After a busy summer of hockey, Minnesota junior defender Chloe Primerano’s fall is shaping up to be just as hectic. Between Gophers regular season games, she’s been attending Canada’s national team camps. Now, the 19-year-old will make her return to the IIHF Women’s World Championships after a summer of nonstop hockey.
The tournament, which takes place in Denmark, will mark Primerano’s second time appearing at Worlds. Primerano recently departed for Canada’s preliminary games against the USA before the puck drops on Nov. 6. She is part of a new youth movement within the national team.
Summer development camp with the Edmonton Oilers
Primerano attended Hockey Canada’s National Women’s Team camp in early October in between Minnesota games. It was yet another stop in all the hockey Primerano has been playing since the summer. She took part in Edmonton Oilers development camp, the Collegiate Select Series with Canada in August, and kicked off her third year at Minnesota too.
Primerano began her busy summer of hockey by becoming one of the first women to take part in NHL development camp. She joined former Gophers captain Abbey Murphy and Minnesota Duluth standout Caitlin Kraemer at camp in July. PWHL pro Erin Ambrose was also there as a coach. Primerano called it an ‘unbelievable’ experience.
“We were able to go out there and we were all so excited,” Primerano told The Ice Garden. “It [was] cool for us to see what the NHL players do, how they’re treated and how all the staff are trying to develop all of these young players. It was an incredible experience and something that we’ll never forget.”
The five-day camp included training, on-ice practice, and even a three-on-three scrimmage. Primerano enjoyed spending time with Murphy before the second overall pick at this year’s PWHL draft starts her pro career. Primerano also enjoyed spending even more time with Kraemer as well.
“It’s so much fun to have them. They’re both great friends of mine,” she said. “To be able to hang out with them and share that experience was unbelievable.”
Reconnecting with familiar faces
While Primerano was able to take part in camp with two women’s players she knows very well, development camp also provided her with another great experience – reconnecting with her childhood teammate Tommy Lafrenière. Though the two have gone through different hockey paths, they actually play together in the summer. This year it just so happened to be at the NHL level.
“I’ve known Tommy for a really long time now. When I heard that I was getting invited, I told him, and it’s pretty exciting to be there and be familiar with some of the players,” Primerano described. “I played against some of these guys before when we were younger. They all treated us like another player. They were so welcoming to each one of us, which was great.”
Learning from NHL coaches
Throughout the camp, the players balanced out on-ice work with off-ice work. They learned from different development coaches, mental performance coaches, and even nutritionists. Primerano found the variety of coaches available to players in the NHL impressive. She also enjoyed learning from each of them.
Development camp ended with a three-on-three scrimmage with four different teams. None of the women were on the same team. Each were able to hold their own with Primerano scoring a goal. For as much as Primerano learned from coaches and players at camp, she reflected on what she hoped her, Murphy, and Kraemer’s participation meant to others.
“Us being out there and doing everything we can to be able to compete with them and show them that the women’s game is growing and the level can be very competitive,” Primerano explained. “Being able to be there and compete was one of the most important parts for us.”
Summer development camp with Canada
A month later Primerano was back on the ice with Team Canada for their National Women’s Team camp. The camp served as preparation for the Collegiate Select series. There the USA and Canada collegiate team played each other in a three game series. The short tournament has been going on for the last 20 years.
The Canadian development team consisted of college players all around the same age and playing level. Though Primerano spent a good portion of 2025 training with Hockey Canada in hopes of making the Olympics (which she ultimately did not do), returning to the development camp was still important to her.
“I don’t think I thought that I was a veteran,” Primerano said. “With that development team everyone’s all in college and seems pretty similar in age. [I’m] super grateful to be there and wanted to prove that I can make that team and be able to play and represent my country.”
Playing with the Canadian development team
Primerano said it was tough to get going after not playing for some time, but she loved the team’s competitiveness. Canada won the series for the first time in over a decade. Aside from a great experience playing against the USA, Primerano liked the chance to play alongside players that are normally her opponents in college.
“It’s fun. A lot of them I don’t want to play against, so it’s fun to have them on your team and talk about things that happen when you play against each other,” Primerano said. “You’re always joking about things that happen throughout the year and it’s great to be able to play with each other. Something that we all look forward to.”
One of those just so happens to be Kraemer who also took part in the select series. She was happy to play against Primerano this time.
“Thank goodness,” Kraemer joked after being reminded she spent more time this summer playing with Primerano than against. “She’s a great player. She’s such a unique player too. It’s always awesome to have her up at the point to kind of get those shots through and create kind of chaos in front for us. She’s the whole package between smart, shiftiness, [and] speed. It’s a pleasure to play with her.”
Ready for Worlds
Primerano recently started her junior year at Minnesota. The team, now with a new head coach and new players, are trying to make it back to a national championship after falling in the regional championship to Northeastern last year.
She’s appeared in six games so far while continuing to train with the senior national team. In early October, Primerano took part in Hockey Canada’s National Women’s Team camp. She attended camp with the hopes of making the roster for the 2026 IIHF Women’s World Championship. Primerano accomplished that goal a few weeks later. Primerano shared what she hopes to gain from the experience.
“A huge honor to be part of that team and something that I’m really grateful for,” Primerano told reporters after practice on Oct. 20. “[I] just want to bring those experiences back to this team… and try to play the same way that I do here there.”
Primerano played with Canada in their two games against the USA in preparation for the tournament. She was on the top defensive pairing with none other than Erin Ambrose. It’s been a year and a half since the last World Championship and Kraemer has seen firsthand how much Primerano has grown in that time.
“It’s hard to find a defender who is able to be defensive, but also extremely offensive,” Kraemer said. “Everyone’s seeing how much her game is growing on both ends of the ice. [She’s] so shifty and fast and smart with her puck plays.”
Splitting time between two hockey programs
The British Columbia native is splitting time once again between the senior national team and her collegiate team. But, Primerano knows how important Minnesota is to her development as a player. From playing in BC where she said there wasn’t much competition to one of the hardest conferences in women’s college hockey, she’s grateful for all the Gophers have taught her including her defensive partners who now moved on to the PWHL like Sydney Morrow and Nelli Laitinen.
“Every single game is just a dog fight. There’s so much to learn,” Primerano said of her time in the WCHA. “My defensive game has grown, especially this past year and developed a lot. You always learn so much from your teammates. It’s so cool to play for this program and there’s so many amazing players around you in practice every day as well.”
Primerano’s busy summer has turned into a busy fall as well. Her focus has shifted to Worlds now, but she’ll return to Minnesota after the tournament. There, she will again focus on the second-ranked Gophers team trying to bring another title to the program.
Perhaps her busy fall will also turn into a busy spring during the NCAA tournament in Duluth, Minnesota.
The 2026 IIHF Women’s World Championship begins on Nov. 6. Check out the schedule here.
