When the Grand Prix assignments first came out, it was clear that NHK Trophy would be the competition that would have all kinds of Grand Prix Final implications. And that is exactly what’s going to happen this week in Sapporo, where SIX medalists from this season’s Grand Prix will be fighting it out for spots in the Final. Their consternation is our gain, because it means that this will be the deepest men’s event yet of the entire season.
2022 NHK Trophy predictions
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Top 12 season best MEN as of 13 Nov 22
— Jackie Wong (@rockerskating) November 13, 2022
280.37 Malinin GPUSA
273.19 Miura GPUSA
273.15 Uno GPCAN
268.98 Siao GPFRA
264.35 Grassl GPGBR
264.05 Cha GPUSA
257.90 Yamamoto GPFRA
254.56 Vasiljevs GPGBR
253.34 Rizzo CSHUN
250.72 Messing GPCAN
249.03 Sato GPGBR
248.77 Tomono GPFRA
GOLD Shoma Uno JPN - It’s been a grand start for the World champion this season. Uno had been prone to having uneven performances earlier in the season in years past, but he’s really figured out more steady skating. And even if he’s not clean time in and time out, he keeps any mistakes within a boundary, and he’s able to get the wins as a result of his all-around skating. He will need to be a bit more on top of it this week though, and this is the field to really show that he’s still the one to beat this season.
SILVER Adam Siao Him Fa FRA - Undefeated this season so far, Siao faces his toughest challenge this week at NHK, not only in front of Uno’s home crowd, but also in trying to continue this breakout season for him. The coaching change has done him a lot of good in his consistency, but he will need to bring all of that to the competition this week if he is to challenge Uno. A place on the podium will more or less guarantee him a spot in the Final.
BRONZE Junhwan Cha KOR - He has just improved with every season, and each time in a different way. His all-around skating is among the very best in the world, and the thing that has helped him over the past couple of seasons is figuring out his quads. The quad sal has become really solid, and the toe has had improvements as well. He will be looking for another GP medal after his bronze at Skate America.
4. Matteo Rizzo ITA - Much like some of these top guys here, Rizzo is also having a season where he’s finding a good bit of consistency in his skating that he has not had in the past. He’s somewhat made himself to be more of a free skate skater than a short program skater, so if he’s to get himself onto the podium and a chance at the Final, he will need to get off to a better start than usual.
5. Sota Yamamoto JPN - Silver at Grand Prix de France was very much a breakthrough for Yamamoto, who has been on the comeback trail for a few seasons now, and is perhaps finally at a place where his international success will mirror the potential we’ve always seen in him. If he can string together another good competition this week, it will go a long way to establishing himself as a contender for a Worlds spot for Japan.
6. Kazuki Tomono JPN - After some strong Grand Prix success last season, Tomono has come back this year with more, taking bronze behind Siao and Yamamoto two weeks ago in France. As I talked about at the last Grand Prix, he’s one of those skaters who is susceptible to popping as mistakes rather than falls, and when you double a quad or single a triple axel, you just throw base value out the window.
7. Gabriele Frangipani ITA - He was a bit of a mess last year when he debuted on the Grand Prix, but his season so far has gotten off to a much better start. He won Nepela Memorial earlier this season over Cha and Deniss Vasiljevs, two Grand Prix medalists this season, but this will be a very different look at the field now that we are well into the season.
8. Stephen Gogolev CAN - A complete disaster in the short program at Skate Canada completely took him out of the mix there, but he was able to come back with a strong free skate to finish seventh overall.
9. Nika Egadze GEO - Fifth in France two weeks ago, Egadze had a solid short and then made some errors in the free. He’s a skater who can be boom or bust, as evidenced by the 50-point and 80-point short programs that he’s had the past couple of seasons.
10. Tomoki Hiwatashi USA - Straight from his ninth-place showing in Sheffield last week, Hiwatashi is hoping to clean up some of the errors that cost him some spots there.
11. Conrad Orzel CAN - 11th at Finlandia and 11th at Skate Canada, Orzel has been getting used to his new coaching setup and getting back onto competitive ice this season.
12. Maurizio Zandron AUT - The three-time Austrian champ was ninth at last week’s Ice Challenge, and he comes into his first Grand Prix event looking for some of that form that took him to a top 20 finish at Worlds last season.