Frederick L’Ecuyer

L’Ecuyer was born in St-Tite, QC a small town located north of Trois-Rivières. The former centerman traded his stick for a whistle at the age of 16 to earn some extra money while keeping him involved in the great game of hockey. His strong skating abilities along with his composure under pressure had him reaching the provincial leagues at a fast pace. L’Ecuyer credits another St-Tite hockey official, Luc Durand for his strong start into the officiating world. Durand, an established official back then and a hometown friend acted as a mentor with him during his first few years giving him a strong foundation. After spending a few years in the Quebec Provincial’s league as a referee, L’Ecuyer was promoted in August 1999 in the QHJML as a linesman. That same year, he graduated from the University of Trois-Rivieres (UQTR) with a Major in Business Administration and a Minor in Human Ressources and continued working the Provincial’s leagues that year as a referee while manning the lines in the “Q”. The following summer (2000), the QHJML promoted him as a full time referee at the age of 23. He would go on and work only two full seasons as a referee in the QHJML reaching the Playoffs Semi-Finals in his first year! In July 2001, the NHL brought back to life their then defunct Officiating Prospect Camp and L’Ecuyer received an invitation to attend the showcase event, which was held in Guelph, Ontario. He returned to work the QHJML the next season. The following summer, he was again invited to attend the prospect invitational and that year, the NHL Officiating personnel present at that camp noticed him and convinced him to move down in Texas to go and work the now defunct Central Hockey League (CHL) in order to gain some professional hockey experience. He worked a total of four full seasons in the CHL (2002-2006) working the 2005 CHL All-Star Game in Laredo, TX and also selected to work the CHL Finals in his final three seasons (2004, 2005 & 2006). He made his American Hockey League debut during the 2002-03 season while working primary the CHL and continued doing so throughout his four seasons down in Texas. L’Ecuyer was hired under a minor leagues referee contract by the National Hockey League in the summer of 2006. He was promoted to a full time NHL referee status in the summer of 2010 by NHL Director of Officiating Terry Gregson.