5 things to know for Skate Canada International in Halifax

The Canadian pairs team of Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps will join fellow world champions Ilia Malinin and Kaori Sakamoto to headline a strong field at Skate Canada International this week.

The second Grand Prix stop of the year goes Friday through Sunday at Scotiabank Centre as the pre-Olympic figure skating season kicks into high gear for Canada's top medal hopes.

Here's a look at five things to know heading into the event:

After skating to silver at the world championships in Montreal, ice dancers Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier are back for another season.

The decorated duo has made a habit of opening its season at Skate Canada — and winning. The two 32-year-olds have topped the podium in four straight years of the competition (the 2020 event was cancelled). This weekend, they'll aim for a fifth victory to kick-start a season they hope culminates in their first world championship title in Boston next March.

Gilles and Poirier's biggest rivals, two-time defending world champions Madison Chock and Evan Bates of the United States, will not be competing at Skate Canada. Instead, their stiffest competition may come from fellow Canadians Marjorie Lajoie and Zachary Lagha, who won two Grand Prix silver medals and placed fifth at worlds last season.

Lajoie and Lagha withdrew from the Budapest Trophy Challenger event two weeks ago due to an undisclosed injury but are expected to compete in Halifax.

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Also looking to repeat at Skate Canada International are Stellato-Dudek and Deschamps.

Stellato-Dudek is still seeking Canadian citizenship to compete at the 2026 Olympics in