Canada's Chloe Primerano (#8) racked up five points in her U18 Women's Worlds debut, an 11-0 shellacking of Germany.
photo: © International Ice Hockey Federation / Andrea Cardin
There were plenty of Team Canada highlights in Saturday’s opening 11-0 victory over Germany. Caitlin Kraemer scored twice to surpass Marie-Philip Poulin as the all-time U18 women’s national team goal-scoring leader (18, including non-WW18 games). Siena D’Alessandro stepped up with a hat trick.
Yet, to see Chloe Primerano deliver a five-point game (2+3=5) in her IIHF Ice Hockey U18 Women’s World Championship debut might have been the most positive sign as the Canadians eye a golden three-peat in Zug.
“Obviously that’s pretty big,” Kraemer said. “She deserves it. She’s such a great player and teammate. I’m looking forward to seeing what else she does in the tournament.”
To put this in context, no Canadian blueliner has had a five-point game since Laura Fortino (1+4=5) in a 17-0 romp over Finland at the inaugural 2008 IIHF U18 Women’s World Championship in Calgary. Primerano, a North Vancouver native who just turned 17 on 2 January, brings seemingly unlimited potential.
“I felt pretty good,” Primerano said. “I think we were working well as a group. My teammates helped me out a lot, so I couldn't have done it without them.”
“What’s really cool about her progression is that compared to the summer [camp], she’s even more of a dynamic player,” said Canadian head coach Tara Watchorn, who led all defenders with 10 points in 2008. “And we’re only talking about a few months! I think it just speaks to her work ethic. It’s the way she doesn’t just carry the puck but also distributes it and upgrades the puck and is deceptive. It was fun to watch.”
Indeed it was. For instance, the 177-cm, 66-kg Rink Hockey Academy (RHA) Kelowna product showed off her puck skills in the first period with two primary assists. She fired a centre point shot that D’Alessandro tipped home to open the scoring and gave Charlotte Pieckenhagen a beautiful drop pass off the rush to set up the 2-0 marker.
Yet, to see Chloe Primerano deliver a five-point game (2+3=5) in her IIHF Ice Hockey U18 Women’s World Championship debut might have been the most positive sign as the Canadians eye a golden three-peat in Zug.
“Obviously that’s pretty big,” Kraemer said. “She deserves it. She’s such a great player and teammate. I’m looking forward to seeing what else she does in the tournament.”
To put this in context, no Canadian blueliner has had a five-point game since Laura Fortino (1+4=5) in a 17-0 romp over Finland at the inaugural 2008 IIHF U18 Women’s World Championship in Calgary. Primerano, a North Vancouver native who just turned 17 on 2 January, brings seemingly unlimited potential.
“I felt pretty good,” Primerano said. “I think we were working well as a group. My teammates helped me out a lot, so I couldn't have done it without them.”
“What’s really cool about her progression is that compared to the summer [camp], she’s even more of a dynamic player,” said Canadian head coach Tara Watchorn, who led all defenders with 10 points in 2008. “And we’re only talking about a few months! I think it just speaks to her work ethic. It’s the way she doesn’t just carry the puck but also distributes it and upgrades the puck and is deceptive. It was fun to watch.”
Indeed it was. For instance, the 177-cm, 66-kg Rink Hockey Academy (RHA) Kelowna product showed off her puck skills in the first period with two primary assists. She fired a centre point shot that D’Alessandro tipped home to open the scoring and gave Charlotte Pieckenhagen a beautiful drop pass off the rush to set up the 2-0 marker.
Yet the biggest buzz probably came at the start of the second period. Primerano scored just 10 seconds in, taking a feed from Kelowna defence partner Gracie Graham in the neutral zone and cutting in off the left side to unleash a deadly toe drag shot that went top shelf.
“With her energy, she uplifts everyone else on the ice,” Graham said.
“I thought it was pretty sick,” added forward Reese Logan. “I knew she has a great shot. I saw her coming down and I was telling my teammates: ‘She’s going to score!’”
“I think her shot velocity and accuracy has improved,” said ex-NHLer Byron Ritchie, Primerano’s advisor with CAA and billet in Kelowna. “She’s getting herself into better shooting positions inside the dots. She's not settling for shots outside the dots.”
Attention to detail is paying off both in IIHF and club play, as Primerano has a whopping 24 goals and 57 points in just 15 games with RHA this season. And this success hasn’t come out of the blue. In 2022, Primerano became the first female skater ever drafted in the Western Hockey League (WHL) Prospects Draft, and The Hockey News recently described her as a “generational talent.”
Clearly, she doesn’t sacrifice defence to pile up points. For instance, in the opening minute of the third period, Primerano deftly pokechecked Anastasia Gruss – newly promoted Germany’s leading scorer in Division IA play last year – as the forward looked to sneak in off the left side and spoil goalie Hannah Clark’s shutout.
Sticking to the game plan, she wound up tied with captain (and sometime D partner) Emma Venusio with a team-high +5 plus-minus in 18:16 of ice time.
Primerano has cited everyone from Vancouver Canucks captain Quinn Hughes to Team Canada superstars Claire Thompson and Renata Fast as influences. From her on-ice vision to her edge work to her dangles, it’s clear that she’s paid close attention.
Her wearing of jersey number 8 also evokes an interesting bit of history. That number was first worn on a Canadian U18 Women’s Worlds team by Jessica Campbell, who has since forged her own path in men’s hockey as an assistant coach with Germany (2022) and now the Coachella Valley Firebirds (the Seattle Kraken’s AHL affiliate).
Campbell is also the only Canadian player to record six points (2+4-6) in a WW18 game, joining the U.S.’s Haley Skarupa in that feat in 2010. American star Amanda Kessel originally set the record (3+3=6) in 2009.
After Saturday, it’s hardly a stretch to imagine Primerano becoming the first defender to join that six-point club. She almost did on a late power play against Germany, dancing around Mathilde Heine and putting a shot just wide.
That said, she won’t be tooting her own horn as the tournament progresses. She has a simple method for dealing with all the hype and expectations.
“I try not to think about it. Just go out there and play my game and not worry too much about the behind-the-scenes stuff.”
Of course, the competition gets stiffer from here. Germany has been outscored 68-2 in seven all-time meetings with Canada. Other teams will do all they can do to deny Primerano time and space to weave her magic. But the flip side is that playing on the 2024 tournament’s deepest team should also lift her to new heights.
“Everyone wants to get better here,” Primerano said. “Everyone’s pushing each other to get better. It’s an awesome environment.”
“With her energy, she uplifts everyone else on the ice,” Graham said.
“I thought it was pretty sick,” added forward Reese Logan. “I knew she has a great shot. I saw her coming down and I was telling my teammates: ‘She’s going to score!’”
“I think her shot velocity and accuracy has improved,” said ex-NHLer Byron Ritchie, Primerano’s advisor with CAA and billet in Kelowna. “She’s getting herself into better shooting positions inside the dots. She's not settling for shots outside the dots.”
Attention to detail is paying off both in IIHF and club play, as Primerano has a whopping 24 goals and 57 points in just 15 games with RHA this season. And this success hasn’t come out of the blue. In 2022, Primerano became the first female skater ever drafted in the Western Hockey League (WHL) Prospects Draft, and The Hockey News recently described her as a “generational talent.”
Clearly, she doesn’t sacrifice defence to pile up points. For instance, in the opening minute of the third period, Primerano deftly pokechecked Anastasia Gruss – newly promoted Germany’s leading scorer in Division IA play last year – as the forward looked to sneak in off the left side and spoil goalie Hannah Clark’s shutout.
Sticking to the game plan, she wound up tied with captain (and sometime D partner) Emma Venusio with a team-high +5 plus-minus in 18:16 of ice time.
Primerano has cited everyone from Vancouver Canucks captain Quinn Hughes to Team Canada superstars Claire Thompson and Renata Fast as influences. From her on-ice vision to her edge work to her dangles, it’s clear that she’s paid close attention.
Her wearing of jersey number 8 also evokes an interesting bit of history. That number was first worn on a Canadian U18 Women’s Worlds team by Jessica Campbell, who has since forged her own path in men’s hockey as an assistant coach with Germany (2022) and now the Coachella Valley Firebirds (the Seattle Kraken’s AHL affiliate).
Campbell is also the only Canadian player to record six points (2+4-6) in a WW18 game, joining the U.S.’s Haley Skarupa in that feat in 2010. American star Amanda Kessel originally set the record (3+3=6) in 2009.
After Saturday, it’s hardly a stretch to imagine Primerano becoming the first defender to join that six-point club. She almost did on a late power play against Germany, dancing around Mathilde Heine and putting a shot just wide.
That said, she won’t be tooting her own horn as the tournament progresses. She has a simple method for dealing with all the hype and expectations.
“I try not to think about it. Just go out there and play my game and not worry too much about the behind-the-scenes stuff.”
Of course, the competition gets stiffer from here. Germany has been outscored 68-2 in seven all-time meetings with Canada. Other teams will do all they can do to deny Primerano time and space to weave her magic. But the flip side is that playing on the 2024 tournament’s deepest team should also lift her to new heights.
“Everyone wants to get better here,” Primerano said. “Everyone’s pushing each other to get better. It’s an awesome environment.”