10 Canadian skaters will begin competing this weekend in Leeuwarden 

MONTREAL, QUEBEC – 10 Canadian short track speed skaters will have the opportunity to represent their country at the inaugural ISU Junior World Cup Short Track series this season, starting this coming weekend in Leeuwarden, Netherlands. 

Funded through the ISU Development Program, the all-new ISU Junior World Cup Short Track circuit consists of three international competitions for skaters aged 15 to 18, where they will gain experience and compete for medals in the 500m, 1000m and 1500m, as well as the men’s, women’s and mixed gender relays.  

The first two Junior World Cup stops will take place in Leeuwarden, from November 25-26 and from December 2-3, while the final stop is tentatively planned for Heerenveen on February 17-18.  

Canada’s team for these three events was nominated based, in general, on results from the 2023 Canadian Junior Short Track Championships presented by Intact Insurance, which took place in Calgary from November 8-11.

Skaters will be evaluated throughout the Junior World Cup series, after which eight team members will be selected to suit up for Canada at the ISU Junior World Short Track Championships, which will take place in Gdansk, Poland, from February 22 to 25. 

ISU Junior World Cup Short Track 1 & 2 

Miao Qi (Blainville, Que.) 
Victoria Jean-Baptiste (Laval, Que.) 
Aaralyn McGill (Milton, Ont.) 
Courtney Charlong (Campbellton, N.B.) 
Kiera Pagé (Saint-Félicien, Que.) 

Gabriel Jones (Deux-Montagnes, Que.) 
Adam Law (Mississauga, Ont.) 
Victor Chartrand (Laval, Que.) 
Max Poulin (Calgary, Alta.) 
Matthew Freitag (Ottawa, Ont.) 

The skaters will be accompagnied in Leeuwarden by coaches Yannick Desmeules and Philippe Clément, as well as Marie-Pier Salvas (Physiotherapist) and Alix Renaud-Roy (IST Lead).