Just a glance at the roster in the men’s event at 2023 Skate Canada International, and you can see how much talent we got this week, from having three of the top ten at Worlds last season to a few guys who could potentially have breakout seasons this year. But it’s also the men’s event, and you never know what’s going to happen with all this talent and all these quads.
Skate Canada International predictions
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GOLD Kao Miura JPN - A breakthrough and then a disappointment, Miura made his way to the Grand Prix Final last year only to falter at Japan Nationals and be left off the World team. He salvaged his season with two big titles at Four Continents and Junior Worlds, but the sting of Japan Nationals is probably still fresh. He took gold at Finlandia Trophy to start his season, and he’s a slight favorite for gold this week.
SILVER Kazuki Tomono JPN - I have never seen Tomono look this prepared this early in the season. He’s had a history of being a late-season skater, but he knows that if he’s going to stand out in the talented men’s field in Japan, he’s going to have to make those big impressions earlier. He was second at Nebelhorn Trophy and currently holds one of the highest scores of the season so far. It should be quite a battle for the title.
BRONZE Junhwan Cha KOR - Possibly the guy who is standing in the way of a Japanese podium sweep, Cha makes his Grand Prix debut this season as a World medalist for the first time—and with a coaching change in the off-season. He’s no longer training under Orser after opting to return to Korea. His season debut at Nepela Memorial left a lot to be desired when his axel seemed to have taken a vacation. But Shanghai Trophy a week later was a turnaround, and he will be looking to take another step up this week.
4. Sota Yamamoto JPN - Last year’s Grand Prix was the Sota Yamamoto show, as he won two silvers on his way to a silver at the Final. But the rest of his season fell apart after that. He’s hoping to rediscover the magic of last year’s Grand Prix here in his first one of the season. He was fourth at Autumn Classic in September but has now had another month of training to get himself back up there. A Japanese podium sweep is very possible.
5. Mikhail Shaidorov KAZ - 14th at Worlds last season, Shaidorov has been one of those up-and-coming skaters the past couple of seasons. He’s equipped with big quads and solid foundational skating, and if there are misses this week from the top guys, he could sneak in there and grab a medal. One caveat - we thought he was going to make a splash last season as well, but the fall was a rough go for him.
6. Mark Gorodnitsky ISR - He’s been one of those skaters who has had all the potential but none of the consistency. But early in this season, Gorodnitsky looks to have discovered that consistency. most recently delivering two of the best programs of his career to win bronze at Nepela Memorial ahead of Cha. He is one of the guys without a quad (yet) in his programs, so clean will be key.
7. Matteo Rizzo ITA - Injury took him out of some of the earlier competitions of the season, but Rizzo finally got back into competition earlier this month in Shanghai. But he was shaking off some rust there in his recovery. With just a couple more weeks of training, it remains to be seen whether he’s anywhere near the form that took him to a silver medal last season at Europeans.
8. Mihhail Selevko EST - Talented but extremely inconsistent, Selevko has had a solid start to his season, most recently fourth at Budapest Trophy two weeks ago.
9. Conrad Orzel CAN - Ninth at Nepela Memorial a month ago, Orzel had a resurgent season last year, taking silver at Canadians and rediscovering his big jumps after a coaching change a year and a half ago.
10. Wesley Chiu CAN - The Canadian bronze medalist had an up-and-down season last year, and he comes into his home Grand Prix after silver at Cranberry Cup and a seventh-place finish at Autumn Classic.
11. Aleksa Rakic CAN - In his first senior international season, Rakic has already put down some of the best skating he’s delivered internationally, scoring 200+ at Nebelhorn Trophy a month ago for a fifth-place finish.
12. Liam Kapeikis USA - After a breakout last season, Kapeikis has not yet found his groove this season. He was 13th at Finlandia Trophy three weeks ago.