Thunder are thrilled to announce the signing of 29 year old Canadian defenseman Ryan Wonfor, who joins the club following spells in New Zealand and Sweden.

Hailing from Mississauga, Ontario, Ryan started his hockey career in Canada before moving to the USA to play in the Eastern Hockey League. Following this he then represented Kent State University and Davenport University in the ACHA for two season each, before a move to Sweden to play for Lenhaovda IF. He stayed in Sweden for another season, playing for Hallefors IK, before a move to the Southern Hemisphere where he spent two years at his most recent club Phoenix (Dunedin) Thunder in the New Zealand Ice Hockey League. He quickly became a fan favourite there, and demonstrated his quality, returning 22 points in 16 games in his most recent season.

Ryan had the following to say to Thunder fans ahead of his debut in Milton Keynes:

I’m excited to be joining Thunder. It has been amazing to be back on the ice since arriving in the UK. Our team looks strong and it’s great that the core of the team is young players with a lot of talent and potential. I look forward to playing in front of, and meeting the fan’s soon!

Thunder’s Will Fry is delighted to have Ryan on board:

Ryan is an exceptional signing for us. His experience and pedigree speak for themselves and he will play a very big part of any success we achieve this season. As well as his value on the ice, he will provide first class leadership, and be a great role model for the rest of our roster – especially our younger group who are keen to learn and benefit from his knowledge and skill. We’ve had some good conversations over the summer and Ryan is fully bought into what we are trying to achieve here and I know how keen he is to get out there in a Thunder jersey to get started in what I am sure will be a very successful career here in the UK for him.

Fans can see Ryan in action this weekend (Sunday 7th), as he makes his Thunder debut at home in our pre-season series match against Coventry NIHL Blaze – 18:30pm face-off at Planet Ice, Milton Keynes. Tickets are available on the door and we can’t wait to see you all there to give Ryan a true Thunder welcome.

Ryan’s jerseys are available now to Own & Loan, please contact mkthundericehockey@gmail.com for more information.