The last two weeks have seen showdowns among multiple pairs who are expected to be Olympic podium contenders, and this week at Skate Canada International, it will be another one. It’s the German champs versus the Canadian champs, and consistency will be key here, because at their best, these two pairs are very evenly matched.
2025 Skate Canada predictions
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GOLD Minerva Fabienne Hase/Nikita Volodin GER - The Grand Prix series has been something of a comfort zone for Hase/Volodin, who have won five of their six Grand Prix events (silver in their one loss). Their season has gotten off to a strong start, winning Nebelhorn Trophy and taking second at Trialeti, where they had some uncharacteristic mistakes in their free skate. The battle between them and Stellato/Deschamps should be a great one to watch.
SILVER Deanna Stellato-Dudek/Maxime Deschamps CAN - Silver two weeks ago at Grand Prix de France, they made an uncharacteristic error in their twist at the beginning of their free skate that completely took them out of the running there. It’s surely a mistake they won’t make again, but they also want to be cleaner in their other elements to be in contention for gold here. They’ve delivered magic at Skate Canada before.
BRONZE Lia Pereira/Trennt Michaud CAN - Sixth at Nebelhorn Trophy, Pereira/Michaud have started this season with some solid skating already, and they know they have plenty of room for improvement and cleanup after that event. They have had success on the Grand Prix before, and have a chance to grab a fourth career GP medal this week.
4. Ellie Kam/Danny O’Shea USA - After finishing seventh last season at Worlds, O’Shea had to have surgery on a broken foot that forced them to delay the start of their season. They made their debut at Trialeti Trophy three weeks ago and finished fifth, far from their strongest there. At their best, they are podium contenders here, but have they had enough training time yet?
5. Oxana Vouillamoz/Tom Bouvart SUI - The improvements for the Swiss champions this season have been very visible, and they have been scoring a good 10-20 points this season above their averages from last season in the two events they’ve entered. Skate Canada will be their Grand Prix debut.
6. Anastasia Vaipan-Law/Luke Digby GBR - Last season was a huge breakthrough for the four-time British champions, ending with a top five at Europeans and a top 12 at Worlds. Their throws have given them the most issues so far this season.
7. Kelly-Ann Laurin/Loucas Ethier CAN - This will be our first full look at the Canadian bronze medalists this season. They were eighth here last year at their home Grand Prix.
8. Ioulia Chtchetinina/Michal Wozniak POL - After a strong season last year where they qualified an Olympic spot for Poland, Chtchetinina/Wozniak have started this season off a bit slower. The side-by-sides and throws have not been hitting consistently yet this season. They were sixth at Trialeti Trophy earlier this month.