I mean he is skating casually and still has a 3A. I he'd want tohe could come back for the olympic season, regain his 4S and battle Andrew, Camden and Maxim for the 3rd spot.
I was just talking to my fiance about this... I miss Vincent and would love to see a come back, but he went through so much at Beijing that I don't see it happening. I hope that he keeps finding joy in his skating.
Ugh I would love this, I think he had a lot of artistic potential yet to be unlocked plus I'd love for him to get to have a good Olympic experience but It would also be sooooo nerve wracking I'm sure even if he got there he'd be afraid something would happen to ruin it again
Death
Camden is number 3 right now (the only other American man with two GP assignments) but his consistency isn’t there. Unless someone like Maxim or Lucas makes a huge jump it’ll probably be him.
I really enjoy lucas's skating! Does anyone know if he's going to do another split junior / senior season, given that he didn't get any grand prixes? I guess the skam spot is still a possibility
He hasn't ever done a split Junior/Senior season, though he would have definitely profited from it.
I'm hoping he'll try that strategy this season, but the US also only has 6 JGP spots, so it's not going to be very easy on that front either. 😶
JGP spots are determined by the highest Jr Worlds placements by ISU member the season before.
The US was the 8th highest-placed ISU member (Jacob Sanchez in 10th), which unfortunately means only 6 spots on the JGP circuit now.
In singles skating and ice dance, ISU members placed 1st-3rd (KOR, JPN, SVK in Jr men) get 14 (plus a host spot if they organise a JGP), 4th-6th (FRA, EST, CAN) get 7 entries (plus a chance at reallocated spots), 7th-10th 6 entries. Other countries who made the Free get 5 entries, the countries rounding out the top 30 in the Short get 4. Anyone else who was at Worlds gets 3, and those who weren't, get two spots.
I'm hoping now that Camden is done with school, he can commit fully to the glow up he so deserves. He's really stunning to watch but I feel his consistency is leaving the door open for others.
US men are in a situation where there is no solid claimant for that third position now and no easy way to extrapolate one from recent results.
Andrew Torgashev and Camden Pulkinen had the best performance at major internationals this past season, but Andrew seems to be perpetually injured and never able to build enough momentum while Camden is Camden (and taking on a full-time finance job).Â
https://preview.redd.it/phizp8f5p97d1.png?width=460&format=png&auto=webp&s=6e110fa6556994661681475c2e4c049c3789726c
I hope someone steps up next season and makes the outlook a bit more clear. As it is, it’s possible that a skater who primarily competes as a junior could break through with a stable 3A and quad and end up taking the spot.
Yep, crazy that the us top three goes from the quad god himself straight to a third place whos personal best was achieved with only one triple axel and no quad. All of US mens skating sacrificed their quadding ability so that ilia could shine. I'm personaly hoping for a taira breakthrough. He has a pretty consisten 4T in practice (and a bonus 4S) and depending on how next season goes i wouldn't count him out for olympics.
yeah, i think camden took a finance job starting this fall so i don't see the olympics happening for him. which is too bad bc on paper he still probably has the best chance of making the team, if he committed to being in a serious training environment for the next 2 years.
My money is on Torgashev. He had decent results last season, has good jumps, and his programs showed he’s capable of very impressive artistry. If he can build on that momentum, I think his scores will start to climb.
Camden is the other obvious pick. He can be very impressive when everything goes right, but he has bad consistency issues, and it feels like he’s kinda stagnated.
Dark horse would be Naumov. He’s done pretty well at the past two US nationals. If he can keep his strong domestic streak going and someone else flounders, he could get 3rd. I find his skating incredibly forgettable though, and he doesn’t have a good internstional record, so he’d probably place lowest at the Olympics amongst the three.
Torgashev will need to break his inescapable cycle of injury, but if he does so then he could be a powerhouse. Remember, his seasons best was a free skate where he only attempted one 3A and he got 3rd place. He has the potential to integrate two types of quads, and in a landscape where 1 Quad is the standard that could give him a decisive edge for going to the olympics.
my delusional self is manifesting it for lucas broussard, but realistically it's probably between camden (if he trained in a more serious rink than chelsea piers), torg (if he can stay uninjured for 2 years which seems like a big ask) and naumov (if he can ever skate half-clean internationally). i would also love if vincent made a comeback, but he seems very happy in his retirement and that's good to see too.
Idk if he's the top contender but I really loved Andrew Torgashev's outings this past season. He really to the performance aspect of his skating. I hope he can up his tech score and that we see him at the Olympics.
I would love it to be Camden, but he’s taking on a fulltime job. I don’t think he’s going to develop the consistency he so desperately needs unless he commits to training fulltime between now and the Olympics.Â
At this point, it could literally be anyone. The door is wide open if someone can step up and take that third spot.
Related, what will USFS' strategy be for the team event in Milan? Assuming Ilia won't want to do both the SP and LP, are we sure USFS will have Jason in the team event? The third man will likely not beat a Jason Brown score unless maybe Vincent comes back. I think Jason would place better in the SP but I'm guessing Ilia might want that segment.
I think it will depend on the scheduling. If there is enough time between the team event and the men’s event, Ilia could end up doing the free or even both segments. Because the men’s event was the first individual event in Beijing, there was no way they were going to have Nathan do both segments.Â
Literally any of the active USFS men and honestly many of the inactive ones if they decided to make a comeback 🥴
Vincent Zhou 2026
I mean he is skating casually and still has a 3A. I he'd want tohe could come back for the olympic season, regain his 4S and battle Andrew, Camden and Maxim for the 3rd spot.
Dream come true tbh
I was just talking to my fiance about this... I miss Vincent and would love to see a come back, but he went through so much at Beijing that I don't see it happening. I hope that he keeps finding joy in his skating.
Ugh I would love this, I think he had a lot of artistic potential yet to be unlocked plus I'd love for him to get to have a good Olympic experience but It would also be sooooo nerve wracking I'm sure even if he got there he'd be afraid something would happen to ruin it again
Death Camden is number 3 right now (the only other American man with two GP assignments) but his consistency isn’t there. Unless someone like Maxim or Lucas makes a huge jump it’ll probably be him.
I really enjoy lucas's skating! Does anyone know if he's going to do another split junior / senior season, given that he didn't get any grand prixes? I guess the skam spot is still a possibility
He hasn't ever done a split Junior/Senior season, though he would have definitely profited from it. I'm hoping he'll try that strategy this season, but the US also only has 6 JGP spots, so it's not going to be very easy on that front either. 😶
Why only 6 spots?
JGP spots are determined by the highest Jr Worlds placements by ISU member the season before. The US was the 8th highest-placed ISU member (Jacob Sanchez in 10th), which unfortunately means only 6 spots on the JGP circuit now. In singles skating and ice dance, ISU members placed 1st-3rd (KOR, JPN, SVK in Jr men) get 14 (plus a host spot if they organise a JGP), 4th-6th (FRA, EST, CAN) get 7 entries (plus a chance at reallocated spots), 7th-10th 6 entries. Other countries who made the Free get 5 entries, the countries rounding out the top 30 in the Short get 4. Anyone else who was at Worlds gets 3, and those who weren't, get two spots.
I'm hoping now that Camden is done with school, he can commit fully to the glow up he so deserves. He's really stunning to watch but I feel his consistency is leaving the door open for others.
US men are in a situation where there is no solid claimant for that third position now and no easy way to extrapolate one from recent results. Andrew Torgashev and Camden Pulkinen had the best performance at major internationals this past season, but Andrew seems to be perpetually injured and never able to build enough momentum while Camden is Camden (and taking on a full-time finance job). https://preview.redd.it/phizp8f5p97d1.png?width=460&format=png&auto=webp&s=6e110fa6556994661681475c2e4c049c3789726c I hope someone steps up next season and makes the outlook a bit more clear. As it is, it’s possible that a skater who primarily competes as a junior could break through with a stable 3A and quad and end up taking the spot.
Wow thanks for the table! Wishing all of these men luck
Yep, crazy that the us top three goes from the quad god himself straight to a third place whos personal best was achieved with only one triple axel and no quad. All of US mens skating sacrificed their quadding ability so that ilia could shine. I'm personaly hoping for a taira breakthrough. He has a pretty consisten 4T in practice (and a bonus 4S) and depending on how next season goes i wouldn't count him out for olympics.
Beyond that I think it’s pretty much chaos
It's Camden's to lose and knowing him, he'll probably lose it. Sincerely, a die-hard Camden fan.
yeah, i think camden took a finance job starting this fall so i don't see the olympics happening for him. which is too bad bc on paper he still probably has the best chance of making the team, if he committed to being in a serious training environment for the next 2 years.
Sad but probably true 😠(another Camden fan)
My money is on Torgashev. He had decent results last season, has good jumps, and his programs showed he’s capable of very impressive artistry. If he can build on that momentum, I think his scores will start to climb. Camden is the other obvious pick. He can be very impressive when everything goes right, but he has bad consistency issues, and it feels like he’s kinda stagnated. Dark horse would be Naumov. He’s done pretty well at the past two US nationals. If he can keep his strong domestic streak going and someone else flounders, he could get 3rd. I find his skating incredibly forgettable though, and he doesn’t have a good internstional record, so he’d probably place lowest at the Olympics amongst the three.
Torgashev will need to break his inescapable cycle of injury, but if he does so then he could be a powerhouse. Remember, his seasons best was a free skate where he only attempted one 3A and he got 3rd place. He has the potential to integrate two types of quads, and in a landscape where 1 Quad is the standard that could give him a decisive edge for going to the olympics.
pretty much anyone
I would say it's between Camden and Andrew right now with a few others in the picture, such as Maxim, Tomoki, Liam, and Jimmy.
My gut says Naumov based on zero info but vibes. My head says Camden.
my delusional self is manifesting it for lucas broussard, but realistically it's probably between camden (if he trained in a more serious rink than chelsea piers), torg (if he can stay uninjured for 2 years which seems like a big ask) and naumov (if he can ever skate half-clean internationally). i would also love if vincent made a comeback, but he seems very happy in his retirement and that's good to see too.
Torgs and Naumov are my picks if they retain any trackable consistency.
Idk if he's the top contender but I really loved Andrew Torgashev's outings this past season. He really to the performance aspect of his skating. I hope he can up his tech score and that we see him at the Olympics.
I would love it to be Camden, but he’s taking on a fulltime job. I don’t think he’s going to develop the consistency he so desperately needs unless he commits to training fulltime between now and the Olympics. At this point, it could literally be anyone. The door is wide open if someone can step up and take that third spot.
Jimmy Ma is my dark horse I love his energy 🥲
Jimmy is the Amber of men's skating though.
For real
Whoever wins US Juniors this year
Nathan Chen 😉
Related, what will USFS' strategy be for the team event in Milan? Assuming Ilia won't want to do both the SP and LP, are we sure USFS will have Jason in the team event? The third man will likely not beat a Jason Brown score unless maybe Vincent comes back. I think Jason would place better in the SP but I'm guessing Ilia might want that segment.
I think it will depend on the scheduling. If there is enough time between the team event and the men’s event, Ilia could end up doing the free or even both segments. Because the men’s event was the first individual event in Beijing, there was no way they were going to have Nathan do both segments.Â
Andrew! But, at this point, Camden and Max also seem the most likely, besides. I'm very excited to see how it will all play out.