Katie Guay: The AHL’s First Ever Female Referee

The first-ever female AHL referee, Katie Guay, sits down with Rob Bellamy for an interview

The first-ever female referee in the American Hockey League, Katie Guay, joined TorchPro’s Rob Bellamy for an interview where she talked about her journey to making history as a female referee, her experience and emotions dropping the puck for her first AHL game, how she made the transition from athlete to referee, and so much more!

Katie grew up in Westfield, MA, and was on the Westfield High School boys hockey team before transferring to Deerfield academy and ultimately committing, and playing for Brown University. While at Brown University, Katie recorded 69 points in 128 games for the Bears and was named captain of the team in 2004-2005 during her senior year. Shortly after her college career, Katie began officiating and quickly fell in love with it as she moved her way up through the ranks and became a staple in women’s college hockey. She made her first men’s debut in 2015 in the ECAC college hockey conference and became a regular in 2016 before getting invited to the NHL officiating exposure combine in 2019 where she showcased her skills. Katie was chosen as one of the 10 female referees the AHL hired and ultimately made history as the first-ever female to referee an AHL hockey game.