Kaylee Hunter runs for the ball while playing for the Canadian under-17 team in a 2024 handout photo. The 17-year-old forward from Calgary has signed with AFC Toronto of the new Northern Super League. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO, AFC Toronto, Audrey Magny *MANDATORY CREDIT*

TORONTO - The hits keep coming for teenage striker Kaylee Hunter.

Last year the Calgary native — then 16 — was the youngest player invited to a Canadian under-20 camp in Germany. At club level, she was honoured as the Most Promising Female Player as part of the Vancouver Whitecaps annual player awards.

Playing for the Whitecaps FC Girls Elite team, Hunter saw action in CONCACAF W Champions Cup games in Mexico and Panama. The tournament also saw her face Christine Sinclair and the Portland Thorns at B.C. Place Stadium.

"That was a dream come true for me," Hunter said in an interview. "I've always looked up to her since I was a little girl. So many people in Canada looked up to her. So getting to play alongside my idol, the GOAT of the game, (that's) something most people do not get to do. So I'm really fortunate to have that experience."

Sinclair scored in the 6-0 Portland win.

Hunter, who turned 17 on Jan. 22, will be rubbing shoulders with more Canadian talent come April, having signed with AFC Toronto of the new Northern Super League.

“We believe Kaylee is undoubtedly one of the best emerging players in the country and we are ecstatic that she has decided to take the first steps of her professional career with AFC Toronto," Toronto sporting director Billy Wilson said in a statement.

Hunter said the decision to go pro took some time.

"Obviously school is a really big opportunity and life experience that everyone should get to go through. But in my eyes, the way I viewed this new league, I think it's a very good opportunity for younger players to realize that you can play professionally in your country — at a young age.

"I took this opportunity when I got the chance and now I'm just excited to get started and kind of make a name for myself in it."

She is not avoiding school altogether. "I wish," Hunter said with a smile.

Halfway through Grade 11, she is resigned to schoolwork after training "and hopefully finish up high school as soon as I can."

Hunter says she was drawn to AFC Toronto by the people.

"I think it's really tight-knit, like family almost," she said. "It's going to become family for me. They've been really helpful and kind to me from the get-go."

She also expects the team environment to be "super-competitive" — which can only raise her game.

Growing up with three older brothers, Hunter is no stranger to competition — especially in soccer.

"My brothers are the three people that really made me fall in love with the game the most, I think," she said.

"And then once I realized that I was good at it and I could make something out of it, I kept working hard and then opportunities started to come. And now I've ended up here."

Hunter was three when she started soccer. Twelve years later, she made her debut for the Canadian under-17 team in August 2023.

Hunter played for Calgary West FC before moving to Vancouver in January 2024. The Whitecaps Girl Elite side won League1 B.C. and then the League1 Inter-Provincial Championship to qualify for the CONCACAF W Champions Cup.

Wilson was watching.

“It was obvious that this wasn’t just another talented young player," he said. "Kaylee is someone with an incredible work ethic and burning desire to improve. When you combine these qualities with her technical abilities, we believe that we have a very special player joining the club."

A Chelsea fan, Hunter points to Canada captain Jessie Fleming — a former Chelsea player now with Portland — as a player she has always enjoyed watching.

"She likes to get on the ball in the midfield, make plays happen like I do sometimes," she said.

Hunter says her favourite role is in the tip of the spear as a No. 9, but has been used as a wide forward by Canada.

"I like to score as much as I can," she said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 29, 2025.

News from © The Canadian Press, 2025