ECHL hires Yerkovich, promotes Petrino

The ECHL announced on Monday that it has hired Riley Yerkovich as the League’s Manager of Officiating. He will begin his new role immediately. Additionally, Dan Petrino has been promoted to Vice President of Hockey Administration. “We are excited to hire Riley as our Manager of Officiating in the ECHL,” said ECHL Senior Vice President of Hockey Operations, Joe Ernst. “Riley brings experience in knowing the ECHL, the ECHL Officiating staff and our ECHL Officiating Development Coaches having been part of the ECHL Officiating Staff for the past 3 1/2 years. We are excited to work with and help develop Riley as he begins his next chapter in his career in the ECHL.” Yerkovich will be responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations of the League’s Officiating Department including oversight of on-ice officials, administration of rules and directives, travel and administration of officials, communications with the National Hockey League and American Hockey League on ECHL officials, and the ECHL Rule Book. Yerkovich has spent three-plus seasons as an ECHL referee, and was selected to work the 2022 ECHL All-Star Classic in Jacksonville and the 2022 Kelly Cup Finals. The Wyoming native also worked games in the AHL and for the IIHF. He was a member of USA Hockey’s Officiating Development Program since 2015, and refereed the 2018 and 2019 NAHL Top Prospects Tournaments and the 2019 NAHL Robertson Cup Final. Yerkovich attended the NHL Officiating Exposure Combine in 2019 and worked the 2019 Traverse City NHL Prospects Tournament and the 2021 Kelly Cup Playoffs. “Dan's promotion is well deserved,” Ernst said. “He is a vital part of the League’s hockey administration, working with each coach on their salary cap and rosters, and compiling the daily transactions. He also plays an instrumental role in enforcing the ECHL Playing Rules and works closely with the PHPA on CBA-related items.” Petrino is in his seventh season with the ECHL. He is responsible for the day-to-day administration of the ECHL Hockey Operations Department including the organization and release of team rosters, salary cap, player background and immigration matters while also overseeing all transactions and ongoing relations with the PHPA and other leagues and assisting in the creation of the yearly ECHL playing schedule. Prior to joining the ECHL, Petrino spent three years with the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, including the last year as the conference’s Assistant Commissioner for Championships. He was responsible for the supervision of in-season and postseason competition for several MAAC sports as well as overseeing officiating operations within his assigned sports. About the ECHLFormed in 1988-89 with five teams in four states, the ECHL has grown into a coast-to-coast league with 28 teams in 20 states and two Canadian provinces for its 35th season in 2022-23. There have been 728 players who have gone on to play in the National Hockey League after starting their careers in the ECHL, including one who has made their NHL debuts in the 2022-23 season. The ECHL has affiliations with 28 of the 32 NHL teams in 2022-23, marking the 26th consecutive season that the league has affiliations with at least 20 teams in the NHL. Further information on the ECHL is available on its website at ECHL.com as well as on Twitter and Facebook.