MONTREAL, QUEBEC – Speed Skating Canada unveiled today the 12 athletes that will compete on the ISU Short Track World Tour circuit during the 2025-26 season and be in contention to represent Canada at the 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milano-Cortina.
Led by reigning national champions Courtney Sarault (Moncton, N.B.) and William Dandjinou (Montreal, Que.), these 12 skaters will lace up their skates at the World Tour stops this fall in Montreal (October 9-12 and October 16-19), Gdansk, Poland (November 20-23) and Dordrecht, Netherlands (November 27-30). Their performances on the international stage will be used to secure Olympic quota spots for Canada, as well as to determine which skaters will be selected for the Milano-Cortina 2026 team.
The team nominations to the ISU Short Track World Tour racing pool were made in accordance with the criteria established in the 2026 Short Track Olympic Selection Policies and Procedures, which combined results from last month’s 2025 Canadian Short Track Championships, presented by Intact Insurance, with international performance points earned during the 2024-25 season.
Familiar faces Florence Brunelle, Danaé Blais, Maxime Laoun and Félix Roussel will be joined by youngsters Ann-Sophie Bachand and Mathieu Pelletier. Also earning their spot on the team are Kim Boutin, Rikki Doak, Steven Dubois and Jordan Pierre-Gilles, all of whom were dealing with injuries during the season-opening national championship.
- Courtney Sarault (Moncton, N.B.)
- Danaé Blais (Châteauguay, Que.)
- Florence Brunelle (Trois-Rivières, Que.)
- Kim Boutin (Sherbrooke, Que.)
- Ann-Sophie Bachand (Sherbrooke, Que.)
- Rikki Doak (Fredericton, N.B.)
- William Dandjinou (Montreal, Que.)
- Félix Roussel (Sherbrooke, Que.)
- Maxime Laoun (Montréal, Que.)
- Steven Dubois (Lachenaie, Que.)
- Jordan Pierre-Gilles (Sherbrooke, Que.)
- Mathieu Pelletier (Laval, Que.)
After an extremely successful debut last season, the exciting World Tour format – featuring three individual distances per weekend featuring all the top skaters, as well as the men’s, women’s and mixed relays – returns in 2025-26.
The Ice Maples won 37 medals across six World Tour stops last season, including a record 21 gold. Their 8,731 points earned across individual distances and relays gave them a sizeable lead over the Dutch Lions (6,919 points) in the race to capture the inaugural Team Crystal Globe as the sport’s top nation. Dandjinou also became the first Canadian to claim the men’s Crystal Globe, after dominating the field with 10 individual distance medals, including eight gold.
Canada will once again kick-off their international campaign with back-to-back events on home ice at the Maurice Richard Arena, which is also slatted to host the season-ending ISU Short Track World Championships in March 2026. Tickets are available for both die-hard and casual fans, with single-day admission starting at $15 for kids and $25 for adults, while weekend passes range from $24 for kids and $40 for adults. Children under two years old are admitted free when seated on a parent or family member’s lap.
- Daily Tickets
- Weekend Pass (October 11-12)
- Weekend Pass (October 18-19)
- Full Event Pass (October 11-12, 18-19)
Media Contact
Alain Brouillette
Speed Skating Canada
communications@speedskating.ca
613-601-2630