Young Canadian Olympians poised to lead the way at Milan-Cortina in 2026

The Beijing Games showcased an exciting young crop of Canadian Olympic talent who will be looked upon to lead the way at the next Winter Games in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy.

From figure skating phenoms to rising women's hockey stars, here is a look at some young Canadians Olympians poised to reach new heights in 2026.

Leading the way in figure skating will be breakout star Madeline Schizas, who just turned 19 on Valentine's Day while competing in Beijing. After kicking the year off by winning her first national title, the Olympic debutante nearly put Canada on the podium in the team event despite the absence of men's national champion Keegan Messing.

The Oakville, Ont., native shone against stiff competition with back-to-back, personal-best performances in the short program and free skate — finishing third in both. Her short program single-handedly propelled Canada into the medal round by vaulting the team from sixth to fourth place.

Schizas also qualified for the free skate final in women's singles before ultimately falling short, finishing 19th, but she has undoubtedly solidified herself as a phenomenal skater who can deliver under pressure.

"I'm so proud of how I've managed myself here," Schizas said. "There are lots of distractions at an Olympic Games, and I'm going to take what I've learned here for the rest of my season and the rest of my career."

She will look to capture her first world championship medal next month in Montpellier, France.

WATCH | Schizas delivers career-best performance to help Canada qualify:

While the Olympic women's hockey team had 13 returning players from their silver-medal run in 2018, it was 10 important newcomers who helped lift Canada atop the podium this time around. Leading the pack was 21-year-old juggernaut Sarah Fillier.

The Georgetown, Ont., native entered her first Games with major expectations, and she exceeded them by scoring eight goals in seven games to help lead Canada to glory.

She made an immediate impact with two goals and an assist in her Olympic debut against Switzerland, and veteran teammate Brianne Jenner was the only player to score more goals in the tournament.

Fillier was also instrumental in Canada's gold-medal run at the world championship last August, and she led the NCAA in scoring as a freshman for Princeton. Nearly a decade younger than 'Captain Clutch' Marie Philip-Poulin, Fillier is on the path to becoming the next Canadian hockey great.

"I'm very happy with my tournament, my line's tournament, my whole team's tournament. Everybody came up ready to play and we had contributions from everyone in the lineup and that's what set us apart," Fillier said.

Fillier's Canadian teammate, and former Princeton teammate, Claire Thompson also had a tremendous Olympic debut. The defender led the tournament in plus-minus (+23), and finished fifth in points with 11 assists and two goals to help Canada reclaim its spot on the Olympic throne.