The World champion is here for his first full event of the season—Shoma Uno won the free skate-only Japan Open earlier this month. His biggest competition might come from his own teammate, who just took silver at Skate America last week. It will be a fun men’s field at 2022 Skate Canada International this week, with a good amount of variety in styles and personalities.
2022 Skate Canada International
Official hashtags: #SCI22 #GPFigure
GOLD Shoma Uno JPN - Japan Open was perhaps one of the most impressive early season skates we’ve seen from Uno in his career. We’ve seen him come into the season with lower-difficulty programs in the past, but all the big elements from last season were on display already in early October. He’s the strongest all-around skater in this event—he’s the World champ, after all—but it will be interesting to see how he takes the new title of being World champion into his first Grand Prix of the season.
SILVER Kao Miura JPN - Also impressive was Miura’s stunning debut in a Grand Prix outside of Japan. He’s coming off silver at Skate America, and miles ahead of how he was looking at Regionals earlier in the season. His booming jumps were there, and his overall artistry has improved since last season. He will absolutely be a threat for gold if Uno isn’t on top of it this week. Another silver or above finish will put him in a prime spot for a Grand Prix Final berth.
BRONZE Keegan Messing CAN - Very much the veteran in this field, Messing is back for his 12th senior season. He had some brilliant moments during the Olympic season, but didn’t end on as high of a note as he would’ve liked at Worlds. He started off his season last month with a come-from-behind win at Nebelhorn Trophy, but he will have to be sharper than that in the short program if he is to win his first Skate Canada title.
4. Matteo Rizzo ITA - Marked improvements between his first and second events of the season, Rizzo just won Budapest Trophy a couple weeks back with a very strong free skate. He has felt confident enough to bring back the quad loop, which he’s been experimenting with for the past few years. And he’s got a good look at a podium finish this week.
5. Camden Pulkinen USA - Some of us are still reeling from Pulkinen’s incredible fifth-place debut at Worlds last season. Now with a new training team, new training location(s), and juggling school and skating, he is hoping to be able to carry some of that momentum from last season into his first Grand Prix. His bronze at US Classic was an up-and-down effort, but another month of training could get him that much sharper for Canada this week.
6. Deniss Vasiljevs LAT - Bronze at Nepela Memorial, the European bronze medalist wasn’t particularly satisfied with his efforts in either program there. And coming into his first GP of the season, it’s somewhat mind-boggling to think that he has yet to medal on the Grand Prix, though he got close twice last season with two fourth-place finishes.
7. Jimmy Ma USA - He has really settled into his skating the past couple of years, and in a lot of ways, he’s hoping this season could be a springboard to even bigger things this Olympic cycle. He was fifth at US Classic last month.
8. Lukas Britschgi SUI - Much like Rizzo, Britschgi has made some strides from his first competition of the season to his second. He was most recently second to Rizzo at Budapest Trophy and delivered a career best free skate to get there. He’s a solid talent and has the potential to be the first Swiss man to really make a splash since Stephane Lambiel.
9. Stephen Gogolev CAN - Once a very promising junior skater, Gogolev has dealt with injury after injury the past few years. And he’s perhaps finally finding some of that spark that led him to a Junior Grand Prix title five four years ago. Could be something of a dark horse this week.
10. Aleksandr Selevko EST - His younger brother just competed at Skate America last weekend, and it’s his turn on the Grand Prix in Canada. Selevko was seventh at Nepela Memorial and then eighth two weeks ago at Budapest Trophy
11. Conrad Orzel CAN - With a new coach and a new training environment, Orzel starts his new season looking to figure out how he fares against his fellow teammates. He took 11th at Finlandia Trophy earlier this month.