MONTREAL --Speed Skating Canada announced Wednesday that Quebecers Charles Hamelin and Kim Boutin will lead the Canadian delegation on the first two legs of the ISU World Cups of the 2019-2020 season.
Hamelin, who will be in his 17th season on the World Cup circuit, will lead the men's team, while Boutin, who won five individual medals last season, will do the same on the women's side.
National team skaters Samuel Girard, Charle Cournoyer, Kasandra Bradette and Jamie Macdonald's recent retirements mean that a new generation of skaters will have the opportunity to gain international experience this year.
Steven Dubois of Lachenaie, Cédrik Blais of Chateauguay, as well as Montrealers Pascal Dion, Maxime Laoun and William Dandjinou will also compete for the men.
On the ladies' side, Courtney Sarault of Moncton, NB, Montreal's Alyson Charles, Chateauguay's Danaé Blais, Rikki Doak of Fredericton, NB, and Claudia Gagnon of Saguenay will accompany Boutin.
The 12 skaters will meet for the first stop of the World Cup in Salt Lake City, Utah, from Nov. 1 to 3, before returning home to Montreal's Maurice Richard Arena for the World Cup from Nov. 8 to 10.
The Canadian skaters will look to build on last year's campaign in which the team won five World Championship medals and wound up on the podium 24 times at the World Cups.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 16, 2019.
