Canadian Skaters Set to Dazzle at the 2023 Autumn Classic International

OTTAWA, ON (September 7, 2023) – Over 75 athletes from around the world will be competing at the 2023 Autumn Classic International, which will take place in Pierrefonds, Quebec, from September 14-16, 2023. The Canadian delegation will count fourteen athletes, including two ISU Grand Prix gold medalists. 

Kaiya Ruiter, the 2023 national silver medalist, will be competing in the women’s event, along with Justine Miclette, who recently placed 11th at the 2023 ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships. 

In the men’s event, the spotlight will be on 2023 Cranberry Cup International silver medalist Wesley Chiu and 2022 Skate Canada Challenge champion Stephen Gogolev. 

The pair event will be led by 2023 Canadian champions Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps, who are looking to continue their streak of strong performances on the international stage. Also competing will be Emmanuelle Proft and Nicolas Nadeau, as well as Caidence Derenisky and Raine Eberl, who respectively placed fifth and sixth at the 2023 Canadian Tire National Figure Skating Championships. 

2023 junior national silver medalists Sandrine Gauthier and Quentin Thieren will be looking to make their mark in their first season competing as seniors, while Alyssa Robinson and Jacob Portz will complete the ice dance squad. 

Competition will be fierce with a stacked field of international competitors which includes the two-time women’s World Champion Kaori Sakamoto (JPN), young phenom Ilia Malinin (USA), who placed third at the 2023 ISU World Figure Skating Championships, and pair World Champions Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara (JPN). 

The event kicks off on Thursday, September 14 with the pair and women’s short programs, followed by the men’s short program, rhythm dance, and the pair and women’s free program on Friday, September 15. Competition concludes on Saturday, September 16 with the men’s free program and the free dance. 

Team Canada  

Name | Age | Hometown | Coach | Training Location  

Women
Justine Miclette | 17 | Chambly, Que. | Yvan Desjardins | Chambly, Que.  
Kaiya Ruiter | 17 | Calgary, Alta. | Scott Davis | Calgary Alta. 

Men
Wesley Chiu | 18 | Vancouver, B.C. | Keegan Murphy & Eileen Murphy | Richmond, B.C.
Stephen Gogolev | 18 | Toronto, Ont. | Rafael Arutyunyan & Lee Barkell | Irvine, USA 

Pair
Caidence Derenisky | 17 | Regina, Sask. & Raine Eberl | 24 | Regina, Sask. | David Schultz | Montreal, Que.
Emmanuelle Proft | 21 | Ottawa, Ont. & Nicolas Nadeau | 25 | Boisbriand, Que. | Stephanie Valois | Rosemère, Que.
Deanna Stellato-Dudek | 40 | Chicago, USA & Maxime Deschamps | 31 | Vaudreuil-Dorion, Que. | Josée Picard | Sainte-Julie, Que. 

Ice Dance
Sandrine Gauthier | 19 | Saint-Constant, Que. & Quentin Thieren | 19 | Mont-Saint-Hilaire, Que. | Patrice Lauzon & Benjamin Brisebois | Montreal, Que.
Alyssa Robinson | 20 | Ridgetown, Ont. & Jacob Portz | 22 | Calgary, Alta. | Madison Hubbell & Scott Moir | London, Ont.  

Team Leader – Mike Slipchuk
Medical Team – Meaghan Shewchuk
Officials – Limin Jao, Patty Klein, Nicole LeBlanc-Richard & Lorna Schroder 

For more information about the event or to purchase tickets, please visit skatecanada.ca.