In addition to the women's and men's national teams of the German Ice Hockey Federation ( )DEBAndré Schrader, a German referee, will also be among the referees at the Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina, which will take place from February 6 to 22, 2026. The 36-year-old has been nominated by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) for the Winter Olympics for the third time, following his previous nominations in 2014 and 2022.
Olympic nomination referee
The “Road to Milano” began for DEBReferee André Schrader was already involved in the Olympics in August 2024 – a first meeting for referees took place in Riga, Latvia. Fifteen head referees and fifteen linesmen were invited. Following this event, the selected referees each officiated several matches at the three Olympic qualification tournaments – after which they received official assignments at the Olympics. Deutschland Cup The nomination phase began in 2024 and continued with the U20 World Championship in Dallas, USA. It concluded with the 2025 IIHF Men's World Championship in Sweden and Denmark. Four weeks after this tournament, the pool of referees was reduced from 30 to 13 – seven referees and six linesmen were thus finalized for the 2026 Winter Olympics. As preparation for Milan and Cortina, the nominees completed a four-day training camp in Buffalo, USA, which included close collaboration with colleagues from the NHL (National Hockey League). Until the start of the Winter Games, regular communication is taking place via online meetings with officials from the IIHF (International Ice Hockey Federation) and the NHL to ensure the smooth running of the Olympic ice hockey tournament.
DEBreferee André Schrader“Like every player, for us referees, the ultimate goal is to participate in the Olympic Games. The fact that I am now being granted this honor for the third time makes me incredibly proud. Especially after the long and intensive selection process by the IIHF as part of the ‘Road to Milano’ program, the anticipation for the Games is enormous. A major reason for this is certainly the participation of the NHL – both in terms of players and referees. I am convinced that every ice hockey enthusiast can look forward to what is probably the best ice hockey tournament of all time.”
leader DEB-Arbitration Manuela Gröger-Schneider“A nomination for the Olympic Games – whether for an ice hockey player or an ice hockey referee – is a very special honor and recognition of past achievements. We are all the more delighted that André Schrader, a long-time and highly experienced ice hockey referee, has received this honor and will represent Germany as an official at the Olympic Games. André is a true sportsman and has been officiating at the highest national and international level for many years. We hope that he will have the opportunity to be on the ice during the tournament, right up to the medal games, and to referee games featuring world-class players.”
Other internationally nominated referees
Besides André Schrader, other German referees will also be officiating at international tournaments in the 2025/2026 season.
female referees: Lara Fischer (IIHF Ice Hockey U18 Women's World Championship WW18), Vanessa Anselm (IIHF Ice Hockey U18 Women's World Championship WW18 IA), Julia Wagner (IIHF Ice Hockey U18 Women's World Championship WW18 IA), Julia Strube (IIHF Ice Hockey U18 Women's World Championship WW18 IIA)
refereesChristopher Schadewaldt and Yannik Koziol (Continental Cup Second Round CC C), Kenneth Englisch (IIHF Ice Hockey U20 World Championship WM20 IA), Jonas Reinold (IIHF Ice Hockey U20 World Championship WM20 IIA), David Cespiva (Continental Cup Final CC)