The Canadian Figure Skating Championships have historically been something of a competition where podium results aren’t necessarily the most surprising. But this year promises to be the most competitive Canadians we have seen in recent memory—particularly in the singles events, where there will be multiple skaters with a realistic shot at the sole Olympic spots.
2026 Canadian Nationals predictions
Official hashtag: #CTNats26
Women Top 5 predictions
GOLD Madeline Schizas
SILVER Gabrielle Daleman
BRONZE Sara-Maude Dupuis
4. Minsol Kwon
5. Kaiya Ruiter
For fans, it’s surely exciting to see such a battle emerge this season. Three-time and defending champ Madeline Schizas has been Canada’s top woman for this Olympic cycle. But the strong return from multiple surgeries of Gabrielle Daleman (2-time Olympian and 2-time Canadian champion) have changed the outlook of this event. Add to that the rise of Sara-Maude Dupuis and her new-found triple axel, and the Canadians debut of former South Korean junior star Minsol Kwon (not citizenship-eligible for the Olympics), and this event is going to be very exciting.
MEN Top 5 predictions
GOLD Stephen Gogolev
SILVER Roman Sadovsky
BRONZE Keegan Messing
4. Wesley Chiu
5. Aleksa Rakic
Similarly exciting will be the most competitive Canadian men’s event since … I can’t even remember when. It’s not just that it’s going to be close, it is that the Canadian men have really found a spark this season, particularly Stephen Gogolev and Roman Sadovsky, who have both won international titles and have been back and forth in their head-to-heads. The surprise return of Keegan Messing will also make it intriguing, though he has yet to find the magic or the jumps that led him to two Canadian titles. 2024 champion Wesley Chiu is also back in the mix after injury sidelined him for quite a while.
PAIRS Top 5 predictions
GOLD Deanna Stellato-Dudek/Maxime Deschamps
SILVER Lia Pereira/Trennt Michaud
BRONZE Kelly-Ann Laurin/Loucas Ethier
4. Ava Kemp/Yohnatan Elizarov
5. Jazmine Desrochers/Kieran Thrasher
The pairs may be a bit more clear-cut. With two Olympic spots on the line, Deanna Stellato-Dudek/Maxime Deschamps and Lia Pereira/Trennt Michaud have been squarely the two top Canadian pairs for the Olympic cycle. If there’s anyone to pull off the upset, it would be Kelly-Ann Laurin/Loucas Ethier, who were terrific in their last event at Skate America.
Don’t forget to check out Stellato’s documentary that just came out on Olympic Channel this week!
DANCE Top 5 predictions
GOLD Piper Gilles/Paul Poirier
SILVER Marjorie Lajoie/Zachary Lagha
BRONZE Marie-Jade Lauriault/Romain le Gac
4. Alicia Fabbri/Paul Ayer
5. Lily Hensen/Nathan Lickers
In their quest for an Olympic individual medal, Piper Gilles/Paul Poirier will want this week to be very much looking at this competition as a springboard to Milano. Marjorie Lajoie/Zachary Lagha had a slow start to their season but have gotten back on track, and they are ready for their second Olympics. The third spot is the toss-up between Marie-Jade Lauriault/Romain le Gac and Alicia Fabbri/Paul Ayer, with Lauriault/le Gac having the edge from this and the past few seasons.