| Chloe Primerano | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Born | January 2, 2007 North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada | ||
| Height | 5 ft 8 in (173 cm) | ||
| Weight | 134 lb (61 kg; 9 st 8 lb) | ||
| Position | Defence | ||
| Shoots | Left | ||
| NCAA team | University of Minnesota | ||
| National team |  Canada | ||
| Playing career | 2023–present | ||
Chloe Primerano (born January 2, 2007) is a Canadian college ice hockey defenceman for the University of Minnesota. She was the first female skater to be selected in a Canadian Hockey League draft.
Primerano was born on January 2, 2007, in North Vancouver, to parents Joe and Fiona Primerano. She began playing ice hockey around the age of two or three, and would frequently play against male opponents. [1]
Primerano played minor ice hockey with the Burnaby Winter Club U15 program, where during the 2021–22 season she scored two goals and 19 points in 30 regular season games. In the postseason, she added two assists in three playoff games. [2] Scouts were impressed with Primerano's play against boys with Burnaby, saying that she was sometimes "the best defender on the ice on either team." [3]
On May 19, 2022, the Vancouver Giants of the Western Hockey League (WHL) selected Primerano 268th overall, in the 13th round of the WHL Prospects Draft. [4] While there have previously been female goaltenders in the Canadian Hockey League (CHL), Primerano is the first female skater to be drafted by a CHL team. [5]
As a 15-year-old draft pick, Primerano was eligible to play a few games for the Giants during the 2022–23 WHL season. [6] However, she ultimately played the entire season for RINK Academy in Kelowna, British Columbia, in the Women's U18 division of the Canadian School Sport Hockey League (CSSHL), where she set league records for points by a defenceman, with 48 points in 30 games. [7] She led RINK scoring both in the regular season and in the playoffs, where her 11 points in five games helped RINK to win their second consecutive championship. [8]
In the summer of 2023, Primerano became the first female skater to attend the Creative Artists Agency camp, joining top under-18 boys including top 2024 NHL entry draft-eligible prospects such as Ryder Ritchie, the 2023 WHL rookie of the year, and Berkly Catton, future eighth overall pick of the Seattle Kraken. [9]
The following year, the 2023–24 season, Primerano chose to stay at RINK Academy, [8] where she recorded 35 goals and 89 points in 29 games and was named a first team all-star. She recorded a point in all but one regular season game, beginning the year on a points streak of 19 games. She recorded at least three points in 17 games, in which she recorded five points three times and six points three times. [10] In the playoffs, she recorded six goals and nineteen points including six points in the championship-clinching match to secure her second and RINK's third consecutive title. Her 14 assists were more than any other player had points in the postseason. [11] In November 2023, Primerano announced her commitment to the University of Minnesota, and in February 2024 it was announced that she would join the team a year early, for the 2024–25 season. [12] [13] Her defence partner at RINK, Gracie Graham, also committed to the university. [9]
Entering her first season of college ice hockey with high expectations, Primerano recorded her first collegiate goal in her first collegiate game, the third tally for the Golden Gophers in a 4–1 victory over the University of Connecticut. [14]
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Representing Canada | ||
| Women's ice hockey | ||
| World U18 Championships | ||
 | 2025 Finland | |
 | 2024 Switzerland | |
Primerano made her International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) tournament debut representing Canada at the 2024 IIHF World Women's U18 Championship. [7] She scored 16 points (8 goals, 8 assists) en route to a bronze medal, setting a single-tournament record for points by a defender and the second highest total by any player, behind American forward Amanda Kessel and her 19 points in 2009. [15] She was named tournament MVP, best defender, and a member of the media all-star team. [16]
She also played with the Canadian team at the 2025 IIHF World Women's U18 Championship, where she helped the team to a gold medal. She scored 10 points (4 goals, 6 assists), and was named the best defender and a member of the media all-star team. [17]
Primerano made her senior national team debut on November 6, 2024, playing in the Canada-USA Rivalry Series. [18]
Primerano's older brother Luca is also an ice hockey player. In 2022, he joined the Prince George Spruce Kings of the British Columbia Hockey League. Until her enrollment at RINK Academy in 2022, Chloe attended Burnaby Central Secondary School, where, in addition to hockey, she played basketball and soccer. Luca also attended the school. [1]
Primerano's NHL idol is Vancouver Canucks captain Quinn Hughes. [9]
| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Canada | U18 |  | 6 | 8 | 8 | 16 | 2 | |
| 2025 | Canada | U18 |  | 6 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 0 | |
| Junior totals | 12 | 12 | 14 | 26 | 2 | ||||
| Award | Year | Ref |
|---|---|---|
| International | ||
| World U18 Championship – Most Valuable Player | 2024 | [16] |
| World U18 Championship – Best Defender | ||
| World U18 Championship – Media All-Star Team | ||
| World U18 Championship - Best Defender | 2025 | [17] |
| World U18 Championship - Media All-Star Team | ||
The Vancouver Giants are a Canadian major junior ice hockey team playing based in Langley, British Columbia, and playing in the Western Hockey League (WHL). Founded in 2001, the Giants won the Ed Chynoweth Cup as league champions in 2006 and the Memorial Cup as Canadian junior champions in 2007. The team was based in the Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver, the former arena of the National Hockey League's Vancouver Canucks, until moving to the Langley Events Centre in 2016.
Drayson Jack Bowman is an American former professional ice hockey center. He previously played for the Montreal Canadiens and Carolina Hurricanes of the National Hockey League (NHL). Bowman was selected 72nd overall by the Hurricanes in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft.
Meaghan Mikkelson is a Canadian ice hockey player, broadcaster, and former member of the Canadian national ice hockey team. She is currently affiliated with the Calgary chapter of the Professional Women's Hockey Players Association (PWHPA).
Brett Connolly is a Canadian professional ice hockey player who is currently a free agent. During his major junior career with the Prince George Cougars, he was named Western Hockey League (WHL) and Canadian Hockey League (CHL) Rookie of the Year for the 2008–09 season. Selected sixth overall by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, he joined the team in 2011–12. He was later traded to the Boston Bruins, following which he signed with the Washington Capitals prior to the 2016–17 season. Connolly won the Stanley Cup as a member of the Capitals in 2018.
Brendan Gallagher is a Canadian professional ice hockey winger and alternate captain for the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected in the fifth round, 147th overall, by the Canadiens in the 2010 NHL entry draft.
Samson Reinhart is a Canadian professional ice hockey player for the Florida Panthers of the National Hockey League (NHL). Reinhart was selected second overall by the Buffalo Sabres in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft.
Jared Seth Jones is an American professional ice hockey defenseman and alternate captain for the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected fourth overall by the Nashville Predators in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft. After two seasons playing for the United States National Team Development Program, Jones joined the Western Hockey League's (WHL) Portland Winterhawks.
Joshua Morrissey is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman and alternate captain for the Winnipeg Jets of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected by the Jets in the first round, 13th overall, of the 2013 NHL Entry Draft.
Shea Theodore is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman for the Vegas Golden Knights of the National Hockey League (NHL). Theodore was selected by the Anaheim Ducks in the first round, 26th overall, of the 2013 NHL Entry Draft.
Jacob Virtanen is a Canadian professional ice hockey player who is currently with the Fischtown Pinguins of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL). Virtanen was drafted by the Vancouver Canucks sixth overall in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft.
Bowen Byram is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman for the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League (NHL). He previously played for the Colorado Avalanche of the NHL and has appeared with the Canada men's national ice hockey team in international competition.
Dylan Cozens, nicknamed the "Workhorse from Whitehorse", is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre and alternate captain for the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Sabres selected him seventh overall in the 2019 NHL entry draft. He is the first player from Yukon to be a first-round Western Hockey League (WHL) draft pick, a first-round NHL draft pick, and a member of the Canada men's national junior ice hockey team.
Connor Bedard is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre for the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League (NHL). Considered one of the greatest ice hockey prospects of his generation, he was selected first overall by the Blackhawks in the 2023 NHL entry draft and made his NHL debut that year. Bedard would go on to win the Calder Memorial Trophy as rookie of the year in 2024.
Dylan Guenther is a Canadian professional ice hockey right winger for the Utah Hockey Club of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected by the Arizona Coyotes with the ninth overall pick in the 2021 NHL entry draft.
Gavin McKenna is a Canadian junior ice hockey forward for the Medicine Hat Tigers of the Western Hockey League (WHL). He will be eligible for the 2026 NHL entry draft and, as of December 2023, is projected as most likely to be taken first overall.
Berkly Catton is a Canadian junior ice hockey player for the Spokane Chiefs of the Western Hockey League (WHL) as a prospect to the Seattle Kraken of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected eighth overall by the Kraken in the 2024 NHL entry draft.
Tij Iginla is a Canadian ice hockey forward for the Kelowna Rockets of the Western Hockey League (WHL) as a prospect to the Utah Hockey Club of the National Hockey League (NHL). He is the son of Calgary Flames legend and Hockey Hall of Fame inductee Jarome Iginla. He was the first-ever draft pick of the Utah Hockey Club, selected sixth overall in the 2024 NHL entry draft.
Ryder Ritchie is a Swedish-Canadian junior ice hockey forward for the Medicine Hat Tigers of the Western Hockey League (WHL). He was selected in the second round, 45th overall, by the Minnesota Wild in the 2024 NHL entry draft.
Olen Zellweger is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman for the San Diego Gulls of the American Hockey League (AHL) while under contract with the Anaheim Ducks of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted in the second round, 34th overall, by the Ducks in the 2021 NHL entry draft.
Morgan Stickney is an American ice hockey goaltender for Shattuck-Saint Mary's. She was the first female American player to be selected in a Canadian Hockey League draft.