The Netherlands Names Its World Tour 1 Team: Two Debutants, and Four Skaters at ◆1M

The Dutch federation has named the 12 skaters it is sending to World Tour 1 in Vancouver, and the list holds two first-time selections, two of the most expensive skaters in the game and a squad where five of twelve cost ◆1M or ◆3M. All 12 are in our pool. Three injured skaters are not on the list.

What KNSB Announced

KNSB named six women and six men for the opening stop. The selection committee used combined rankings from three events: the Heerenveen time trials (September 24-25), the national selection races (September 26-27) and the Dutch Open Shorttrack (October 2-4). The federation did not publish those rankings, and the order of names in its announcement is not a ranking.

Head coach Niels Kerstholt decides individual distances and relay line-ups on site, so the list does not tell you who skates what. KNSB says the same roster is expected for Montréal, with changes possible for injury, conduct or performance.

The Squad and Its Prices

Prices are from the game's pool snapshot generated on October 6, not live Firestore, and they will move after each competition.

If you want Dutch skaters who are certain to be on the plane for the first block, this is the whole list. The two ◆25M names, Xandra Velzeboer and Jens van 't Wout, are the priciest in the squad by a wide margin. Four skaters in the squad cost ◆1M.

Two First-Time Selections

KNSB lists Kiek Straathof and Jesper Schmitz as first-time selections. Both are ◆1M with a flat trend.

• Kiek Straathof is 21. Schaatsen.nl says she impressed across two qualifying weekends, particularly on the 1500m.
• Jesper Schmitz is 17 and skates for the WADRO KNSB Talent Team Noord. Schaatsen.nl reports he posted the best Dutch 1500m result at the Dutch Open and, the weekend before, went below the national junior 1000m record (unofficial). It also notes he keeps the option of the junior World Cups in Bormio instead, so check the next announcement before building around him.

A Cheap Man Worth a Look

Niels Kingma is also ◆1M. Schaatsen.nl reported on October 3 that he ran 1:23.90 over 1000m at the Dutch Open, 1.6 seconds faster than his previous personal best, and that he was the only Dutch skater who could stay with Olympic champion Jens van 't Wout. A pick is only worth what he scores, and a start is not a podium, but a ◆1M skater with a confirmed place on the team is the kind of slot the budget exists for.

Who Was Left Off

Schaatsen.nl reports that Friso Emons, Daan Kos and Bibi Arts were not selected while recovering from injury. All three are in the pool:

A skater who is not on the team scores nothing. The injury note is the press summary of the federation's reasoning, so wait for a KNSB update before assuming a return date.

The Relay Angle

The announcement does not name relay line-ups. Relay points count triple toward this season's Team Crystal Globe, so the Dutch line-ups are worth watching once Kerstholt sets them in Vancouver.

A reminder: prices move. Every athlete and relay team is repriced after each competition, so treat these figures as a starting point, not a fixed cost.

---

Sources

• KNSB — TeamNL Shorttrack voor ISU World Tour 1 bekend (in Dutch) (October 5, 2026)
• Schaatsen.nl — Jesper Schmitz en Kiek Straathof geselecteerd voor World Tour (in Dutch) (October 5, 2026)
• Schaatsen.nl — Niels Kingma op koers, 17-jarige Jesper Schmitz verrast (in Dutch) (October 3, 2026)
• KNSB — Announcement Time-Trials en Selectiewedstrijden (PDF, in Dutch)