Sixteen Canadian Skaters Set to Compete for Junior World Titles in Calgary Next Week

OTTAWA, ON (February 21, 2023) – Sixteen of Canada’s most prominent junior athletes will be competing at Calgary’s WinSport Arena at Canada Olympic Park from February 27 – March 5, 2023 in the hopes of taking home junior world titles in their respective disciplines. Team Canada will count one woman, three men, three pair teams and three ice dance teams at the 2023 ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships®. 

In women, local talent Kaiya Ruiter will be looking to shine in front of her home crowd after the 16-year-old captured a silver medal at the 2023 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships in senior women, as well as another silver at the 2022 IceChallenge. 

The men’s field will be led by National Team member and 2023 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships senior bronze medalist Wesley Chiu, who will be joined by junior national champion Edward Nicholas Vasii and Aleksa Rakic, who finished fifth at the Egna Junior Grand Prix earlier this season.  

Grand Prix finalists and junior national champions Chloe Panetta & Kieran Thraser will be leading the charge in the pair discipline after a breakthrough season that includes a bronze medal at the Ostrava Junior Grand Prix. Grand Prix silver medalists Ava Kemp & Yohnatan Elizarov will be competing alongside them, as well as IceChallenge gold medalists Ashlyn Schmitz & Tristan Taylor.  

Completing the team will be three solid ice dance teams, including Grand Prix Final junior champions Nadiia Bashynska & Peter Beaumont, who have won every competition they’ve entered this season. Riga Junior Grand Prix silver medalists and Skate Canada Challenge champions Sandrine Gauthier & Quentin Thieren will also be aiming for a spot on the podium, as will 2023 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships bronze medalists Hailey Yu & Brendan Giang.  

Competition begins on Wednesday, March 1 with the pair and women’s short program, followed by the men’s short program and pair free program the following day. Friday will see the women’s titles awarded, while ice dancers will perform their rhythm dance. The event concludes on Saturday with the men’s free program and the free dance. Select athletes will also take part in the Exhibition Gala on Sunday, March 5. For more information about the event or to purchase tickets, please click here. 

The ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships® is the pinnacle junior figure skating competition of the year. It is an annual event that moves around the globe and is hosted each year by a different skating federation.  

Team Canada 

Name | Age | Hometown | Coach | Training Location 

Women
Kaiya Ruiter | 16 | Calgary, Alta. | Scott Davis | Calgary, Alta. 

Men

Wesley Chiu | 17 | Vancouver, B.C. | Keegan Murphy & Eileen Murphy | Richmond, B.C.
Edward Nicholas Vasii | 16 | Montréal, Que. | Yvan Desjardins & Violaine Émard | Rosemère, Que.
Aleksa Rakic | 18 | Burnaby, B.C. | Joanne McLeod | Burnaby, B.C. 

Pair

Ava Kemp | 14 | Winnipeg, Man. & Yohnatan Elizarov | 18 | Winnipeg, Man. | Kevin Dawe & Andrew Evans | Winnipeg, Man. 
Chloe Panetta | 19 | Laval, Que. & Kieran Thrasher | 18 | Amherstburg, Ont. | Bruno Marcotte & Brian Shales | Oakville, Ont.
Ashlyn Schmitz | 16 | Shellbrook, Sask. & Tristan Taylor | 20 | Regina, Sask. | David & Vicki Schultz | Regina, Sask. 

Ice Dance

Nadiia Bashynska | 18 | Ajax, Ont. & Peter Beaumont | 21 | Ajax, Ont. | Carol Lane & Juris Razgulajevs | Scarborough, Ont. 
Sandrine Gauthier | 18 | Saint-Constant, Que. & Quentin Thieren | 18 | Mont-Saint-Hilaire, Que. | Patrice Lauzon & Benjamin Brisebois | St-Bruno, Que.
Hailey Yu | 17 | Burnaby, B.C. & Brendan Giang | 19 | Burnaby, B.C. | Aaron Lowe & Megan Wing | Burnaby, B.C.  

Team Leaders – Andre Bourgeois & Manon Perron
Medical Team – Albert Schumacher & Pat Stanziano
Officials – Janice Hunter & Jeff Lukasik 

For more information, please click here.