The Edmonton Oilers are giving Chloe Primerano a shot at their 2026 development camp, adding Canada’s top young female hockey player to the mix.
Primerano, a 5-foot-8, 150-pound defenseman, has spent the last two seasons starring in U.S. college hockey with the University of Minnesota. She’s also built her name by lining up against male players at different points in her career, which makes this invite a notable one for both the player and the organization.
Edmonton also brought in two other female players: American forward Abbey Murphy, who is Primerano’s Minnesota teammate, and Caitlin Kraemer of Waterloo, Ontario, who plays for the University of Minnesota-Duluth.
There’s an element of publicity to the move, but it also fits as a meaningful step for women’s hockey development. Primerano is not at the same level as Edmonton’s prospect pool, but she should still be able to handle herself in drills and practice games, and the pace and instruction at camp figure to help her.
Before college, Primerano last played full-time against teenage boys with the Burnaby Winter Club’s top B.C. U-16 team.
That roster also included Benjamin Kindel, who made the Pittsburgh Penguins last year. Kindel posted 47 points in 22 games, while Primerano finished with 19 points in 30 games and was the team’s second-leading scoring defenseman.
Primerano’s path has already broken ground. In May 2022, the Vancouver Giants selected her in the 13th round of the WHL Draft, making her the first female skater ever drafted by a CHL team. The next season, she shifted back to U18 hockey and played against other teenage girls with a top Kelowna team.
Now 18, Primerano represented Team Canada at the 2025 Women’s World Championships. Sportsnet described her this way: “The word ‘generational’ has been used by plenty of people to describe the defender from North Vancouver, which is heavy praise that comes with a lot of pressure.
But there is undeniably something special about Primerano, and her Team Canada teammates all point out she is a unique player, one who doesn’t invite comparison. Renata Fast, a member of the senior national team for the last decade, puts it this way: ‘She has a skillset that we don’t have on our D corps.'”
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