CHL Officials Grandt and McIsaac Earn NHL Contracts

GLENDALE, AZ (August 14, 2012) – The Central Hockey League (CHL) is proud to announce that two former CHL officials have been signed to National Hockey League (NHL) contracts for the 2012-13 season.  Those officials are linesman John Grandt and referee Jon McIsaac. 

“The CHL is very proud of both John’s and Jon’s accomplishments and the rapid rate in which they have climbed through the officiating ranks,” said Jim Wiley, CHL Director of Hockey Operations.  “They both have tremendous work ethics and their appointments reflect and reward that hard work.”

Grandt has been a full-time official in the CHL for the past three season and during each campaign, worked his way to the CHL Finals.  This past season, Grandt not only worked Game 1 of the CHL Ray Miron Presidents’ Cup Finals between Fort Wayne and Wichita, but also was appointed to the lines in Game’s 1 and 2 of the AHL’s Calder Cup Finals between Norfolk and Toronto.

“The past three seasons in the CHL have played a major role in my development as an official,” said Grandt.  “The excellent supervision and opportunities provided by Bryan Lewis, Jim Wiley, Wayne Bonney and the rest of the CHL supervisory team, both current and previous, have provided me with this excellent opportunity.  Each of these individuals does a great job working with the officiating team, preparing us for the next level of professional hockey and I cannot thank them enough for that.”

Other CHL accomplishments for Grandt include working seven CHL Presidents’ Cup Finals games over the past three seasons and working the 2011 CHL All-Star Game in Rapid City, South Dakota.

Before joining the CHL, Grandt worked in the USA Hockey Junior Development Program doing games in the United States Hockey League.

“The Central Hockey League is very pleased with the National Hockey League’s hiring of CHL Linesman John Grandt,” said Bryan Lewis, CHL Referee-in-Chief.  “His dedication and hard work, along with his receptiveness to his supervisors, have combined to enable John to achieve his ultimate officiating goal, the National Hockey League.  The CHL Officiating Department is excited for John and wishes him all the best as he accepts his next officiating challenge.” 
 
Additionally, former CHL referee Jon McIsaac was also given an NHL contract.  McIsaac worked was named a CHL full-time official in 2009 and like Grandt, worked in the 2011 CHL All-Star Game in Rapid City.  The Truro, Nova Scotia native worked the CHL Finals in 2010 and 2011.  Prior to joining the CHL, McIsaac worked six seasons in the QMJHL.

Grandt and McIsaac join David Banfield, Gord Dwyer, Frederick L’Ecuyer, Mark Lemelin and David Brisebois as former full-time CHL officials that were hired into the NHL in past seasons.

About the CHL
The CHL is looking forward to its 21st season that begins in October, 2012.  Last season, the CHL welcomed more than two million fans averaging 4,042 during the regular season and 4,427 during the post-season (both accounting for the highest attendance averages in the past five years in the CHL).  Over the past two years, the CHL has celebrated 122 sellouts (the most during any two-year period in the 20-year history of the league) led by the 2011 and 2012 CHL Franchise of the Year winner, the Missouri Mavericks, who have 36 combined regular season sellouts in the 2010-11 and 2011-12 seasons.  The CHL has had 69 call-ups to the American Hockey League over the past two seasons and just last year, former CHL players Brian Foster (Florida Panthers), Jordie Benn (Dallas Stars) and Ryan Garbutt (Dallas Stars) made their National Hockey League debuts joining the likes of David Schlemko (Phoenix Coyotes), Keith Aucoin (Washington Capitals), Andrew Desjardins (San Jose Sharks), Joel Martin (New York Islanders) and many others as former CHL players that made it to the NHL.  For more information about the CHL, visit the league’s website at www.centralhockeyleague.com.