No Refs – No Spengler Cup. For the 97th edition of the Spengler Cup Davos, six referees and six linesmen have been appointed. The four head referees from the Swiss National League are supported by one representative each from the Czech Republic and Finland, while the four Swiss linesmen are joined by colleagues from the USA and the Czech Republic.

The referee team for this year’s edition of the Spengler Cup Davos has been announced. The four professional referees from the National League (NL) – Roland Gerber, Mikko Kaukokari, Loïc Ruprecht, and Michaël Tscherrig – will be complemented by Finland’s Joonas Kova and Czech official Robin Šír.

Swiss referee Michaël Tscherrig brings extensive international experience to Davos. He has been nominated for assignments at the 2022 Olympic Games in Beijing as well as several IIHF World Championships.
Finnish referee Mikko Kaukokari, who is also part of the NL referee roster, is a well-established figure in the final referee crews of the NL, the SM Liiga, and the Champions Hockey League (CHL). He was also recently appointed to officiate at the IIHF World Championship, highlighting his proven ability to manage high-pressure games.

Swiss NL referees Loïc Ruprecht and Roland Gerber are celebrating their Spengler Cup debut. This marks not only an important step within national and international officiating programs but also represents the current highlight of their careers – from starting out in the lower leagues, advancing to the NL, and now being considered for potential full-time professional referee contracts.

From the international ranks, Joonas Kova has been selected. He has been a referee in Finland’s top league (Liiga) for more than eleven years and has officiated numerous games at international tournaments such as the U20 World Championships (World Juniors) and the Champions Hockey League (CHL).
Czech referee Robin Šír is also a long-time international official. In addition to his assignments in the Czech Extraliga, he also officiates in the CHL and the Euro Hockey Tour. In 2022, he officiated the CHL final between Rögle and Tampere.

The team of Swiss linesmen – Stany Gnemmi, David Obwegeser, Dominik Schlegel, and Aurélien Urfer – will be completed by Patrick Dapuzzo from the USA and Czech official Michal Axman.

Officials Appointed for the Spengler Cup Davos 2025

Head Referees
Roland Gerber (SUI), Mikko Kaukokari (FIN/SUI), Loïc Ruprecht (SUI), Michaël Tscherrig (SUI), Joonas Kova (FIN), Robin Šír (CZE).

Linespersons
Stany Gnemmi (SUI), David Obwegeser (SUI), Dominik Schlegel (SUI), Aurélien Urfer (SUI), Patrick Dapuzzo (USA), Michal Axman (CZE)

Text: Spengler Cup-Onlineredaktion    Foto: Keystone