At 22-years-old, Noah Rousseau is one step closer to reaching his dreams.
The Quebec City, QC native was recently hired as Manager of Officiating with the Western Hockey League where he now oversees the day-to-day administration of the league’s on and off-ice officials.
Before beginning his current occupation with the WHL, Rousseau cut his teeth as the Hockey Operations Coordinator with the Victoria Royals, a position which he held from the summer of 2021 to March of this year. On the Island he quickly cemented himself as a competent and reliable part of the Royals’ organization in managing the day-to-day operations of the team and other administrative duties.
Prior to his time with the Royals organization, Rousseau completed an undergraduate degree in Sport Management at Brock University in St. Catherines, ON before moving on to Columbia University in New York where he earned a Master’s of Science in Sports Management.
So it was no surprise that when a job offer to be the new WHL Manager of Officiating came across, he was the perfect man for the job.
While he was saddened to leave the team that gave him his first opportunity, his passion for officiating and the game of hockey made the offer one he couldn’t refuse:
“I think my first job where I got paid was as a soccer referee when I was 14," said Rousseau. "But I didn’t really like the whole concept of running up and down the field, so I quickly pivoted to hockey refereeing…It also got to a point where competing as a player was just not fun for me anymore, so officiating allowed me to stay around the game.”
He continued:
“Then I moved away for undergrad and kind of lost touch with it, but it was always something I had a keen interest in and kept it in the back of my mind, thinking if there was ever an opportunity to get back into it I’d take it.”
Rousseau believes his time in Victoria gave him invaluable knowledge to help him succeed in his new job with the WHL:
“Understanding how the gears turn is a huge asset,” said Rousseau. “Something I will use every day in my current position. I had relatively no experience working in a hockey front office before Dan [Price] (Royals General Manager and Head Coach), took a chance on me last summer. It was extremely eye-opening to understand how a hockey operations department is run on a day-to-day basis. ”
He has since settled in at the league’s head office in Calgary, where his duties now include coordinating game assignments and travel schedules for officials as well as assisting with video scouting and other administrative tasks inside the officiating department of the WHL.
Apart from his passion for the game, and those wearing vertical black and white stripes, there were many other aspects that enticed Rousseau to the position:
“On one side it’s the career advancement opportunities,'' said Rousseau. “The fact there was a chance to move up was very appealing to me. Also just getting to work for an organization as reputable as the WHL is not something that comes up every day.”
It has been something of a whirlwind year for the 22-year-old, who has moved to three different cities over the past twelve months. However, he has found comfort in his new surroundings:
“I moved from New York City to Victoria, which was a big adjustment for me, ” said Rousseau. “So now moving to Calgary–a bigger city–I’m enjoying that. It’s been really good and I’m embracing the short commute to work. I drive every day, which is something I grew up doing, so it’s nice to get back in that rhythm.”
While the demands of his new job keep him busy as ever, Rousseau still finds time for other pursuits:
“I’m a big fan of Legos,” said Rousseau.“It may sound childish but it’s a huge passion of mine. There’s a new series that are European soccer stadiums, and I finished Old Trafford last year and I’m working on Camp Nou, which is FC Barcelona’s. I’m also hoping I can find the funds to afford Santiago Bernabéu which is Real Madrid’s.”
He found Legos to be a good way to relax from his work day when he was with the Royals organization:
“In Victoria we worked such long hours and were on the road 50% of the time so I had them on my kitchen island. I would just sit there and throw on a TV show, it’s such a good way to decompress and forget about everything for a second.”
Finally, he passed on a message to those aspiring to achieve their career goals:
“A year ago there’s no chance I would have told you I’d be here now,” said Rousseau. “I knew hockey was my goal, but I didn’t really have the means to get to it. I think my main message is just to network, get to know people….it’s often who you know and less what you know, because jobs aren’t really posted every day. That’s the harsh reality.”
He continued:
“My advice would be to get to know as many people as you can, you never know who they may know and it’s such a snowball effect like that. If you think you can make it, bet on yourself. That’s why I moved to Victoria, I was still in school, paying tuition, paying rent and wasn’t going to pass up this opportunity to come to Victoria and work in hockey so I had to make the decision to bet on myself and in the grand scheme of things it has seemed to work out.”
