The cast for the CBC’s Battle of the Blades‘ second season has been announced, with some familiar faces among the female skaters.

Jamie Salé, the reigning Battle of the Blades champion, is returning, as is Shae-Lynn Bourne, Isabelle Brasseur and Christine Hough-Sweeney.

They’ll be joined by a quartet of new female skaters, including Russian veterans Violetta Afanasieva and Ekaterina Gordeeva, Japanese-American pairs skater Kyoko Ina, and Anabelle Langlois.

Battle of the Blades producer Insight Productions did pick a fresh crop of eight ex-NHL hockey players to lead and lift the ladies, including Theo Fleury, Patrice Brisebois, Valeri Bure, and Kelly Chase.

Also donning skating tights to master graceful dance routines is NHL tough guy Georges Laraque, Ross Courtnall, former hockey player and CBC commentator PJ Stock and Todd Warriner.

Battle of the Blades‘ sophomore season starts September 26 with a training camp episode, ahead of the competition gearing up on October 3.

The second season will add to its behind-the-scenes footage, interviews and vignettes about the knock-out competition participants.