Whether it’s from playing in local rinks across Metro Vancouver or watching the World Junior Championships, there’s a good chance the name Mark Pearce rings a bell. 

Mark grew up in NVMHA colours, played for the Storm, and by the age of 12 was trying his hand at refereeing. Now, after nearly two decades officiating both Junior and IIHF hockey, he’s taking a role as Referee-in-Chief for NVMHA. 

We had the pleasure of sitting down with Mark and learning more about his playing career, refereeing at the highest level, and some lessons for younger players and refs everywhere.  

Growing up with NVMHA

Mark’s playing career began with NVMHA at the young age of six. He played rep hockey through U18, started refereeing at 12-years-old, and played Junior B in the KIJHL for two seasons. 

Sadly, concussions and injury would cut his playing career short. But a nudge from his family brought him back to refereeing – something he’d found early success in and would soon pursue at a higher level. 

From player to official 

At the age of 19, Mark re-entered officiating and joined what’s now known as the BC Hockey High Performance Program. In Fall 2007, he refereed both Junior B and BC Elite Hockey League games. 

Fast forward to 2011 and Mark was hired by the Western Hockey League (WHL) – a step that opened doors to both national and international assignments. 

Experience refereeing both WHL and U Sports games platformed him into marquee events, such as IIHF Tournaments and U Sports National Championships. Some of his career highlights include refereeing the IIHF World Juniors and later the Men’s World Championship in Prague and Ostrava, sharing the ice with some of the best players on the planet. 

And yes, even when refereeing at the highest level, he still gets butterflies. 

“I still get nervous before every game… it’s a reminder that I care about the game and maintaining its integrity.” 

He also added that for officials who referee at such a high level, their conditioning and skating is expected to be at a similar level as the players. 

That means he focuses on off-season skating work, in-season maintenance, and dryland training several times per week. 

Teaching on and off the ice

When he’s not calling games, Mark is in the classroom. As a teacher of five years, he loves working with the next generation – and many of his students play or officiate hockey themselves.

Teaching and mentorship runs through everything he does, whether it’s summer camps, officiating clinics, and now, his newest role as RIC with NVMHA. 

What the RIC does — and Mark’s plan for this season

So what does a Referee‑in‑Chief actually do? For Mark, priority one is launching a clear, consistent development program for our officials:

  • Building a bench of officiating coaches (men and women) who will mentor throughout the season.
  • Visiting rinks to coach young officials in real time.
  • Opening lines of communication with team coaches—setting expectations for officiating at U11, U15, U18 (Rep and House), and improving two‑way dialogue.
  • Reinforcing support for officials. 

And just as important, Mark wants to help every young player see the pathways that come from refereeing. His advice to anyone curious about refereeing? Mark's message is simple – just try it.

If you do a handful of games and decide it’s not for you—that’s okay. But if it clicks, there are real avenues to grow from local rinks to high‑performance hockey.

Welcome back, Mark

We’re thrilled to welcome Mark Pearce back to NVMHA as our Referee‑in‑Chief. Over the season, we’ll share more details on officiating development, mentorship opportunities, and how players can get involved.

Questions for Mark or interested in officiating? Keep an eye on our channels for clinic dates and contact info.