Skate Canada – OTTAWA, ON: Skate Canada will send 18 entries, for a total of 23 skaters to the third annual Skate Canada Autumn Classic International (#ACI16). Canada will have 10 entries at the senior level ISU Challenger Series event including two entries per discipline in men’s and pair and three entries per discipline in ladies and ice dance. The junior category of the event will feature eight Canadian entries including two in men’s and six in ladies. The event runs from September 28-October 1, 2016, at the Sportplexe Pierrefonds in Montreal, Que.

 

Keegan Messing, 24, Girdwood, Alaska, USA, is one of two Canadian entries in men’s. Last season, Messing placed fifth at the Ondrej Nepela Trophy, 11^th at Skate Canada International and sixth at the 2016 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. The representative of Sherwood Park FSC is coached by Ralph Burghart in Anchorage, Alaska, USA.

Bennet Toman, 19, Brampton, Ont., is the second Canadian entry in men’s. Last season, he placed sixth at this event. Toman also placed eighth at the 2016 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships and fourth at the 2016 Coupe de Printemps. He is coached by Robert O’Toole in Mississauga, Ont.

Canadian Champion Alaine Chartrand, 20, Prescott, Ont., is the first of three Canadian entries in the ladies category. Last year, Chartrand placed 12^th at Skate America, sixth at the Rostelecom Cup, 11^th at the ISU Four Continents Championships, and 17^th at the ISU World Figure Skating Championships. The representative of the Nepean Skating Club is coached by Michelle Leigh and Brian Orser.

Michelle Long, 24, Newmarket, Ont., is the second Canadian entry in the ladies discipline. This will be her first international assignment. Last season, she placed fifth at the 2016 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. Long is coached by Robert Burk and Danielle Rose in Richmond Hill, Ont.

Larkyn Austman, 18, Coquitlam, B.C., will also represent Canada in the ladies discipline. Last season, she finished sixth at the 2016 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. She is coached by Zdenek Pazdirek in Coquitlam, B.C.

Canadian silver medallists in 2016, Julianne Séguin, 19, Longueuil, Que., and Charlie Bilodeau, 23, Trois-Pistoles, Que., are the first of two Canadian pair entries at the event. Last season, they placed fifth at the Nebelhorn Trophy, and won bronze at Skate America and Trophée Éric Bompard. Séguin and Bilodeau are coached by Josée Picard in Chambly, Que.

Camille Ruest, 22, Rimouski, Que., and Andrew Wolfe, 21, Calgary, Alta., will also represent Canada in pair. This will be their first international assignment together. Ruest and Wolfe are coached by Richard Gauthier and Bruno Marcotte in Montreal, Que.

Olympic and World champions Tessa Virtue, 27, London, Ont., and Scott Moir, 29, Ilderton, Ont., lead the Canadian entries in ice dance. Virtue and Moir return to competition after taking two seasons off following the 2014 Olympic Winter Games where they earned silver medals in ice dance and in the team event. Virtue and Moir are coached by Marie-France Dubreuil and Patrice Lauzon in Montreal, Que.

Carolane Soucisse, 21, Châteauguay, Que., and Shane Firus, 22, Barrie, Ont., will also represent Canada in ice dance. This will be their first international assignment together. Soucisse and Firus are coached by Marie-France Dubreuil and Patrice Lauzon in Montreal, Que.

Haley Sales, 19, Burnaby, B.C., and Nikolas Wamsteeker, 19, Langley, B.C., are the third Canadian ice dance entry at the event. Last season, they placed fourth in the junior category at the 2016 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. Sales and Wamsteeker are coached by Megan Wing and Aaron Lowe in Burnaby, B.C.

Junior Entries

Canadian junior silver medallist Edrian Paul Celestino, 18, Dollard-des-Ormeaux, Que., is one of two Canadian representatives in the junior men’s category. Last season, he placed fourth at this event in the junior category. This season, he placed ninth at the ISU Junior Grand Prix in Russia. He is coached by Daniel Beland in Montreal, Que.

Iliya Kovler, 13, Richmond Hill, Ont., is the second Canadian entry in the junior men’s category. This will be his first international assignment. Kovler placed fourth in the novice category at the 2016 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. He is coached by Andrei Berezintsev in Richmond Hill, Ont.

Canadian junior silver medallist in 2016, Alicia Pineault, 16, Varennes, Que., is one of six Canadian entries in the junior ladies category. Last year, she won the silver medal at this event. This season, she placed 10^th at the ISU Junior Grand Prix in the Czech Republic. Pineault is coached by Stéphane Yvars in Boucherville, Que.

Amanda Tobin, 16, Burlington, Ont., will also represent Canada in junior ladies. This will be her first international assignment. Tobin placed fifth at the 2016 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships in the junior category. She is coached by Leesa Velenosi, Raoul LeBlanc, and Kristy Bell in Burlington, Ont.

McKenna Colthorp, 15, Fort St. James, B.C., will represent Canada in the junior ladies category. Last year, she won the bronze medal at this event and placed seventh in the junior category at the 2016 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. She is coached by Karen Mongrain and Jason Mongrain in Kelowna, B.C.

Canadian novice champion in 2016, Aurora Cotop, 14, Toronto, Ont., will represent Canada in junior ladies. This will be her first international assignment. Cotop is coached by Jonathan Mills and Myke Gillman in Thornhill, Ont.

Canadian novice silver medallist Olivia Gran, 13, Kelowna, B.C., will represent Canada in junior ladies. Earlier this season she placed ninth at her ISU Junior Grand Prix assignment in France. Gran is coached by Karen and Jason Mongrain in Kelowna, B.C.

Also representing Canada in junior ladies is Lissa Anne McGaghey, 16, Campbellton, N.B. This will be her first international assignment. Last season, she placed 11^th in the novice women’s category at the 2016 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. McGaghey is coached by Nicole Savoie in Campbellton, N.B.

Scott Rachuk of Strathroy, Ont., and Terra Findlay of Echo Bay, Ont., will be the Canadian team leaders onsite. Dr. Ed Pilat of Winnipeg, Man., and physiotherapist Josiane Roberge of Sillery, Que., will be the Canadian medical staff onsite. Karen Howard of Regina, Sask., Jérôme Poulin of Montreal, Que., Véronique Gosselin of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que., and Karen Butcher of Greely, Ont., will be the Canadian officials at the event.

The event will be live streamed on Skate Canada’s Dailymotion page.

For more information and full entries please visit the Skate Canada website or www.isu.org.

CANADIAN SENIOR ENTRIES AT 2016 SKATE CANADA AUTUMN CLASSIC INTERNATIONAL 

DISCIPLINE	NAME	AGE	HOMETOWN	CLUB	COACH
Men’s	Keegan Messing	24	Girdwood, Alaska, USA	Sherwood Park FSC	Ralph Burghart
Men’s	Bennet Toman	19	Brampton, Ont.	CPAR Vaudreuil	Robert O’Toole
Ladies	Alaine Chartrand	20	Prescott, Ont.	Nepean Skating Club	Michelle Leigh/ Brian Orser
Ladies	Michelle Long	24	Newmarket, Ont.	Richmond Hill FSC	Robert Burk/ Danielle Rose
Ladies	Larkyn Austman	18	Coquitlam, B.C.	Connaught SC	Zdenek Pazdirek
Pair	Julianne Séguin/ Charlie Bilodeau	19/23	Longueuil, Que./ Trois-Pistoles, Que.	CPA Longueuil/ CPA Chambly	Josée Picard
Pair	Camille Ruest/ Andrew Wolfe	22/21	Rimouski, Que./ Balmertown, Ont.	CPA De Rimouski/ Glencoe Club	Richard Gauthier/ Bruno Marcotte
Ice Dance	Tessa Virtue/ Scott Moir	27/29	London, Ont./ Ilderton, Ont.	Ilderton SC/ Ilderton SC	Marie-France Dubreuil/ Patrice Lauzon
Ice Dance	Carolane Soucisse/ Shane Firus	21/22	Châteauguay, Que./ Barrie, Ont.	CPA Repentigny/ CPA Ahuntsic	Marie-France Dubreuil/ Patrice Lauzon
Ice Dance	Haley Sales/ Nikolas Wamsteeker	18/18	Burnaby, B.C./ Langley, B.C.	Kelowna SC/ Champs International Skating Centre	Megan Wing/ Aaron Lowe

 

CANADIAN JUNIOR ENTRIES AT 2016 SKATE CANADA AUTUMN CLASSIC INTERNATIONAL

DISCIPLINE	NAME	AGE	HOMETOWN	CLUB	COACH
Men’s	Edrian Paul Celestino	18	Dollard-des-Ormeaux, Que.	Saint Laurent FSC	Daniel Beland
Men’s	Iliya Kovler	13	Richmond Hill, Ont.	Richmond Hill FSC	Andrei Berezintsev
Ladies	Alicia Pineault	16	Varennes, Que.	CPA Varennes	Stéphane Yvars
Ladies	Amanda Tobin	16	Burlington, Ont.	Burlington SC	Leesa Velenosi/ Raoul LeBlanc/ Kristy Bell
Ladies	McKenna Colthorp	15	Fort St. James, B.C.	Kelowna FSC	Karen Mongrain/ Jason Mongrain
Ladies	Aurora Cotop	14	Toronto, Ont.	Thornhill FSC	Jonathan Mills/ Myke Gillman
Ladies	Olivia Gran	13	Kelowna, B.C.	Kelowna FSC	Karen Mongrain/ Jason Mongrain
Ladies	Lissa Anne McGaghey	16	Campbellton, N.B.	Campbellton FSC	Nicole Savoie

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For Information:

Emma Bowie
Communications Manager
+1 (613) 747-1007 ext. 2547
ebowie@skatecanada.ca