In the current 2025/2026 season, numerous referees from the German Ice Hockey Federation (Deutscher Eishockey-Bund eV) were again appointed (DEB) appointed for top international tournaments. Following his successful performance at the men's ice hockey tournament of the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan (ITA), he was appointed head referee. André Schrader nominated again for a top-division event. Together with Luke Kohlmüller (Head referee) and Patrick Laguzov (Linesman) he will be in action at the IIHF Men's World Championship 2026 in Switzerland.
German referee young talent nominated for U18 World Cup
The intensive development of young talent in German refereeing seems to be paying off. Jeroen Klijberg (Head referee), Vincent Brüggemann (Linesmen) and Kenneth English (Linesmen) are three young men DEBReferees nominated for international assignments. The three officials, aged 28, 25 and 26, have been called up for a top-division assignment – they will be officiating in Trenčín and Bratislava (SVK) for the Men's Under-18 World Championship.
Other international nominees
Head referees: Caroline Butt (WW IB/ Spain), Tijana Haack (WW IA/ Hungary)
Chief Referee: Tim Heffner (WM18 IIA/ Romania), Marius Wölzmüller (WM18 IA/ Poland), Lukas Voit (WM IIA/ VA Emirates), Kilian Hinterdobler (WM IA/ Poland)
Line referees: Leonie Ernst (WW IA/ Hungary)
Linesmen: Tom Giesen (WM18 IIA/ Romania), Kai Jürgens (WM IA/ Poland), Markus Merk (WM IA/ Poland)
Reactions to the nomination
DEB-Head of Refereeing Manuela Gröger-Schneider"The nomination of three referees from the DEB The selection of referees for the Men's Ice Hockey World Championship in the top division underscores the outstanding development and recognition of German referees at the international level. We are particularly pleased that three young referees – Jeroen Klijberg, Vincent Brüggemann, and Kenneth Englisch – have also been selected for the U18 World Championship in Slovakia. For all three, this is their first time officiating at the highest level – a significant step and an important milestone in their careers. We are delighted with this positive development and will continue to promote it.
DEB-Referee Lukas Kohlmüller“My nomination for the IIHF World Championship in Switzerland is a great honor and something I'm really looking forward to. It's also the result of hard work over the past few years. I'm very grateful for the trust and continued support of everyone involved – especially my family. Having already officiated two World Championships as a linesman, I'm now very excited to experience my first IIHF World Championship as a head referee and to take on this challenge at the international level. My goal is to officiate the games fairly and safely, creating the conditions for all teams to have an equal chance of winning.”
DEB-Referee Vincent Brüggemann: “I am delighted to be nominated for such a high-caliber tournament as this year’s U18 World Championship in Slovakia. The best young talents in the world will be competing here – being part of this competition is a huge honor for me. As this is my first tournament at the A-level, this appointment has a very special meaning for me. I am all the more excited to be representing the German Ice Hockey Federation as a linesman on behalf of the IIHF at the international level.”
Vincent Brüggemann and André Schrader (from left), photo: City-Press