When the Moose Jaw U13 AA Warriors and Swift Current Broncos took the ice for an exhibition game at the start of the 2020-21 season, little did they know they had a near-future National Hockey League referee working their game.
See, with the pandemic having kept hockey in general off the ice until mid-October, referees were just as interested in getting on the ice as players. And with the Sask Male AA Hockey League pre-season game one of the first to be played not only in Moose Jaw, but in Saskatchewan, some impressive names from the officiating world laced up their skates to work the contest.
One of those was then-Western Hockey League official Cody Beach, who would go on to take part in his second NHL Officiating Exposure Combine the following summer.
That led to the former Moose Jaw Warrior being offered an NHL minor league referee contract -- and on Tuesday, Apr. 12, it was time to take the final step.
Beach, 29, officiated his first National Hockey League game, taking the ice for a contest between the New Jersey Devils and Arizona Coyotes. He was joined by fellow referee Trevor Hanson -- a veteran of more than 437 games since 2012 -- alongside linesman Julien Fournier and Trent Knorr.
Things weren’t all that busy penalty-wise in Beach’s first game: Arizona took five minors for 10 minutes, Arizona four minors and 12 minutes. New Jersey went on to take a 6-2 win.
The NHL assignment completed a rapid rise through the officiating ranks for the Kelowna product.
After his pro career was cut short due to injuries after the 2015-16 season, he put on the stripes in an attempt to stay involved in the game.
In his second year as an official, Beach was named the top referee in the Sask Male U18 AAA Hockey League and Prairie Junior Hockey League, and the SJHL and WHL came calling the following season.
After spending the full 2019-20 campaign in the WHL, Beach attended his first NHL officiating combine. One year later he was offered his first NHL minor league contract, leading to his arrival on the big stage.
Beach is most well known around Moose Jaw for his two seasons with the Warriors, and anyone who watched him play would likely be surprised to find out he’s one of the top referees in the sport, given his penchant for the penalty box.
An antagonist to the extreme, Beach racked up 392 penalty minutes in 98 games over two seasons with the Warriors, while also putting up 21 goals and 90 points over that span. No stranger to letting officials know his opinion, Beach ended up leading the WHL in penalty minutes with 229 in his final season in Moose Jaw.
Beach went on to play 166 professional games between the AHL and ECHL before ending his playing career after the 2017-18 campaign.
