Another first for Chloe Primerano.
The Burnaby Winter Club (BWC) alumna is heading to Switzerland in the new year with Canada's national under-18 women's team for the 2024 World Championships.
This will be the first time the 16-year-old blue-liner from North Vancouver will slip on a red-and-white maple leaf jersey.
"I’m really excited to be able to get the opportunity to represent my country and go into a tournament playing against a lot of international teams," Primerano said in an interview with the WHL.
"I haven’t done that before so I’m really grateful to have the opportunity to play for Canada."
The tournament will take place nearly two years after Primerano made history with her 13th-round selection to the Vancouver Giants in the 2022 WHL Prospects Draft.
She was the first female skater to be taken in a draft of such kind in any major junior league in Canada.
Since then, Primerano has participated in two Giants WHL training camps. She currently suits up for RINK Hockey Academy in Kelowna in the Canadian Sport School Hockey League (CSSHL).
"I was driving home from school with my mom in the car and I was just praying for it and it just happened. I was in shock honestly," she said in an interview posted by the Vancouver Giants after her selection.
"I would say I'm a two-way defenceman. I can go up in the rush and go in the offensive zone, but when it comes time to play shutdown, I can do that as well."
Primerano was with BWC when she got the phone call from Giants management, including minority owner and Burnaby crooner Michael Bublé.
She appeared in 30 games with BWC's U15 prep squad during the 2021-22 season, notching two goals and 17 assists for 19 points, and added two more helpers in three CSSHL playoff matches.
Her international debut is slated for Jan. 6, 2024, when the IIHF U18 Women's World Championships get underway in Zug, Switzerland — located more than 30 km south of Zurich.
Canada is seeking a third straight gold medal at the annual competition and will face Germany, Czechia and Finland in group play, Jan. 6 to 9.
Nationally, Primerano won gold with B.C.'s women's team at the 2023 Canada Winter Games and bronze at the 2023 Canadian women's U18 championships.
