Oilers invite top Canadian female player to 2026 development camp
Chloe Primerano, Canada's top young female hockey player, will compete alongside two American teammates at Edmonton's rookie camp.
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The Edmonton Oilers have invited Canada's top young female hockey player to their 2026 development camp. Chloe Primerano, a 5-foot-8-inch, 150-pound defenceman, has starred in U.S. college hockey the past two years with the University of Minnesota.
The Oilers also invited two other female players: American attacker Abbey Murphy, Primerano's Minnesota teammate who was part of the U.S. team that won gold at the 2026 Olympics, and Caitlin Kraemer of the University of Minnesota-Duluth, from Waterloo, Ontario.
Primerano has a long history of competing against male players. In May 2022, the Vancouver Giants made her the first female skater ever drafted by a CHL team when they selected her in the 13th round of the WHL Draft. She last played full-time against teenage boys for the Burnaby Winter Club, a top B.C. U-16 team.
In 2025, Primerano, who was only 18 years old, played for Team Canada at the Women's World Championships. Sportsnet described her as a "generational" player, with national team defenceman Renata Fast noting, "She has a skillset that we don't have on our D corps."
Fans often attend Oilers rookie practices and competitions at development camp. The addition of the top three female players is expected to boost attendance and interest in the event.
