Canada’s Gilles, Poirier will not compete in Grand Prix figure skating this season
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OTTAWA – Olympic ice dance bronze medallists Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier will not compete during the 2026-27 Grand Prix season.
The International Skating Union released assignments for figure skating’s top circuit on Tuesday, with 19 Canadian skaters selected to compete in the six-stop series.
“Over the last few years, we’ve poured so much into this sport and into chasing dreams together, and right now we’re choosing to give our bodies and minds time to rest and reset,” Gilles said in an Instagram post. “For us, this feels like the right moment to slow down, recharge, and take some time to reflect on everything this journey has given us.”
World pairs bronze medallists Lia Pereira and Trennt Michaud, and Canadian men’s champion Stephen Gogolev — who finished fifth at the Milan Cortina Olympics — will headline the field at Skate Canada International from Oct. 30 to Nov. 1 in Kelowna, B.C.
Four-time national champion Madeline Schizas also returns this season after representing Canada at the 2022 and 2026 Winter Games.
Skaters can compete in up to two of the six Grand Prix events in an effort to qualify for the Grand Prix Final in Chongqing, China, in December.
Notable omissions beyond Gilles and Poirier include former world pairs champions Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps, as well as two-time Canadian men’s champion Roman Sadovsky. None of the skaters have officially announced their retirements.
Gilles and Poirier, both 34, are four-time world medallists and reached their first Olympic podium with their “Starry, Starry Night” free dance in Milan.
ASSIGNMENT LIST
Grand Prix de France Women: Gabrielle Daleman
Skate Canada International Men: Wesley Chiu, Stephen Gogolev, one entry TBD — Women: Fée Ann Landry, Madeline Schizas, one entry TBD — Pairs: Ava Kemp/Yohnatan Elizarov, Lia Pereira/Trennt Michaud, one entry TBD — Ice dance: Marie-Jade Lauriault/Romain Le Gac, Layla Veillon/Alexander Brandys, one entry TBD
Cup of China Pairs: Jazmine Desrochers/Kieran Thrasher.
Skate America Men: Aleksa Rakic — Women: Sara-Maude Dupuis — Pairs: Ava Kemp/Yohnatan Elizarov
Finlandia Trophy Men: Stephen Gogolev — Pairs: Lia Pereira/Trennt Michaud — Ice dance: Marie-Jade Lauriault/Romain Le Gac
NHK Trophy Women: Madeline Schizas — Pairs: Jazmine Desrochers/Kieran Thrasher — Ice dance: Marjorie Lajoie/Jean-Luc Baker
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 16, 2026.