Hockey Saskatchewan has named Michael Durant as one of this year’s recipients of the Most Promising Referee Award (Byron Hildebrand/Facebook).

By Austin Mattes

Rising Through the Ranks

Battlefords referee recognized with provincial officiating award

Jun 13, 2025 | 1:12 PM

Hockey Saskatchewan has named Michael Durant as one of this year’s recipients of the Most Promising Referee Award, recognizing the 24-year-old’s strong potential to rise through the ranks of officiating in Canada.

“I definitely wasn’t expecting it, I was kind of one of those people that just goes day-to-day, does the job of the official, so it’s definitely a huge honour to be chosen for this award,” Durant said.

Originally from Saskatoon, Durant has spent the last few years in the Battlefords steadily building his resume. He has worked 30 Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) games this season as well as regular assignments in U18 AAA and Senior hockey.

Durant said his journey as a referee began in his youth, sparked by a coach’s encouragement.

“I played hockey and my U13 coach was head of the female development program for Saskatchewan, he just told me lots of good stories about reffing. So, I started doing it and fell in love with it and haven’t stopped since,” he explained.

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Durant’s rapid progression has been no accident. He’s attended several Hockey Saskatchewan officiating camps, including the Sask. First Referee program. His performance there earned him entry into the Saskatchewan Officiating Development Model and most recently, a spot in the Member High Performance program.

“The Member High Performance camp, they run it once every two years and it’s for people who are serious about trying to pursue officiating, grow the game, help the community, and get to those high levels of hockey. I applied and was fortunate enough to get chosen for that,” Durant said.

He also gave credit to several local mentors in the Battlefords for helping guide his career.

“I learned lots from key people like Jared Wilkinson, Jessica Coleman and Phillip McGee. They definitely helped out with my reffing career,” said Durant.

For Durant, the appeal of officiating goes way beyond the blow of whistle.

“I get the best view of the game because it happens right in front of me. The atmosphere is great, especially when games get more important, like playoffs and provincials, people get really passionate. It’s for the love of the game,” he said.

Looking ahead, Durant has his eyes set on the Western Hockey League (WHL).

“My goal now is to get to the Western League. The process for that is you go to the WHL exposure camp, I’ll be going hopefully next year, and if you do good at that, you get some preseason games, and then if you do good again, you’re kind of in part-time,” Durant said.

With a strong foundation of experience, mentorship, and passion, Durant exemplifies the true meaning of this award and is well on his way to reaching his goal of getting to the next level.

In addition to receiving the award, Durant is also nominated as Saskatchewan’s representative for Hockey Canada’s Most Promising Official.

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Austin.mattes@pattisonmedia.com

On X: @AustinMattes