Englishman Stan Scott, a former four time national champion in the 1980s, began a conversation about the idea due to local state hockey becoming predictable and boring.

The need for a new challenge and a pathway for local Western Australian talent was the driving force that propelled the idea into action and eventually a team.

[1] The blueprint was simple, take the crop of young talent in Western Australian junior ranks and develop it into the backbone of an AIHL team.

[1] Stan's first proposal in 2007 was to invite an AIHL team over to Perth to play in a ‘challenge series’ to test the competitiveness of local talent.

Once these key objectives were met, the state would then be in a position to establish a team and apply for an AIHL licence.

In 2010, through a working contact, Paul Watson (Melbourne Ice head coach), Stan Scott was able to secure the first AIHL opposition for exhibition matches against the Thunder.

After all the exhibition matches had been played and proved successful, it was clear the team was ready to apply for entry into the AIHL.

[3][4] In 2011, the Thunder worked with the AIHL to find solutions to predicted problems arising from a team in Western Australian joining a league predominantly located in Eastern Australia.

Issues such as higher operating costs, extra demands on players and staff, travelling and match scheduling.

[15] In 2013, the Thunder, in only their second year in the competition, reached their first ever AIHL finals weekend after finishing third in the league standings for the season.

[16] Their first finals opposition was the Newcastle North Stars in a semi-final held at the Melbourne Icehouse on 7 September 2013.

[20] In April, Stan Scott announced that he had stepped down as head coach to focus on the general manager operations of the club.

[21] After eight games into the 2014 season it was announced that Forsythe had stepped down as head coach with immediate effect for unknown reasons.

[33] The AIHL in February 2022 released the regular season schedule and it contained fixtures for all eight teams, home and away.

[34] In response to the schedule being posted, the Perth Thunder released a public statement on 12 February 2022, confirming the current Western Australian (WA) border restrictions presented challenges for the team to participate in the 2022 season, but that the team would continue to dialog with stakeholders and hope for a swift resolution by the state government.

[35] On 18 February 2022, the Thunder in conjunction with the AIHL announced the team would withdraw from the 2022 AIHL season due to continued uncertainty surrounding the WA border opening and the limited time left to organise team and travel arrangements prior to the 2022 season kicking off in April.

The Thunder did offer its players, staff, fans and sponsors the possibility of exhibition matches being played in Perth in 2022 to compensate for the unfortunate withdrawal.