There is a new team in town – the Worcester Blades. At the end of August, the Canadian Women’s Hockey League (CWHL) announced the relocation and renaming of the Boston Blades. The now Worcester Blades will play their 2018-2019 season at the Fidelity Bank Worcester Ice Center. The Blades are the latest addition to the sporting boom in the city. Over the summer, the Triple A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox announced that Worcester would be the team’s new home.

The Blades’ strategic move was based on a couple of major factors, but most importantly, the need to be in a city with a strong, passionate hockey fan base. “They’ve had American Hockey League teams out here and now an East Coast Hockey League team. The one thing they lacked was a women’s professional league, so that was a huge draw for us,” said Derek Alfama, who was recently hired as the team’s general manager. When the team was playing in the Boston area, it was competing with the National Women’s Hockey League’s Boston Pride for fans.

With the new Fidelity Bank Worcester Ice Center, the relocation seemed like a natural transition for the team. Prior to the move, the Blades played at the Larsen Skating Rink at the Mike Eruzione Center in Winthrop. The move marks the team’s second time being based out of Central Massachusetts, as several years ago, the team called the New England Sports Center in Marlborough home.

“We’ve jumped around rinks in the past, and they’ve all been amazing to us, but I think we are excited to finally find a home,” said Megan Myers, forward for the Blades. “I’m so excited for us as a team, as an organization to get a fresh start, and I think Worcester is an awesome market for it.”

The Blades are the only American-based team in the CWHL. The team, which dates back to 2010, won the league’s Clarkson Cup in 2013 and 2015. It’s been a bumpy road for the team more recently, so the new home, coupled with some new faces, may be just what the team needs to get back on track.

“We’ve had some tough seasons in the past. With a new start, you have to wipe that all away,” said Myers. “We’ll be starting that new culture and camaraderie this season.”

With a few other options to take in hockey in the city, such as the Worcester Railers of the ECHL and some college teams, there are a few reasons why fans will want to see what the Blades bring to the table. While checking isn’t formally allowed, the games are action-packed and more physical than one may think.

“This is a tough league; we do push around a bit,” noted Myers. “We are very skilled. There is a lot of finesse; it’s all precision and good passing work.”

Another incentive to check out the Blades this fall is the sheer caliber of athletes in the league. While there will be some new names on the Blades’ roster for the 2018-2019 season, fans will definitely see familiar faces. Multiple Olympians from the PyeongChang games play in the CWHL.

“If you loved watching the Olympics, you’ll love watching us play,” said Myers. “It’s watching the rivalry all season long.”

As a child, Myers, who is also the assistant women’s hockey coach at Becker College, dreamed of being a professional hockey player, even though a women’s league didn’t exist at the time. Now, little girls can look up to professional female hockey players and know that being a paid athlete is a real possibility. That is part of the reason the Las Vegas native takes so much pride in her position as a role model for young athletes.

“It’s an honor,” she said. “It’s pretty cool to say you play professional hockey. It’s even better to say you are growing the game of hockey. Growing women’s hockey everywhere.”

Building awareness of the game is a big priority for the team, according to Alfama. “Our girls – I call them trailblazers because they are such great models – will be doing a lot of community service, getting involved with youth hockey programs,” he said.

While the details are still being ironed out, Alfama anticipates some autograph sessions and opportunities to get to know the players.

“It’s a grassroots effort for sure, and it’s not going to happen overnight. It’s going to take some (work), but we’re excited for the challenge.”

The Blades regular season runs from October through March. The four other teams in the league are the Les Canadiennes Montreal, Calgary Inferno, Markham Thunder and the Toronto Furies. The Kunlin Red Star are based in China. For more information, visit Worcester.thecwhl.com.

Maxine Giza