NHL Network signed their agreement with INtelsat today for uplink capacity. That's probably the last hurdle before it gets widely distributed.
the contract probably happened a month or two ago. When it comes to these type of press releases, the event being press released was usually contracted a month or two ago
and the press release comes out once the uplinked signal has been around a while or when the service goes live, as in this case.
Looking at this thread as a whole, if NHL Network doesn't go in the basic AT100 package and above like NFL Network, we know why the NHL continues to be the "who cares" league or why the NHL is the 10th best sport in the U.S. If the NHL cared to get fans back or make new fans, they'd have it put in DISH's AT100 so it gets the widest possible eyeballs.
and to answer another poster, the NHL probably won't go back to ESPN. By choosing VS., the NHL has chosen money over viewership so the only way ESPN would get the NHL back is if ESPN offers the most money for NHL national rights when the current VS. national rights contract expires.