Chloe Primerano

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.

Early life
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.

Playing career
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. 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."

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. 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.

As a 15-year-old draft pick, Primerano was eligible to play a few games for the Giants during the 2022–23 WHL season. 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. 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.

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 draft-eligible prospects such as the 2023 WHL rookie of the year Ryder Ritchie and future eighth overall pick of the Seattle Kraken Berkly Catton.

The following year, the 2023–24 season, Primerano chose to stay at RINK Academy, 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. 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. 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. Her defence partner at RINK, Gracie Graham, also committed to the university.

International play
Primerano made her IIHF tournament debut representing Canada at the 2024 IIHF World Women's U18 Championship. 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. She was named tournament MVP, best defender, and a member of the media all-star team.

Personal life
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.

Primerano's NHL idol is Vancouver Canucks captain Quinn Hughes.