Skate Canada Announces 2022-2023 National Team

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OTTAWA, ON: Skate Canada is happy to announce the 2022-2023 National Team. The National team consists of 35 members, which includes six men, three women, four pair teams and nine ice dance teams. To be named to the National Team, a skater must finish in the top three in senior men, women, pair and ice dance disciplines at the 2022 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships and/or be assigned to a 2022 ISU Grand Prix event and must be competing in the 2022-23 season. 

Skate Canada also announced the three teams that will make up the Skate Canada Synchronized Skating National Team. The Synchronized Skating National Team comprises those teams finishing in the top three in senior discipline at the 2022 Skate Canada Synchronized Skating Championships. Their appointment to the National Team is effective from July 1, 2022, through to June 30, 2023. 

MEN 

Keegan Messing, 30, Girdwood, Alaska, USA 
Roman Sadovsky, 23, Vaughn, Ont. 
Wesley Chiu, 17, Richmond, B.C.
Corey Circelli, 20, Toronto, Ont.
Conrad Orzel, 22, Woodbridge, Ont.
Stephen Gogolev, 17, Toronto, Ont.   

WOMEN 

Madeline Schizas, 19, Oakville, Ont.
Gabrielle Daleman, 24, Newmarket, Ont. 
Alison Schumacher, 19, Tecumseh, Ont.  

PAIR 

Evelyn Walsh, 21, London, Ont. & Trennt Michaud, 25, Trenton, Ont.
Deanna Stellato, 39, Chicago, Illinois, USA & Maxime Deschamps, 30, Vaudreuil-Dorion, Que. 
Lori-Ann Matte, 23, Lévis, Que. & Thierry Ferland, 24, Lévis, Que.
Brooke McIntosh, 17, Toronto, Ont. & Benjamin Mimar, 21, Terrebonne, Que.   

ICE DANCE  

Piper Gilles, 30, Toronto, Ont. & Paul Poirier, 30, Unionville, Ont.
Laurence Fournier Beaudry, 30, Montreal, Que. & Nikolaj Soerensen, 33, Montreal, Que.
Marjorie Lajoie, 21, Boucherville, Que. & Zachary Lagha, 23, Saint-Hubert, Que.
Carolane Soucisse, 27, Chateauguay, Que. & Shane Firus, 28, North Vancouver, B.C.
Marie-Jade Lauriault, 25, Ste-Anne-des-Plaines, Que. & Romain Le Gac, 27, Nogent-sur-Marne, France
Haley Sales, 25, Kelowna, B.C. & Nikolas Wamsteeker, 25, Langley, B.C.
Alicia Fabbri, 19, Terrebonne, Que. & Paul Ayer, 24, Brossard, Que. 
Molly Lanaghan, 23, Doncaster, UK & Dmitre Razgulajevs, 25, Ajax, Ont.  
Miku Makita, 19, Annmore, B.C. & Tyler Gunara, 19, Burnaby, B.C  

SYNCHRONIZED SKATING 

Les Suprêmes, of CPA Saint-Léonard
NEXXICE, of the Burlington Skating Centre
Nova, of CPS NOVA 

Canadian medallists headline the 2022 Skate Canada International – ISU announces line-up for Grand Prix events

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OTTAWA, ON: The International Skating Union (ISU) has announced the line-ups for four 2022-2023 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating events. Canada will host the second stop on the circuit, the 2022 Skate Canada International in Mississauga, Ontario, from October 28-30, 2022, at Paramount Fine Foods Centre.

The line-up in Mississauga will feature current Canadian champions Keegan Messing, Madeline Schizas, Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier. They will be joined by various current and former world medallists including Shoma Uno, Rika Kihira, Gabrielle Daleman, Lilah Fear, Lewis Gibson, Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara and more!

Skate Canada International is the second competition on the annual International Skating Union (ISU) Grand Prix of Figure Skating series. The other events take place in the United States (Skate America), France (Internationaux de France), Great Britain, Japan (NHK Trophy) and Finland.

Each skater/team can be assigned a maximum of two events. Skaters are awarded points based on their placements at their events. The top six from each discipline (men, women, pair, and ice dance) qualify for the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final.

#SCI22 TICKETS ON SALE NOW

All-event tickets will be priced at: P1: $300, P2: $200, P3: $160, P4: $125. All prices are in Canadian dollars, plus, applicable taxes and fees.

All-event ticket packages will include all competitions, Thursday practices, and the Exhibition Gala. Tickets can be purchased online at ticketmaster.ca. A maximum of eight tickets can be purchased per individual.

2022 SKATE CANADA INTERNATIONAL ENTRIES*

MEN
Stephen GOGOLEV (CAN)
Keegan MESSING (CAN)
Conrad ORZEL (CAN)
Boyang JIN (CHN)
Aleksandr SELEVKO (EST)
Matteo RIZZO (ITA)
Kao MIURA (JPN)
Shoma UNO (JPN)
Deniss VASILJEVS (LAT)
Lukas BRITSCHGI (SUI)
Jimmy MA (USA)
Camden PULKINEN (USA)

 

WOMEN
Ekaterina RYABOVA (AZE)
Gabrielle DALEMAN (CAN)
Madeline SCHIZAS (CAN)
Alison SCHUMACHER (CAN)
Eliska BREZINOVA (CZE)
Niina PETROKINA (EST)
Wakaba HIGUCHI (JPN)
Rika KIHIRA (JPN)
Yuhana YOKOI (JPN)
Eunsoo LIM (KOR)
Young YOU (KOR)
Lindsay THORNGREN (USA)

 

PAIR
Kelly Ann LAURIN / Loucas ETHIER (CAN)
Brooke MCINTOSH / Benjamin MIMAR (CAN)
TBD (CAN)
Jelizaveta ZUKOVA / Martin BIDAR (CZE)
Sara CONTI / Niccolo MACII (ITA)
Riku MIURA / Ryuichi KIHARA (JPN)
Emily CHAN / Spencer Akira HOWE (USA)
Katie MCBEATH / Nathan BARTHOLOMAY (USA)

 

ICE DANCE
Holly HARRIS / Jason CHAN (AUS)
Piper GILLES / Paul POIRIER (CAN)
Marjorie LAJOIE / Zachary LAGHA (CAN)
Miku MAKITA / Tyler GUNARA (CAN)
Lilah FEAR / Lewis GIBSON (GBR)
Mariia NOSOVITSKAYA / Mikhail NOSOVITSKIY (ISR)
Misato KOMATSUBARA / Tim KOLETO (JPN)
Emily BRATTI / Ian SOMMERVILLE (USA)
Molly CESANEK / Yehor YEHOROV (USA)
Caroline GREEN / Michael PARSONS (USA)

 

CANADIAN ASSIGNMENTS FOR THE 2022-2023 ISU GRAND PRIX OF FIGURE SKATING SERIES*

SKATE AMERICA – Norwood, Massachusetts, USA – October 21-23, 2022
MEN: Wesley CHIU, Roman SADOVSKY
PAIR:  Deanna STELLATO-DUDEK / Maxime DESCHAMPS
ICE DANCE: Marie-Jade LAURIAULT / Romain LE GAC, Carolane SOUCISSE / Shane FIRUS

 

SKATE CANADA INTERNATIONAL — Mississauga, Ontario – October 28-30, 2022
MEN: Stephen GOGOLEV, Keegan MESSING, Conrad ORZEL
WOMEN: Gabrielle DALEMAN, Madeline SCHIZAS, Alison SCHUMACHER
PAIR: Kelly Ann LAURIN / Loucas ETHIER, Brooke MCINTOSH / Benjamin MIMAR
ICE DANCE: Piper GILLES / Paul POIRIER, Marjorie LAJOIE / Zachary LAGHA, Miku MAKITA / Tyler GUNARA

 

INTERNATIONAUX DE FRANCE — Angers, France — November 4-6, 2022
MEN:  Wesley CHIU
PAIR: Deanna STELLATO-DUDEK / Maxime DESCHAMPS
ICE DANCE: Laurence FOURNIER BEAUDRY / Nikolaj SOERENSEN, Molly LANAGHAN / Dmitre RAZGULAJEVS

 

MK JOHN WILSON TROPHY – Sheffield, Great Britain – November 11-13,2022
MEN: Corey CIRCELLI, Roman SADOVSKY
PAIR: Lori-Ann MATTE / Thierry FERLAND, Evelyn WALSH / Trennt MICHAUD
ICE DANCE: Alicia FABBRI / Paul AYER, Marjorie LAJOIE / Zachary LAGHA, Haley SALES / Nikolas WAMSTEEKER

 

NHK TROPHY — Sapporo, Japan — November 18-20, 2022
MEN: Stephen GOGOLEV
PAIR: Brooke MCINTOSH / Benjamin MIMAR
ICE DANCE: Laurence FOURNIER BEAUDRY / Nikolaj SOERENSEN

 

ISU GRAND PRIX OF FIGURE SKATING – Espoo, Finland – November 25-27,2022
MEN: Keegan MESSING
WOMEN: Madeline SCHIZAS
PAIR: Lori-Ann MATTE / Thierry FERLAND
ICE DANCE: Piper GILLES / Paul POIRIER, Carolane SOUCISSE / Shane FIRUS

 

For full entries at the five other ISU Grand Prix events please visit isu.org.

*Entries are subject to change

Olympians Vanessa James and Eric Radford Retire from Competitive Skating

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OTTAWA, ON: Pair world bronze medalists Vanessa James, 34, Scarborough, Ont., and Eric Radford, 37, Balmertown, Ont., have decided to retire from competitive skating. James and Radford announced their partnership in April 2021.

“We are very proud of what Vanessa and Eric have accomplished through this season culminating in a bronze medal at worlds,” said Mike Slipchuk, High Performance Director, Skate Canada. “Skate Canada wishes both Vanessa and Eric the best in their future plans”.

The pair competed in several events this season which included four top five finishes, a silver medal at the 2021 Autumn Classic International, a 12th place finish at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games and they capped off their season with a bronze medal at the 2022 ISU World Figure Skating Championships.

“Almost 30 years ago at the age of 8, I started skating. Skating has shaped my life in many ways and given me some of my most amazing memories. I find it funny and unexpected to be writing about ending my competitive career for a second time, but like last time, there are many people who supported, pushed and inspired me along this journey that I am so grateful for,” said Radford.

Radford continued, “Thank you to my parents for their unwavering support over these decades; to my husband Luis and my brother Richard for always giving me the best advice. Thank you to my close friends and teammates that I get to share so many unforgettable memories with. Thank you to Skate Canada, Patinage Québec and the COC for believing in me and supporting my career. Thank you to the fans of the sport for whom it will always remain a pleasure to perform. To all the incredible coaches who shaped me not only as a skater, but as a person, thank you. Thank you to Meagan Duhamel for all we accomplished together and especially to Vanessa and Julie. Thank you to them for giving me one of the best years of my life and believing in me when I needed it the most.”

“I am profoundly grateful for the experiences this sport has provided me and for the memories I will carry with me for the rest of my life,” concluded Radford.

James was inspired by Nelson Mandela’s quote as she reflected on her career: “the greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.”

“Through ups and downs, joy and disappointment, I have been blessed with many people who have believed in me, encouraged me, and provided me with the skillset both on and off the ice, to make my dreams come true. I am endlessly grateful for each and every coach, mentor, teammate and staff member that has contributed to my journey and success throughout the last 23 years. To my fans, your constant love and support through the years means the world to me,” said James.

She continued, “To Skate Canada, Julie and Eric specifically, thank you for giving me the opportunity and the courage to rise again, and continue my passion and love for skating. To my parents, who have relentlessly and unshakably continued to support me in all of my endeavors, I owe you everything. Representing Canada has been an honor, and a privilege. I truly feel like the stars have aligned and everything has come full circle. As I hang up my competitive figure skates, I feel complete, and my heart is so full!”

Both James and Radford found success internationally before teaming up this past season.

Previously representing France, James was partnered with Morgan Ciprès, together they won a gold medal at the 2019 ISU European Figure Skating Championships® and a bronze medal at the 2018 ISU World Figure Skating Championships®. James and Ciprès also represented France twice on the Olympic stage.

Radford was previously partnered with Meagan Duhamel. The pair had much success over the years having won back-to-back gold medals at the ISU World Figure Skating Championships (2015,2016) and were seven-time Canadian national champions from 2012-2018. The pair won two medals at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games, bringing home a gold medal in the team event and a bronze medal in the pair event.

Skate Canada wishes Vanessa and Eric all the best in their future endeavours.

Véronik Mallet Retires from Competitive Skating

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OTTAWA, ON:  Canadian silver medallist Véronik Mallet, 28, Sept-Îles, Que., has chosen to retire from competitive skating. Mallet is the current national silver medallist and was the national bronze medallist on two occasions, in 2015 and 2019. Mallet was also a junior silver medallist in 2012. Other domestic highlights for Mallet include a silver (2016) and bronze (2022) medal at Skate Canada Challenge.   

“What an honour it has been to represent this country. Throughout my career, there have been so many ups and downs and I’ve learned so many lessons from it. It is now my time to give back to younger skaters,” said Mallet. “Thank you Skate Canada for all the opportunities, to all the coaches who helped me get there, to Bruno and Brian, for giving me the joy of skating again and the most important, thank you to my family for their endless support and sacrifice.” 

On the world stage, Mallet competed at various Grand Prix events and Challenger series events. Mallet’s best finishes internationally were at the 2013 Skate Canada International where she finished eighth and at the 2013 Nebelhorn Trophy where she finished fourth. This past season Mallet competed at the ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships® 2022 in which she finished 13th.    

“Véronik has been a big part of our women’s program for the past nine years and it was fantastic to see her capture the silver medal at nationals this past year,” said Mike Slipchuk, High Performance Director, Skate Canada. “Skate Canada is very proud of Véronik and we are excited to see what her future plans hold.”