This former Edmonton Oilers prospect is now an NHL referee
A former Edmonton Oilers prospect has finally made it to the NHL, but not as a player.
Ben Betker, who was a sixth-round draft pick of the Oilers back in 2013, has officially been hired by the NHL’s officiating team for the upcoming 2025-26 season. The 30-year-old former defenceman reffed his first-ever NHL preseason game on Sunday, working a game between the Vegas Golden Knights and San Jose Sharks.
Betker played three seasons with the Oilers organization between 2015-16 and 2018-19, shifting between the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors and the ECHL’s Norfolk Admirals and Kalamazoo Wings.
Congrats to newly-hired referee Ben Betker, who made his NHL preseason debut last night at Vegas Golden Knights vs. San Jose Sharks. More on the new guy: https://t.co/oTLcCex220
— Scouting The Refs (@ScoutingTheRefs) September 22, 2025
After the Oilers opted to cut ties with Betker, the hulking defenceman crossed the pond and spent five seasons playing in Slovakia and Austria. He called it a career following the 2023-24 season and decided to become a referee.
Betker’s rise to the ranks of NHL officiating was swift. He attended the 2024 NHL Officiating Combine and immediately got work at high levels, including in the BCHL, ECHL, and even some AHL games last season.
In July, it was announced that Betker would be added to the NHL’s officiating team.
“This means everything to me,” Betker said in an interview with the BCHL. “To be able to share this success with family and friends was really cool. There is still a lot of work to do, but it’s a step in the right direction, and I’m just enjoying the process.”
Part of being a hockey ref is keeping the game under control when tempers get heated. Betker carries a massive six-foot-six, 227-pound frame, which is bigger than most NHL players nowadays.
While he is part of the NHL’s officiating team this season, the expectation is that he will spend most of the season in the AHL with a chance at moving up to the big leagues in the spring.