The Edmonton Oilers’ annual development camp came with a twist this year, as the camp invited three women’s hockey players, all with University of Minnesota ties, to participate alongside the camp’s typical NHL prospect pool.
Oilers general manager Stan Bowman had the idea to invite women’s hockey players to the camp after watching the 2026 Winter Olympics women’s hockey tournament. At the time, Bowman was in Milan as an assistant general manager for the U.S. men’s Olympic hockey team.
Gopher women’s hockey player Chloe Primerano was one of three women’s hockey players invited to the Edmonton Oilers development camp in early July. When Primerano got the text invite from Bowman to the week-long development camp, she was ecstatic.
Primerano attended the camp with two other Minnesota women’s hockey players: former Gopher captain Abbey Murphy and University of Minnesota-Duluth junior forward Caitlin Kraemer. As a trio, they participated in information sessions, on-ice practices, and off-ice team-building activities with some of the Oilers’ premier young talent.
“It’s such a cool opportunity and experience for Abbey, Caitlin and myself to be here,” Primerano said. “Just so grateful for the Oilers for having us out here.”
Primerano and Murphy played together with the Gophers for two seasons while also competing against each other on the international stage. Murphy was part of the 2026 gold-medal-winning U.S. Olympic team, while Primerano was one of the final cuts from Canada’s roster.
Following the 2025-26 season, Murphy was drafted second overall by the Seattle Torrent in the 2026 Professional Women’s Hockey League Draft. Primerano said she is happy for Murphy and the continuation of her hockey career.
“I got to play with her the last two years at Minnesota. She’s just such an amazing player and an even better person. She’s going to do so well in Seattle,” Primerano said. “It’s awesome to see the PWHL expanding and growing even more. Even more teams for a lot more girls to go to in the future.”
According to The Athletic, Bowman’s drive to invite women’s athletes was split into two components.
The first motivation was to give them a new experience and access to the resources that come with attending an NHL camp. Unlike the NHL, the PWHL currently does not offer developmental camps, so many of its players and prospects face up to seven months of offseason without professional training.
The second reason for Bowman’s invite was to give his own prospects, including Edmonton’s selections from the 2026 NHL Draft, the opportunity to share the ice with elite women’s hockey players. That made it a learning experience for everyone involved.
One of the key things Primerano said she learned about during development camp with the Oilers was leadership.
“Everything’s earned. Nothing’s given,” Primerano said. “This is just the first step, and just learning from all the amazing staff here, all the people, and resources. There’s so much you can learn here.”
She said her experience with the Oilers was very professional and top-notch, especially when it came to the facilities.
Primerano will return to the Gophers for her third season with the team this fall. She said while last season might not have ended the way the team wanted, she is still excited to return to Minnesota and be a Gopher.
Last season, the sophomore defender ranked third among Western Collegiate Hockey Association defenders with 10 goals. She had a career high of 30 points, which placed her fourth in the WCHA overall.
