Kirsten Welsh (born 1997) is a Canadian

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...

official, currently serving as a linesman in the

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary Minor league#Ice hockey, developmental league for the National Hockey League (NHL). Since the 2010–11 AHL se ...

(AHL) and

Ontario Hockey League The Ontario Hockey League (OHL; french: Ligue de hockey de l'Ontario (LHO)) is one of the three major junior ice hockey leagues which constitute the Canadian Hockey League. The league is for players aged 16–19. There are exceptions for overag ...

(OHL). A retired ice hockey

defenceman Defence or defense (in American English) in ice hockey is a player position that is primarily responsible for preventing the opposing team from Goal (ice hockey), scoring. They are often referred to as defencemen, D, D-men or blueliners (the la ...

, she played

college ice hockey College ice hockey is played principally in the United States and Canada, though leagues exist outside North America. In the United States, competitive "college hockey" refers to ice hockey played between colleges and universities within the g ...

with the

Robert Morris Colonials The Robert Morris Colonials are the athletic teams for Robert Morris University, in Moon Township, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Pittsburgh. The Colonials compete in NCAA Division I ( FCS, formerly Division I-AA, in football). In 2020, the school joi ...

in the

College Hockey America College Hockey America (CHA) is a college ice hockey conference in the United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I as a hockey-only conference. The conference is made up of five women’s teams, with two in Pennsylvania; two in New Y ...

(CHA) conference of the

NCAA Division 1 NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest level of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major collegiate athletic ...

during 2015 to 2019.

Officiating career

In September 2019, Welsh became one of four women to officiate at the

NHL The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

level for the first time, working in an NHL Prospect Tournament hosted by the

Buffalo Sabres The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. The Sabres compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team was established in 1970, along w ...

at the

HARBORcenter LECOM Harborcenter is an American mixed-use development in Buffalo, New York developed by Pegula Sports and Entertainment. The building occupies a full 1.7 acre city block formerly known as the Webster Block, directly across from and connected ...

from September 7 through 10. Welsh was also joined by Kelly Cooke,

Katie Guay Katie Guay (born 1982) is an American ice hockey official, currently serving as a Referee (ice hockey), referee in the National Hockey League (NHL) and American Hockey League (AHL). A retired ice hockey Forward (ice hockey), forward, Guay played ...

, and

Kendall Hanley Kendall Hanley (born ) is an American ice hockey official, currently serving as a linesman in the American Hockey League (AHL). She was the recipient of USA Hockey’s 2020–21 Ben Allison Award in recognition of her dedication on the ice and r ...

as officials who worked the Elite Women's 3-on-3 event at the

2020 National Hockey League All-Star Game The 2020 National Hockey League All-Star Game was held on January 25, 2020, at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis, Missouri, the home of the St. Louis Blues. The city previously hosted the NHL All-Star Game in 1970 and 1988 at the former St. Lou ...

Enterprise Center The Enterprise Center is an 18,096-seat arena located in downtown St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Its primary tenant is the St. Louis Blues of the National Hockey League, but it is also used for other functions, such as NCAA basketball, NC ...

St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

. Of note, Cooke and Guay served in the capacity of referees, while Hanley and Welsh were the linesmen.

Awards and honors

;CHA * 2015–16 CHA All-Tournament Team * 2016–17 All-CHA First Team * 2017–18 All-CHA First Team * 2017–18 CHA Defender of the Year ;USCHO * 2015–16 All-USCHO Rookie Team Sources:

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Welsh, Kirsten Living people 1997 births Canadian ice hockey officials Canadian women's ice hockey forwards Canadian expatriate ice hockey people in the United States Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States Ice hockey people from Ontario National Hockey League officials Robert Morris Colonials women's ice hockey players