Chloe Primerano has had two very impressive U-18 World Championships where she racked up 26 points in 12 games as a defender. Not surprisingly, game is a little different at the senior women’s level.
“Just the speed and the physicality – it’s much faster and much more physical and you’ve gotta be ready every shift,” Primerano said three games into her first IIHF Women’s Worlds.
Not surprisingly, the points are harder to come by – Primerano is still looking for her first. But that notwithstanding, the skill level is plain to see and it seems to be only a matter of time.
“I’m very impressed with her game,” said defense partner Jocelyne Larocque, who is playing in her 12th World Championship and has taken on the role as a mentor to the young phenom. “She can handle the puck really well, she’s got a great shot and a really good work ethic, so it’s very exciting for Canada to have a young defender who’s so good at such a young age. The sky’s the limit for her.”
“I’ve learned so much from her every game,” Primerano said of Larocque. “She’s very experienced, she’s an amazing player and a great person. She’s taught me so much.”
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Defenders accounted for both of the USA’s goals in a 2-1 win over
Canada on Sunday night at the 2025 IIHF Women’s World Championship.
And apparently, not only Larocque has taught her.
“Just in our D corps, everyone is there for each other, just giving advice and I think we do a good job of making everyone feel comfortable,” said Larocque. “She’s constantly asking, ‘What could I have done there?’ or different things, so she’s very eager to learn. I think that’s just going to help her growth.”
It’s been a season of firsts for Primerano. First season as captain of the U-18 national team, first season of college hockey at the University of Minnesota and she’s now played three games in her first senior World Championship. On Sunday was another first, playing the USA, which she’s done at younger ages but this is a little different.
“Here it’s obviously really fast,” Primerano began. “Both teams are very skilled and it sucks we couldn’t come out with the win but it was a great game and I’m looking forward to continuing on with the tournament.”
Primerano is obviously skilled enough already to play at this level or she wouldn’t be on the Canadian team, but there is a learning curve and Larocque has noticed a difference even since the first game against Finland on Thursday.
“I think her confidence,” Larocque figures. “The first game, you know, there can be jitters, right? So now she’s starting to feel more comfortable and confident that she not only belongs here but can make an impact.”
Like many of the players in this tournament, Primerano contantly comes into contact with teammates outside the national team. In her case, it’s numerous Minnesota Golden Gophers that are present, including American Abbey Murphy, whom she faced on Sunday, and Czech Natálie Mlýnková, who she’ll meet on Monday.
“She’s a great player, really skilled,” Primerano said about Mlýnková. “It’s gonna be tough to play against her – she’s got great hands.
“It’s pretty cool that we have a lot of players here from our team. It’s nice to see and it shows the development we have at the U.”