Assistant coaches have been hired, the schedule is coming, players will soon begin signing, names and logos, and much more.

The PWHL season is rapidly approaching with only four weeks remaining until training camp. Here's a look at what's been happening.

Player signings? Waivers?

Players have been receiving offers and talking through terms with some PWHL teams, but the fact that standard player agreements were not ready, has delayed more signing announcements from formally being released. None of the 18 players announced by the league, players like Marie-Philip Poulin and Hilary Knight, were officially signed by their clubs despite the announcements and press coverage surrounding the signings. But it appears the issues surrounding the standard player agreements are resolved and those players will now formally ink their three-year deals, while other players will be eligible to sign. Another item not initially included in the CBA, which has since been rectified is a waiver system for when players are released from their contracts in season. Some teams are extending f

What is the deal with names and logos?

As PWHL leader Stan Kasten said in an interview with CBC this week, franchises "will certainly have team names" before the puck drops in January. While he said names would come, Kasten was less certain about logos. 

In a Michael Russo article in The Athletic this week, Russo stated that logos may initially be placed on shoulder patches and that all teams would have their market name diagonally across the jersey fronts.

Venues and Schedule Coming

Venues have been a real evolving situation for the league. Verdun for Montreal, Xcel for Minnesota, TD Place for Ottawa, and Total Mortgage Arena in Bridgeport for New York. Many believe Coca-Cola will be the home rink for Toronto, while Boston remains the wild card.

After reports surfaced that Boston's leading contender for a home rink was Walter Brown Arena, new rumors have appeared suggesting Boston will play 45 minutes outside the city in Lowell, Massachusetts. 

Despite where "home" locations are for these franchises, both Boston and New York will certainly play games within the city limits for each franchise as the league has acknowledged teams will be playing a variety of neutral site games in, and outside of their markets. For New York, it's believed the team will play at UBS Arena at least once this season. Even if Boston plays in Lowell, the team will certainly play in Boston at times as well. 

A schedule is currently being devised for the 24 game regular season for each team, with the last portion of the schedule to be built being these neutral site games.\

Coaches Hired, Soon To Be Announced

Teams have completed large portions of their staffing, including hiring assistant coaches. Some team hires, like Rachel Flanangan in Toronto, Eric Houde in Montreal, and Jake Bobrowski and Mira Jalosuo in Minnesota.

Ottawa and New York have also made their assistant coach hirings, which should be announced by the league in the coming days.