World Junior Hockey Championship is a pretty big deal.

So you can imagine how thrilled he was to work as a linesman at the recent 2020 World Juniors in the Czech Republic.

“Probably a once in a lifetime experience to work that tournament, but to be a part of a tournament that means so much to Canadians, it was pretty cool,” said Huseby, who returned a little over a week ago.

“There were a couple of moments where you just catch yourself thinking ‘wow, this is the World Juniors’ throughout the tournament. It’s cool to grow up watching the tournament and to be on the ice was a pretty neat experience.”

Huseby was one of three Canadians to be selected as officials for the international event.

full budget in the spring

Blackfalds town council passes interim operating and capital budgets

1h ago

Missing: Nisa Pakyurek, 15, of Parkland County

1h ago

$39.4 million

Town of Ponoka approves 2026 interim budget

1h ago

He wasn’t able to work any Team Canada games, but for Huseby that didn’t take away from the experience of it all.

“We’re fortunate to work really good hockey throughout the year, but it’s obviously the next step when you have the best under-20 players in the world,” says the nine-year Western Hockey League official.

“The spotlight shines so bright on these kids and this tournament with the number of scouts, TV cameras and every game is broadcasted, and how many eyes are on these kids there is pressure. I haven’t felt that kind of pressure on the ice before through my career, even though a Memorial Cup tournament. It’s definitely next level.”

Huseby worked seven games at the World Juniors, including four round-robin contests, quarter-final and semi-final games, then the bronze medal game between Sweden and Finland.

A Branch Manager at Servus Credit Union when he’s not on the ice, Huseby says he definitely felt the love from back home while he was overseas.

“It was pretty different. We don’t always get a lot of love on the officiating side,” he joked. “Luckily, I didn’t have any missed offsides personally, so I didn’t have too much time on TV during the games. (But) to have people tuning in to Germany versus the Czech Republic and watching those games just because I was one of the linesmen, it was pretty neat.”

Huseby says he’s more than glad to serve as a role model for other officials, or those thinking of becoming one.

“If there’s one thing I hope people take away is that you will face adversity in all aspects of life, and it’s how you deal with adversity. It took me four or five years to get hired into the Western Hockey League. I had to go to three training camps before I got hired on the staff for the western league.”

Now that he has the World Juniors, Memorial Cup, and World Jr. A Hockey Challenge all on his officiating resume, what’s left?

“There’s the World Championships and, obviously, the pinnacle of an amateur official’s career would be to work the Olympics. There are a lot of variables that go into that, (namely) whether the NHL finds its way back there and they use their officials, but as an amateur official with the IIHF that’s always the goal.”