This fall, Shane Price took a major step in his officiating career by working as a lines person in an exhibition contest between his hometown Virden Oil Capitals and the Portage Terriers.
“I really liked doing the game in Virden because it was in my hometown, and I was able to have some friends and family come watch,” said the 19-year-old Price, who is studying education at Brandon University.
The Sept. 18 contest was the son of Kevin Price and Allison Price’s first Manitoba Junior Hockey League game as an official. It will not be his last. Later in the week, the MJHL announced that Price was one of the officials joining the league for the 2023-2024 campaign. He is listed as a lines person. Kenton’s Brady Waddell is also joining the MJHL and is listed as both a referee and lines person.
Virden Minor Hockey Referee-in-Chief Brittany Pappel said that Price “should be very proud of himself and the hard work he has put in to get himself into this next level of officiating.” Landon White, the regional referee coordinator for Westman South, praised Price for his eagerness to improve and willingness to learn.
“He is just breaking into higher levels of hockey (U18 AAA and Junior A) and has many skills needed to be successful at those levels,” White said. “He is a strong skater with great positioning. He also shows good awareness and anticipation on the ice. The more high-calibre games he works, the more he will improve.”
Pappel said that Price’s strength is that he is always striving to do his best.
“He is quick, and confident and continues to grow and learn with the game,” she said. “I always enjoy working with Shane on the ice. He is a strong official who does his job well and always has your back as a partner. Shane helps out mentoring younger officials with Virden Minor Hockey. He is a great resource for younger officials offering mentoring advice in the form of on-ice support and advice.”
Price’s opportunity to work a Junior A preseason contest came after he officiated the MJHL Prospect Camp in July as a lines person. The MJHL Prospect Camp brings together more than 200 young players for three days of games, off-ice training and presentations. It also provides an opportunity for officials like Price and Waddell to display their abilities.
“The individuals that are invited to work games at this camp will get a chance to showcase themselves in front of MJHL and Hockey Manitoba supervisors. Our goal is to develop these young officials to become full-time officials in the MJHL in the near future,” MJHL Director of Officiating Patrick Gagnon said on the league’s website before the event.
The camp was a beneficial experience for Price who continues to strive to improve as an official.
“I really enjoyed working with other younger officials at the MJHL Prospect Camp,” he said. “I felt doing the older age groups helped me because they were faster than the younger age groups.”
A busy winter of officiating is ahead for Price. In addition to MJHL games, he will be working contests in a variety of minor hockey age groups for Virden and surrounding communities. Price will also officiate male and female hockey at the AAA level for U15 and U18 games. He will work senior hockey contests in both Manitoba and Saskatchewan.
“I really enjoy being able to give back to the minor hockey association, like how other refs have done when I played hockey,” Price said.
He played minor hockey in his hometown and then suited up for the Virden Collegiate Institute squad. The 2021 VCI grad is part of the high school hockey team’s support staff. Price started refereeing at the age of 13.
“I really appreciated how the other refs were able to ref my games when I played, so I decided to start refereeing to ensure that the younger kids can play hockey,” he said.
