The final qualifying Grand Prix event of the season means one thing—there are Grand Prix Final spots up for grabs. For the men at 2022 Grand Prix Espoo, there are two spots that are open for the taking, and five skaters here who mathematically have a chance to get themselves to Torino for the Final. But beyond that, there are a couple of interesting storylines here related to momentum. The likes of Keegan Messing, Shun Sato, Kevin Aymoz, and Camden Pulkinen are all looking at this event as a stepping stone to their national championships, and in some ways, all of them have something to prove.
2022 Grand Prix Espoo predictions
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GOLD Ilia Malinin USA - Do we see the quad axel again here? Maybe, but a more immediate question is whether he can put down a clean short. In his two competitions this season, he’s had to dig out of a hole created by errors in the short. The free is where he’s made his mark this season, but going into what is likely a berth to the Grand Prix Final—he needs a top four finish to guarantee it—he will want to clean things up such that his technical content keeps him up on his competition.
SILVER Shun Sato JPN - With a bronze at the MK John Wilson Trophy, the “only” thing Sato needs to do to make it to Torino is get at least silver. Of course, that’s a tougher task than I just made it sound, especially considering the competition here in Espoo. Key to that will be a strong short, which he didn’t quite put down in Sheffield, and left him scrambling a bit to get onto the podium. This is a very doable task for him, and may be an important indicator for his chances at making the World team this year.
BRONZE Keegan Messing CAN - Seems like the story of the competition here, guys needing good short programs. Messing is the same; in his first two events of the season, he’s messed up his short program and needed to make up the deficit in the free. In the case of Skate Canada, his short program is what cost him a more feasible path to the Grand Prix Final. He is still clearly the frontrunner among the Canadian men, but skating well at this event, even if he doesn’t get to the Final, may help bolster his ending competitions this season.
4. Kevin Aymoz FRA - Aymoz has had to deal with another injury this season that has led him to water down his technical content ahead of this week. But last week’s win at Warsaw Cup showed that his components definitely help make up for not having the quads in his programs. Against this field, he will need to be squeaky clean to get on the podium and/or lean on some mistakes from the guys here.
5. Camden Pulkinen USA - Though Pulkinen has not yet found the gear that pushed him to a fifth place finish at Worlds last season, his early events this season have been solid but not spectacular. Like Sato, Pulkinen’s path to the World team could be made a bit easier if he can put down two strong skates here in Espoo. And if he’s able to do that, a medal could be within reach.
6. Tatsuya Tsuboi JPN - Fifth in Sheffield, it was a very good GP debut for the former Japanese junior champion. But he can be even better than that. His smooth skating and good jumping could make him a candidate for the dark horse this week in Espoo.
7. Morisi Kvitelashvili GEO - There’s nothing like the unpredictability of Kvitelashvili, which seemed to have gone away late last season, but is very much back this season. The quad toe gave him problems in Sheffield, and he didn’t even get a difficult jump in his short program. Where does he end up this week? Nobody knows.
8. Aleksandr Selevko EST - Eighth in his Grand Prix debut earlier this season in Canada, Selevko returns for his second GP looking to improve. He’s fighting for that Worlds spot this year against Levandi, who is in this event, and his younger brother.
9. Nikolaj Majorov SWE - Majorov has had a couple of competitions under his belt, though his hasn’t been particularly consistent this season. He was most recently eighth at Ice Challenge a few weeks back.
10. Lucas Tsuyoshi Honda JPN - Japanese junior champ two years ago, Honda has had a couple of solid results internationally, but he hasn’t shown that much consistency yet in his career. He was all of fifth at Sectionals about a month ago, and it will take a lot for him to be competitive here.
11. Arlet Levandi EST - One of the promising juniors over the past couple seasons, Levandi hasn’t really hit his stride this season so far in his first fully senior international season. He was 14th at Warsaw Cup last week.
12. Valtter Virtanen FIN - In his 17th senior international season, Virtanen returns to the Grand Prix after competing at home in Finland four years ago when Helsinki was the substitute host that year after China declined to host a GP. He’s coming in with some of the best skating in his career.