Representing Canada at a national level is a very tough achievement. This is a team that is considered the best of the best in a sport that is nationally recognized as the country’s sport and is the most popular in the nation. Chloe Primerano has become the first woman since Marie-Philip Poulin to be chosen to represent Canada in the same year she represented the under-18 team.

Primerano was born in North Vancouver and growing up has always been a great player. As a defender, she was one of the best players in Burnaby while she played against boys. Her talent led her to become the first female skater to be drafted in the Canadian Hockey League prospect draft by the Western Hockey League’s Vancouver Giants in the 13th round in 2022. The first woman to be drafted was only a year before, with the Sarnia Sting drafting goalie Taya Currie.

But Primerano wouldn’t join the Giants and would go to Kelowna and play for RINK Academy. She would lead the U-18 women’s league in points and would get her first call-up to the Canadian U-18 women’s national team. She went to Zug, Switzerland, and even though she would have a disappointing third place, losing to Czechia in the semifinals, she would be crowned the best defender in the tournament and would lead the tournament in points with 16, five more than second place.

This year would be even more impressive as Primerano would go to the University of Minnesota and join the Golden Gophers. In 35 regular-season games, she would get 31 points with five goals and 26 assists. 

Primerano would get her biggest opportunity when she would get to play in the Rival Series, which is a competition between the U.S. and Canada’s national teams. This would be the first time she would play with the senior national team and huge names in women’s ice hockey like Natalie Spooner, Renata Fast, and Sarah Nurse. She would debut on Nov. 6, 2024 and score the winning shootout goal for the team.

She would return to the U18 tournament in Vaanta, Finland, she would be again crowned the best defender of the tournament, get 10 points, which is the most of any defender in the tournament, and win gold.

Now, Primerano will get another chance to represent Canada with the senior team as she will head to Czechia to join the senior team and will play in the IIHF Women’s World Championship. She will be one of the two players from the NCAA who will be on Team Canada with Eve Gascon.

Primerano will probably feel comfortable, as she has faced their biggest rivals in the Rivalry Series. Now, she will just play on one of the biggest stages in the women’s game in Czechia.