With the exception of Ilia Malinin as the very heavy favorite, the rest of the men’s competition at the 2023 US Figure Skating Championships could either go as we might expect or—and this is sometimes a common theme in men’s skating—it could be completely out of control. I’m not sure there’s anything in between those two scenarios. Either way, this men’s event looks to be one of the most open competitions we’ve had in recent memory.
2023 US Nationals men preview
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GOLD Ilia Malinin - We all know Malinin can jump, but he’s talked a lot this season about spending more time connecting with the music and improving his basics. In a lot of ways, if he can just do even 80% of what he has planned this week in San Jose, he will walk away with his first US title. But as he looks ahead to the World Championships, figuring out how to better round out his skating is going to be important for him to get on the podium and potentially win the event. That’s what I’ll be looking for from Malinin this week.
SILVER Jason Brown - It was a surprise return. After a stunning Olympics, where Brown finished sixth, many thought that Brown might possibly have called it a career. But a strong Japan Open—with only two weeks of training—convinced him that he could potentially give it another go. After all, San Jose does not give him great memories after what happened five years ago, so there’s something to him potentially wanting some closure, or at least to rewrite the narrative of Nationals in San Jose. He’s not here just for fun, he wants to be on the podium.
BRONZE Camden Pulkinen - His fifth-place finish at Worlds last year was a motivator for Pulkinen, and it was also an indication that, when he puts it all together, his potential is there to be one of the top skaters in the world. This season has been about the juggling act with full-time college and skating in a new city and training environment. But it’s also been one of the more consistent seasons for him so far - Nationals will be a big test, and it will be his best shot yet at making the podium.
4. Liam Kapeikis - It’s been a solid debut season on the senior international circuit for Kapeikis, who was seventh at Nationals last year. He put down his best performances of his life with a win at Ice Challenge in November, and he’s got a great shot at the top five if he can put down two solid programs this week.
5. Andrew Torgashev - It’s been three years since we last saw Torgashev in competition, and he’s gone through a lot to even get back to competing. The good news is he’s back doing the elements that got him to fifth place at Nationals three years ago, the bad news is he hasn’t had much competition time at all for a number of years. He could very well vie for a medal this week, but a clean short will be necessary.
6. Maxim Naumov - US junior champ three years ago, Naumov has had some highlights on the senior level over the past couple of years, including a career-best short program in October at Budapest Trophy. The quad sal will be key for him if he is to have any shot at the top five.
7. Jimmy Ma - Sixth the past two years at Nationals, Ma hasn’t found his groove yet this season, and the consistency of his big elements has been elusive. He could surprise again at Nationals this week, and he’s certainly going to be a crowd favorite.
8. Tomoki Hiwatashi - Hiwatashi has a history of peaking late in the season, especially when it comes to Nationals. But his fall season was subpar, and he has not had any momentum to build on coming into this week. He will need to pull some of the magic from past Nationals out to get in contention for that World team.
9. Yaroslav Paniot - He had a breakout performance two years ago here, finishing fourth and putting him on many people’s lists to be the dark horse for the Olympic season. But last year was a struggle for him, both with equipment and with injuries. He’s gotten a lot of his jumps back but will his consistency be there?
10. Will Annis - Silver in juniors last year, Annis makes his debut at senior Nationals this year. Coudl be boom or bust for him—big jumps but not great consistency yet after returning from injury.