Canadian Women’s Hockey League moves Thunder from Brampton to Markham

MARKHAM, Ont. – The Thunder of the Canadian Women’s Hockey League has relocated from Brampton to Markham, Ont.

The CWHL announced Tuesday at a news conference the Thunder will play out of the Thornhill Community Centre.

The Thunder, which counts retired national-team forwards Jayna Hefford and Vicky Sunohara among its alumni, has played out of Brampton since before the CWHL’s inception in 2007 dating back to the former National Women’s Hockey League in the 1990s.

The CWHL recently expanded to six teams with the addition of Kunlun Red Star from China. There are also teams in Calgary, Toronto, Montreal and Boston.

The league does not pay players a salary, but covers expenses, travel and the cost of staging the annual Clarkson Cup championship.