The potential names of the original six franchises of the Women’s Professional Hockey League have been revealed.
Applications for Toronto Torch, Montreal Echo, Ottawa Alert, Minnesota Superior, Boston Wicked and New York Sound were filed with the US Patent and Trademark Office by PWHL Holdings, LLC on Wednesday. Detroit Hockey.net It was first to report the filings Thursday morning.
PWHL Holdings previously filed trademarks for the league’s name and logos.
It’s worth noting that the trademark applications do not necessarily mean that these will be the team names when the puck drops for the PWHL’s inaugural season in January 2024. And that the league has not yet officially announced its team names and logos.
These names follow former women’s hockey franchises over the past decade such as the Toronto Furies, Toronto Six, Montreal Force, Les Canadiens de Montreal, Boston Blades, Boston Pride, Minnesota Whitecaps, Connecticut Whale, Metropolitan Riveters, Calgary Inferno, Markham Thunder and Buffalo Beauties. .
According to a press release issued in June, the new league has acquired the assets of the PHF, although it is unclear what assets or intellectual property — such as team names and logos — were purchased that could be used in the PWHL.
The PWHL officially unveiled its league logo Tuesday afternoon with a “stylized letter ‘W’ to highlight the women, crossed hockey sticks and a puck that falls perfectly in the middle of the letter shape.”
“We love the prominence of the ‘W’ used in a clean, strong design that celebrates the PWHL’s pioneers and their legacy across women’s sports,” said Stan Kasten, a member of the PWHL Advisory Board and president of the Los Angeles Dodgers, in a press release. “When people see the logo, they’ll realize how it represents women and immediately know it’s about hockey. The ‘W’ symbol speaks for itself but provides versatility to fit well when used within our PWHL lettering.”
The logo consists of six distinct pieces, depicting the six players on the ice for each team, and the top six teams in the league. The brand was created by Units Design Companya creative studio that includes the Los Angeles Dodgers, Boston Red Sox, and Philadelphia Phillies.
What happens with PWHL?
Training camps for next season are scheduled to begin on November 15 with 184 players, according to the league, placed on training camp rosters across the league’s six markets.
Camp attendees consist of the league’s 18 initial free agents, 88 players selected in the PWHL draft — draftees Tatum Skaggs (Boston) and Mintu Tuominen (Minnesota) are not reporting to camp — and 78 undrafted free agents invited from the draft eligibility list. Teams were allowed to bring a minimum of 28 players and a maximum of 35 players to camps.
Go deeper
PWHL roster analysis: The most interesting training camp invitees for each team
Many of the players who have been drafted have yet to officially sign contracts with their teams, as general managers wait for training camp to make final roster decisions. Before the start of the season in January 2024, rosters will be trimmed to 23 players by Dec. 11, according to the league, and each team will have to sign two players to reserve player contracts. According to the CBA, “each reserve player must receive a league-season salary of at least $15,000.”
The opening of training camps will mark the first time the teams have gathered together since the league was announced in June.
The league will be financially supported by Mark and Kybra Walter and led by board members including Billie Jean King, sports executive Ilana Kloss, and Kasten and Dodgers senior vice president of business strategy Royce Cohen.
Walter is CEO of investment firm Guggenheim Partners, which manages more than $300 billion in assets. Walter’s estimated net worth, via Forbes, is approximately $5.3 billion. He has been an owner of the Dodgers since 2012 when his investment group bought the team for $2.2 billion. He is also part owner of the Los Angeles Lakers and the WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks, and is part of the ownership group that purchased the Chelsea Football Club.
The league will launch with a historic CBA that will run for eight years, ending on July 31, 2031.
The first CBA book of its kind is over 40 pages long, with 30 articles including, but not limited to: player salaries and player-related expenses; benefits; player movement menu size; Travel; and safety and working conditions, according to people who reviewed the document. Specific items covered by the policy range from minimum salaries to meals, hotel stays, per diem, housing, moving expenses, health insurance, pregnancy benefits, parental leave, 401(k) program, nursing accommodations, and more.
Required reading
(Photo: Courtesy of PWHL)
“Food ninja. Friendly thinker. Explorer. Entrepreneur. Zombie junkie.