Jordan Samuels-Thomas

Jordan Blaine Samuels-Thomas (born May 28, 1990) is an American National Hockey League referee and former professional ice hockey player. He was selected by the Atlanta Thrashers in the seventh round (203rd overall) of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.^[1] He made his officiating debut during the 2021–22 NHL season and has refereed 55 regular season games as of the start of the 2024–25 season^[update]. He wears uniform number 42.^[2][3]

Jordan Samuels-Thomas
Samuels-Thomas with the Ontario Reign
Born	(1990-05-28) May 28, 1990 (age 35) West Hartford, Connecticut, US
Alma mater	Quinnipiac University
Occupation	Ice hockey referee
Years active	2022–present
Employer	National Hockey League
Ice hockey career Height 6 ft 4 in (193 cm) Weight 190 lb (86 kg; 13 st 8 lb) Position Left wing Shot Left Played for San Diego Gulls Ontario Reign KHL Medveščak Zagreb NHL draft 203rd overall, 2009 Atlanta Thrashers Playing career 2014–2020

Early life

Samuels-Thomas was born in West Hartford, Connecticut. He played junior hockey with the Waterloo Black Hawks of the United States Hockey League (USHL) before attending Bowling Green State University to play the 2009–10 and 2010–11 seasons with the Bowling Green Falcons. He then transferred to Quinnipiac University,^[4] where he played the 2012–13 and 2013–14 seasons with the Quinnipiac Bobcats men's ice hockey team.^[5][6] During his four years of college hockey Samuels-Thomas played 148 games, registering 50 goals, 54 assists, and 162 penalty minutes.^[7] He earned a bachelor's and master's degree in journalism from Quinnipiac University.^[8]

Professional playing career

On July 9, 2014, the Winnipeg Jets traded his NHL rights to the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for a conditional seventh-round pick in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft,^[9] and three days later, on July 12, 2014, the Buffalo Sabres signed him to a one-year, entry-level contract.^[10] The Sabres chose not to retain his rights after that season.^[11]

On September 24, 2015, Samuels-Thomas was signed by the Ontario Reign.^[12] He was briefly assigned to the Manchester Monarchs of the ECHL at the beginning of the season, but then was recalled back to the Reign.^[13]

On December 30, 2017, while in the midst of his second season with the Gulls, Samuels-Thomas was released from his AHL contract after appearing in 18 games for two points.^[14] On January 3, 2018, he signed his first contract abroad with Mladá Boleslav of the Czech Extraliga (ELH) until the end of the 2017–18 season.^[15] After just four games with them Samuels-Thomas switched teams again and signed with Augsburger Panther of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga on January 25, 2018.^[16]

As a free agent from the Panthers in the off-season, Samuels-Thomas moved to the neighboring Austrian Hockey League, agreeing to a one-year deal with Croatian-based KHL Medveščak Zagreb on August 1, 2018.^[17] In the 2018–19 season, Samuels-Thomas contributed with 11 points through 17 games before opting to leave the club mid-season. On January 18, 2019, having returned to North America, he signed an AHL contract with the Hershey Bears for the remainder of the season and was immediately assigned to ECHL affiliate, the South Carolina Stingrays.^[18]

On September 29, 2019, approaching the 2019–20 season, Samuels-Thomas agreed to continue his career in the ECHL, signing with the Worcester Railers.^[19] He registered 11 goals and 29 points in 33 games with the Railers, before leaving the club to return to Europe for the remainder of the season, agreeing to a contract with German DEL2 club, Heilbronner Falken on February 3, 2020.

Officiating career

On January 29, 2021, Samuels-Thomas ended his playing career after six professional seasons and began a career as an official.^[20][21] He was hired on a minor-league contract by the NHL for the 2021–22 season, working a few preseason games with veteran officials.^[22] His first game in the NHL was on April 14, 2022, between the San Jose Sharks and Chicago Blackhawks.^[2] Upon officiating the game, Samuels-Thomas became the third known Black official to work in the NHL after linesmen Jay Sharrers and Shandor Alphonso, and the first to be initially hired as a referee.^[a] He also became the first African-American official, as Sharrers and Alphonso are Canadian.^[22][21] The game’s other officials were referee Eric Furlatt, and linesmen Alphonso and Ryan Galloway.^[23]

Career statistics

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2006–07	Hartford Jr. Wolfpack	AtJHL		43	21	38	59	44		1	1	0	1	0
2007–08	Waterloo Black Hawks	USHL		56	8	3	11	65		11	0	2	2	10
2008–09	Waterloo Black Hawks	USHL		59	32	22	54	59		3	2	1	3	2
2009–10	Bowling Green State U.	CCHA		35	11	14	25	30		—	—	—	—	—
2010–11	Bowling Green State U.	CCHA		36	9	12	21	46		—	—	—	—	—
2012–13	Quinnipiac University	ECAC		43	17	12	29	40		—	—	—	—	—
2013–14	Quinnipiac University	ECAC		34	13	16	29	46		—	—	—	—	—
2014–15	Rochester Americans	AHL		63	5	3	8	70		—	—	—	—	—
2015–16	Manchester Monarchs	ECHL		1	0	0	0	0		—	—	—	—	—
2015–16	Ontario Reign	AHL		58	12	10	22	46		13	1	0	1	8
2016–17	Utah Grizzlies	ECHL		4	3	3	6	2		—	—	—	—	—
2016–17	Florida Everblades	ECHL		5	0	2	2	0		—	—	—	—	—
2016–17	San Diego Gulls	AHL		56	12	12	24	17		10	1	0	1	2
2017–18	San Diego Gulls	AHL		18	1	1	2	18		—	—	—	—	—
2017–18	BK Mladá Boleslav	ELH		4	0	1	1	10		—	—	—	—	—
2017–18	Augsburger Panther	DEL		6	3	1	4	2		—	—	—	—	—
2018–19	KHL Medveščak Zagreb	EBEL		17	2	9	11	10		—	—	—	—	—
2018–19	South Carolina Stingrays	ECHL		26	6	12	18	13		4	1	2	3	2
2019–20	Worcester Railers	ECHL		33	11	18	29	18		—	—	—	—	—
2019–20	Heilbronner Falken	DEL2		5	1	3	4	0		—	—	—	—	—
AHL totals				195	28	28	56	151		23	2	0	2	10

Awards and honors

Award	Year
College
NCAA All-Tournament Team	2013

See also

• List of NHL on-ice officials

Notes

1. Sharrers was a referee for the 2000–01 season but switched back to being a linesman shortly after.