Article of the Week

NWHL partners with Twitter for 2017-18 season - The Ice Garden

The news of the NWHL partnering with Twitter to broadcast one game a week on the social media platform was met with enthusiasm from fans and media members alike. In the absence of details about any financial backing behind the agreement, the most obvious benefit here is exposure. It’s a significant one. If the NWHL partnership functions similarly to the agreement between Twitter and the WNBA this season, at the very least, this will put women’s hockey in front of the eyeballs of a lot of people. That is a definite benefit, especially in places where hockey in general is a niche sport.

The harder question is the narrower one—how will this impact the NWHL, as a league? Without any information about the finances involved, it’s harder to get a complete picture. As positive as exposure is, the NWHL has had a lot of luck getting that exposure and somewhat less luck translating that into revenue.

One factor in keeping eyeballs beyond the two seconds Twitter apparently counts as a “view” will be the broadcast quality. It’s mentioned that the NWHL will be responsible for production. Presumably with access to Twitter servers, the streams will be relatively stable, but what the NWHL currently presents as a broadcast product doesn’t hold a candle to an NHL broadcast.  If nothing else, hopefully the league will be able to improve lighting and possibly add an extra camera angle or two. What’s currently on offer matches the production values of a college or CWHL broadcast - with a larger audience, expectations get higher.

CWHL

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The Interview: Noora Raty on the CWHL's Chinese expansion - Sportsnet.ca
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La Chine met le paquet - La Presse+
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Renata Fast: The True Colors Of Teamwork
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NWHL

Where Will All-Star Defender Kaleigh Fratkin Land?
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NWHL Draft Picks Have Been Slow To Sign
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Signings and Re-Signings

Buffalo Beauts re-sign six from Championship team - The Ice Garden

New Beauts Signing Jordan Ott Eager To Compete

Three Rookie Skaters Sign NWHL Deals - The Ice Garden

Juana Baribeau re-signs with the Connecticut Whale - The Ice Garden

SDHL (Sweden)

Lara Stalder signs with SDHL team Linköping - The Ice Garden
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DEBL (Austria)

Former Penn State women's hockey forward inks pro deal | collegian.psu.edu
Laura Bowman signed a contract with the EHV Tigers Vienna, becoming the second former Nittany Lion to play professionally.

IIHF

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Johnson to lead USA women
Will attempt fourth straight U18 gold medal

Ice hockey: Hilary Knight posts video of workout dragging weights
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U16 women battle it out
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A game of her own
A pioneer in every sense of the word, there is no one who has done more for the growth and success of women’s hockey than Fran Rider

NCAA

Women’s WCHA should give Lindenwood a fair, long look
If the women’s WCHA wants to replace North Dakota soon, Lindenwood is the lone logical option, and not as low-quality a long-term choice as it might seem.

NCAA Ice Hockey rules committee recommends modifying video reviews | NCAA.com
The NCAA Ice Hockey Rules Committee recommended some new rules changes.

Para ice hockey

Will you be checking out the Twitter live NWHL broadcasts this season?

Absolutely!12
At least once11
No, all hockey must be in 4K1
No, I don’t have Twitter3