2025–26 Canadian Ice Dance: News and Updates

[Aaron MB Fan]

We should start building a list of skaters with Canadian citizenship representing other countries currently who may switch back to Canada with how wide open our Senior field is right now...

 

[Rafter]

Lily Hensen’s post implies she was the one who decided to split. It’s interesting because I always thought Lickers seemed the more talented of the two.

 

[my little pony]

who is most suited to skate with Deanna?

 

[skategal]

who is most suited to skate with Deanna?

Maxim. Get them to switch to ice dance pronto.

 

[skateblessing]

Lily Hensen’s post implies she was the one who decided to split. It’s interesting because I always thought Lickers seemed the more talented of the two.

Same with Pauls post, it implied he made the move.. And more interesting. Sandrine is up on IPS (Ice Partner Search) now, so maybe Lily + Paul?

 

[Wyliefan]

Hensen/Lickers have split.

That one I did NOT expect (and thought maybe was an April Fool!).

 

[Former Lurve Goddess]

That one I did NOT expect (and thought maybe was an April Fool!).

Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition or the breakup of one of Canada's most promising up and coming ice dance teams. Sigh

 

[Wyliefan]

The way things are going, maybe Anderson/Dawson and Homick/Buelow should consider moving up to seniors!

 

[Spikefan]

Paul Ayer just obtained Mexican citizenship. And he liked “Next Olympics for Mexico?” The plot thickens.

 

[Aaron MB Fan]

Paul Ayer just obtained Mexican citizenship. And he liked “Next Olympics for Mexico?” The plot thickens.

Skate Canada liked the post on instagram which seemed odd to me if he’s contemplating changing countries. We all know how they handled Firus/Soucisse’s switch to Ireland.

 

[victorskid]

According to Wikipedia:
"Ayer was born on April 6, 1998, in Calgary, Alberta. He is half Mexican-Canadian and speaks Spanish, French and English fluently."

 

[skategal]

Skate Canada liked the post on instagram which seemed odd to me if he’s contemplating changing countries. We all know how they handled Firus/Soucisse’s switch to Ireland.

Hopefully they learned their lesson with Soucisse/ Firus and will seek a fair solution to all.

 

[manhn]

Skate Canada normally just props up one competitor per discipline. And for the quad, SC put their eggs in Deanna's basket (not a bad decision, it resulted in the only World title this quad). P&P had some momentum early in the 22/23 season, but Piper's cancer diagnosis unfortunately changed things. SC does not have "sure things" this upcoming quad, but I feel fans are more optimistic? Let's see how IAM does with their first undisputedly number 1 Canadian ice dance team. Yeah, they had V&M, but I don't think that counts.

 

[Andora]

It would be too bad to lose Paul Ayer, as he seems like a talented guy who could be marketable. I wish he and Alicia had been a more dynamic team.

I'm holding my breath until we know Marjorie & Zach are continuing. I don't know if IAM will automatically give them better/more focus if they're Skate Canada's #1 dance team - I expect IAM directs their coaching where the money flows. And there's some teams with deeper pockets that could still overtake them.

 

[skategal]

Skate Canada normally just props up one competitor per discipline. And for the quad, SC put their eggs in Deanna's basket (not a bad decision, it resulted in the only World title this quad). P&P had some momentum early in the 22/23 season, but Piper's cancer diagnosis unfortunately changed things. SC does not have "sure things" this upcoming quad, but I feel fans are more optimistic? Let's see how IAM does with their first undisputedly number 1 Canadian ice dance team. Yeah, they had V&M, but I don't think that counts.

Yes they clearly had all their eggs in the Piper/Paul basket and let LaLa blow in the wind since 2024.

 

[Karen-W]

Lily Hensen is now listed on Ice Partner Search, for what it's worth.

 

[fan]

It would be too bad to lose Paul Ayer, as he seems like a talented guy who could be marketable. I wish he and Alicia had been a more dynamic team.

I'm holding my breath until we know Marjorie & Zach are continuing. I don't know if IAM will automatically give them better/more focus if they're Skate Canada's #1 dance team - I expect IAM directs their coaching where the money flows. And there's some teams with deeper pockets that could still overtake them.

Incentive payments. I have no doubt that some of the deeper pocketed have it written into their contracts with IAM that should they medal at some of the more prestigious events, IAM coaches could receive cash bonuses (no, I have no insider knowledge. But if my mediocrely talented kid put all of their efforts into skating and I was a smart business person, I know what I would do to try and get their busy coaching team to prioritize them…)

 

[Rhumba d’Amour]

According to Wikipedia:
"Ayer was born on April 6, 1998, in Calgary, Alberta. He is half Mexican-Canadian and speaks Spanish, French and English fluently."

Is Harlow Stanley still with her latest partner, skating for Mexico?
Just asking.

 

[Wyliefan]

Is Harlow Stanley still with her latest partner, skating for Mexico?
Just asking.

Last I heard, she was. But they're nowhere near the level that Fabbri/Ayer were at.

 

[victorskid]

New ice dance teams announced by Patinage Quebec: https://patinage.qc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Equipes-B-RC-26-27.pdf
Audra Gans / Danil Pak
Laurence Brière / Earl Jesse Celestino
Stella Mitchell / Corentin Cinçon-Debout

 

[Former Lurve Goddess]

Nathan Lickers is indeed looking for a new partner according to Instagram.

 

[princeton123]

Hensen/Lickers splitting up now when they're just about to get international assignments and opportunities is so odd. Do these people think good partners grow on trees

 

[jmtfti]

Well, Nathan called the split "unexpected" so presumably Lily's the one with that belief.

 

[chantilly]

I wonder if Lily was talking to someone already; trying out.
I'm too lazy to check the timeline, but wondering if they split after Fabri/Ayer.

 

[jmtfti]

They did, Lily announced the split the day after Fabbri/Ayer announced theirs. That said, she does also have an IPS profile which suggests there isn't something else already lined up, so the timing really may have been coincidental.

 

[chantilly]

I was mostly basing my suggestion on the "unexpected " comment by Lickers.
There's a lot of ice dancers without partners in Canada right now, so best to not rush into a decision.

 

[jmtfti]

Summer Homick did an interview on mental training and her journey across disciplines that also included some broad hints about next season's programs:

"[...] the theme for the rhythm dance is a waltz, so we decided to do something that is not very traditional Cinderella waltz-y, so I think a lot of people are going to be shocked when they see that. They're going to be like 'whoa.' And then our free dance this year, we tried to keep the same vibe as Ghost because we got so much love on that program and we didn't want to switch it up too much. But we were also kind of in the midst of doing a tango, and we wanted to try a tango. So we got the best of both worlds, and I'll leave it at that."

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[Karen-W]

So, Patinage QC has published their Excellence, A, Next Gen & B skaters/teams on their IG today.

Patinage Artistique Québec ⛸ on Instagram: "Découvrez nos équipes de développement B et + 2026-2027! La relève est en marche et elle est prometteuse. 🌟🤩⚜ 🔗 Pour en savoir plus: rendez-vous sur le site web de Patinage Québec."

341 likes, 0 comments - patinageqc on April 29, 2026: "Découvrez nos équipes de développement B et + 2026-2027! La relève est en marche et elle est prometteuse. 🌟🤩⚜ 🔗 Pour en savoir plus: rendez-vous sur le site web de Patinage Québec.".

www.instagram.com

Excellence-A-Next Gen Dance teams listed include:

Lajoie/Lagha
Lauriault/le Gac
Fournier/Zhu
Carandiuc/Carandiuc (jr last season)
Annabelle Theroux/Rafael Gossard (jr last season)
Florence Beausoleil/Remi Thibault (novice last season)

The B Dance teams listed include a bunch of new partnerships - there's been a lot of musical chairs partner swapping in Quebec this off-season, lol.

Olympia Kalaganis/Emile Deveau
Jessy Gagnon/Anthony MacDonald
Audra Gans/Danil Pak (skated with Irmak Yucel representing TUR last season - last competition was JGP Bangkok)
Laurence Briere (skated with Levesque last season)/Earl Jesse Celestino (skated with Aurea Cincon-Debout last season)
Stella Mitchell/Corentin Cincon-Debout (skated with Emilie Proulx last season)
Chaima Ben Khelifa (was doing solo ice dance last season)/Julien Levesque (skated with Briere last season)