Twenty-seven NHL hopefuls took to the downtown community arena at Rogers Place for the first day of a three-day summer Oilers’ development camp.
But for the first time in any NHL development camp, three women were invited to join the roster.
The trio of females includes Waterloo, Ont., native Caitlin Kraemer.
Kraemer, who currently plays for the University of Minnesota-Duluth at the college level, says she received a call from the Oilers’ general manager about a month ago.
“I was in the car with my dad, and I thought it was spam,” she laughed.
“Prior to her current team, Kraemer competed with the Canadian National Women’s U-18 team.
Practising at an NHL camp reminded her of that experience.
“Oh, it was tough. It reminded me of my first skate with the senior women’s team. Just another level. Something that you’re excited about because it pushes you,” she explained.
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Kraemer joins U.S. Olympic gold medalist Abbey Murphy and Vancouver-born Chloe Primerano.
Primerano fell short of joining the 2026 Canadian Olympic team, but she’s hoping to strengthen her skills at this camp and try out for the international games again.
“Everything is earned. Nothing is given. This is just the first step,” Primerano said.
Primerano says she’s grateful to join this year’s roster and learn from the other players and the coaching staff.
“It’s so professional and top-notch. You see the facilities and everything provided here. It’s something I’ve never seen before,” she said.
“Just wearing an Oilers jersey was a really cool experience,” she added.
It’s a dream come true for Kraemer — something she didn’t think was possible to achieve.
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