ECHL official site

Former ECHL player and ice official Riley Brace will referee his first National Hockey League game on Saturday when Ottawa plays Montreal. Brace will work the game alongside the former ECHL referee Ghislain Hebert and linesman Julien Fournier.

Brace totaled 143 points (48g-95a) in 130 ECHL games over three seasons with San Francisco, Ontario and Wheeling. He scored 34 points (8g-26a) in 33 games in the Kelly Cup Playoffs and helped the Nailers reach the 2016 Kelly Cup Finals, where they lost to Allen in six games. The Ottawa native also played 74 games in the American Hockey League and played the final five seasons of his playing career (2016-21) in Europe.

After retiring as a player, Brace participated in the NHL's Officiating Exposure Combine in 2022, worked as an ECHL referee during the 2022-23 season and was hired by the NHL before the start of this season.