• July 16: The CWHL contracted the
Vanke Rays' membership after one season to focus solely on the Kunlun Red Star team in China. • July 19:
Jayna Hefford was appointed to the position of interim commissioner of the CWHL, replacing inaugural commissioner
Brenda Andress, who tendered her resignation. • August 3: The Kunlun Red Star franchise was rebranded as the
Shenzhen KRS Vanke Rays as part of integrating the CWHL's two teams in China. Rob Morgan, who served as the head coach of the
Vanke Rays during the previous season, was also named as the general manager for the consolidated Chinese team. • August 20, 2018: The Boston Blades relocated to
Worcester, Massachusetts and rebranded as the
Worcester Blades. Home games are scheduled for the Fidelity Bank Worcester Ice Center.
One league movement Starting in March 2018, and throughout the offseason, current and former players took to
social media to promote the concept of one unified professional women's hockey league. Players had utilized the
hashtag #OneLeague to indicated their support.
CWHL draft Heading into the draft, the league reported that general managers were authorized to "pre-sign" their first and second round selections prior to the draft. The window for pre-signing expired on August 17. ==Head coaching and front office personnel changes==