2015-2016 Men's Power Rankings

[Rissa]

And in Euros, will Javi have any competition at all? Or will he skate off with another record win?

I think it's kind of a given that Javi will win Euros by a light year. But the other men will duke it out for the remaining two podium places: Kovtun, Voronov, Menshov, Pitkeev (oops, looks like one of them will have to stay at home), Samohin... perhaps Vasilijevs, although I don't think Vasilijevs has a chance to podium. To be honest, it'd be great to see the clash of the youngsters: Samohin, Pitkeev, Vasilijevs.

4CC looks more interesting, especially if JSF decides not to send Yuzuru - in the situation that there are only 2 Worlds spots for men for Japan, I think they might send their #3 and #4 (Most likely Daisuke Marakami and Mura) to 4CC. Nathan Chen could be a good choice for 4CC as well. And I agree that it'd be great for Jason Brown to go, no matter whether he will make the World team or not. If he does, 4CC would be valueable practice before Worlds and if he doesn't, it'll be something instead of Worlds.

I wonder whether we will see Patrick Chan at 4CC. It'd be cool to see how Denis Ten measures against Patrick right now.

I'm interested to see who will be sent to 4CC. Last season it was the BEST men's event. Who might be sent this year?
Highlight for 4CC might be: Yuzu, Denis, Patrick, Shoma, Boyang, Max Aaron, Jason

Now, that would be an absolutely dreamy lineup. Add Han Yan, Mura or Murakami, Chen or Rippon, Nam Nguyen, Misha Ge and we'll be glued to the screens!

 

[karne]

I think that the USFS has kind of boxed themselves into a corner again for the 4CC men. Max could elect to skip but is more likely to go, since his WR/WS/whatever thingy is still low enough that he barely scraped into the second group at TEB, and the decisions made by the ISU did him no favours in that regard. Plus, I would think that he would rather compete than have that very long gap between Nationals and Worlds. The more mileage he can get on the programs the better. Jason will almost certainly need to go, given his quad's improvement path which has been quite gradual. And Joshua will need to go since, you know, missed half the season.

Fortunately the fourth guy dilemma solves itself this season. Nathan Chen Junior World Champion has quite the ring to it. USFS might be breathing a sigh of relief that he's still age-eligible, since there's no WTT to get them out of jail this year.

 

[Shani]

USFS rules are tight on assignments and relate closely to National placement. Vincent Zhou might qualify for 4CC too, and Adam Rippon.

 

[gravy]

I think that the USFS has kind of boxed themselves into a corner again for the 4CC men. Max could elect to skip but is more likely to go, since his WR/WS/whatever thingy is still low enough that he barely scraped into the second group at TEB, and the decisions made by the ISU did him no favours in that regard. Plus, I would think that he would rather compete than have that very long gap between Nationals and Worlds. The more mileage he can get on the programs the better. Jason will almost certainly need to go, given his quad's improvement path which has been quite gradual. And Joshua will need to go since, you know, missed half the season.

Fortunately the fourth guy dilemma solves itself this season. Nathan Chen Junior World Champion has quite the ring to it. USFS might be breathing a sigh of relief that he's still age-eligible, since there's no WTT to get them out of jail this year.

I like that! Nathan Chen Junior World Champion.

It'll be a nice title to have as he heads into senior Worlds in Boston.

 

[karne]

I like that! Nathan Chen Junior World Champion.

Certainly a splendid way to end his year and begin his preparations for his debut as a Senior on the Grand Prix the next year.

 

[gravy]

Certainly a splendid way to end his year and begin his preparations for his debut as a Senior on the Grand Prix the next year.

Sorry toots, but the USFS isn't going to cater to who you'd like to see in person at Worlds. If he's top 3, he's going despite your constant whining and downplaying of other skaters you don't care for on multiple forums.

 

[karne]

Sorry toots, but the USFS isn't going to cater to who you'd like to see in person at Worlds. If he's top 3, he's going despite your constant whining and downplaying of other skaters you don't care for on multiple forums.

And if he's not, he's not going, no matter the eagerness displayed by some to crown the kid and toss everyone else on the scrapheap.

 

[gravy]

And if he's not, he's not going, no matter the eagerness displayed by some to crown the kid and toss everyone else on the scrapheap.

Agreed.

I'm not even a fan of his, but it's beyond annoying to see you not so subtly bash any skaters on here and FSU who pose any threat to the 3 American men you'd like to see at Worlds.

 

[el henry]

Agreed.

I'm not even a fan of his, but it's beyond annoying to see you not so subtly bash any skaters on here and FSU who pose any threat to the 3 American men you'd like to see at Worlds.

I disagree. I see far more bashing from those who believe that Nathan is the Once and Future King of American skating, and all the other men should just skate out of his way and bow down, because, after all, who else can possibly compete with the other male skaters. Who, I ask you, who?!!!!???? :sarcasm:

The top three US men should go to Worlds, if they want to go. I personally don't think Nathan is "soup" yet, and if I were going to Worlds, I would prefer to see other men, but if he earns it and wants to go, fine.

 

[snowflake]

I think it's kind of a given that Javi will win Euros by a light year. But the other men will duke it out for the remaining two podium places: Kovtun, Voronov, Menshov, Pitkeev (oops, looks like one of them will have to stay at home), Samohin... perhaps Vasilijevs, although I don't think Vasilijevs has a chance to podium. To be honest, it'd be great to see the clash of the youngsters: Samohin, Pitkeev, Vasilijevs.

Two I think: Kovtun, Pitkeev and Kolyada are my predictions for Euros. And Brezina is not out of contention. He's not injuried, right? Also Bessegier has a good chance to medal :thumbsup: And how cool if Righini could step it up! Pity Alexander Majorov has been unfortunate with injuries last season and now week after his bone marrow donation.

The top three US men should go to Worlds, if they want to go. I personally don't think Nathan is "soup" yet, and if I were going to Worlds, I would prefer to see other men, but if he earns it and wants to go, fine.

Why wouldn't he? Maybe his only chance to compete at a worlds in his own country. If I were him that would be my goal this season.

 

[Li'Kitsu]

I'm interested to see who will be sent to 4CC. Last season it was the BEST men's event. Who might be sent this year?
Highlight for 4CC might be: Yuzu, Denis, Patrick, Shoma, Boyang, Max Aaron, Jason

And in Euros, will Javi have any competition at all? Or will he skate off with another record win?

I'm not sure what to think of Yuzuru participating in 4CC or not... he still misses that title and usually doesn't skip competitions unless he's injured. But on the other hand, he's doing these January Ice shows, and the season will be long with TCC in April. He also said he won't try 4Lo this season, so no need to use 4CC as a testing field (unless he wants to try 4T3T in the 2nd half of the SP again before worlds?). The field there doesn't "need" him though, to be impressive...

I'm sure Denis will be there and maybe we can get an early Denis vs. Patrick match. With Shoma and Boyang there too it could be really exciting.

For the American team: I get why so many people want to push Nathan to the forefront, but I have to admit I was a little underwhelmed by him in the JGPF. I only saw the LPs, where he obviously didn't do all that well, but everything just didn't seem really "there" yet. If he earns it and wants to go to 4CC (or worlds) then he obviously should go, but my personal impression is that I'd rather have him develop a little more out of the "and now you have all the pressure and expectation of your nation" spotlight.


And for Euros: I'm still pulling for Mikhail to make the team tomorrow, he'd have real chances of a medal at Europeans!

 

[shiroKJ]

According to this poster the secretary general of Chinese FS fed is attending JPN nationals so he can personally invite Yuzuru to participate in 4CC....talk about putting a guy on the spot lol.

 

[HanDomi]

Well I would rather see healthy Hanyu at his best at Worlds than risking anything with hard preparation for 4CC

 

[Li'Kitsu]

According to this poster the secretary general of Chinese FS fed is attending JPN nationals so he can personally invite Yuzuru to participate in 4CC....talk about putting a guy on the spot lol.

Wow, no pressure, huh?

 

[da96103]

According to this poster the secretary general of Chinese FS fed is attending JPN nationals so he can personally invite Yuzuru to participate in 4CC....talk about putting a guy on the spot lol.

Why would the Chinese FS Fed invite Yuzuru if FCC is held in Taipei?

Taipei is located in Taiwan, which is not part of China.

 

[MaxSwagg]

Why would the Chinese FS Fed invite Yuzuru if FCC is held in Taipei?

Taipei is located in Taiwan, which is not part of China.

The original post said "CT-FS Secretary General" so I assume it's the Chinese Taipei Figure Skating Secretary General.

 

[Interspectator]

We have now finished the last big competition before worlds and my power Rankings are similar to the first list I had in my head at the beginning of the season!
It's gonna be a close and intense race for the gold featuring what I think are some of the best, most entertaining, most difficult programs ever.
I think it will come down to who can skate the cleanest of the top 3 guys.

1. Hanyu has shown us perfection in two competitions this season. He had a dip in performance at Nationals and was fighting mad to do better at Worlds. -Will he skate for the first time at Worlds completely un-injured? Will he be able to concentrate on what he has to do to win? He has the BV and the PCS on his side. The judges and the world love his skating. But he's got to skate as clean as possible, because if he messes up a quad or a 3a, that's more than 10 points down the drain in a few seconds.

2. Javi has been the most consistent man this season and his scores have risen accordingly. He does not bomb, and this season he has shown some of his competitive side that was hidden before. He's slightly behind Hanyu in PCS but only a few points. If he can put together 2 clean programs the gold could be his.

3. Patrick he has lower BV than Hanyu, Javi and Jin in his programs but has just come off a triumphant win at 4CC and Nationals, momentum is on his side. Can he overcome his SP and put himself into a good position going into the Free? If he is clean in the Short and the Long the judges WILL give him 300+ points. He is a contender for gold.

4. Jin has no fear and has nothing to lose. I put him a bit ahead of Shoma because his massive BV. He must skate clean however or the judges will be very harsh with his PCS. One fall, and he will be out of contention for a podium placement.

5. Shoma has been a revelation to many this season. If he can put two clean programs together, he may take the bronze, but it will depend on those ahead of him making mistakes.

 

[Skater Boy]

We have now finished the last big competition before worlds and my power Rankings are similar to the first list I had in my head at the beginning of the season!
It's gonna be a close and intense race for the gold featuring what I think are some of the best, most entertaining, most difficult programs ever.
I think it will come down to who can skate the cleanest of the top 3 guys.

1. Hanyu has shown us perfection in two competitions this season. He had a dip in performance at Nationals and was fighting mad to do better at Worlds. -Will he skate for the first time at Worlds completely un-injured? Will he be able to concentrate on what he has to do to win? He has the BV and the PCS on his side. The judges and the world love his skating. But he's got to skate as clean as possible, because if he messes up a quad or a 3a, that's more than 10 points down the drain in a few seconds.

2. Javi has been the most consistent man this season and his scores have risen accordingly. He does not bomb, and this season he has shown some of his competitive side that was hidden before. He's slightly behind Hanyu in PCS but only a few points. If he can put together 2 clean programs the gold could be his.

3. Patrick he has lower BV than Hanyu, Javi and Jin in his programs but has just come off a triumphant win at 4CC and Nationals, momentum is on his side. Can he overcome his SP and put himself into a good position going into the Free? If he is clean in the Short and the Long the judges WILL give him 300+ points. He is a contender for gold.

4. Jin has no fear and has nothing to lose. I put him a bit ahead of Shoma because his massive BV. He must skate clean however or the judges will be very harsh with his PCS. One fall, and he will be out of contention for a podium placement.

5. Shoma has been a revelation to many this season. If he can put two clean programs together, he may take the bronze, but it will depend on those ahead of him making mistakes.

I agree though I think Patrick is really vulnerable still having issues with consistency and lacking big jumps. I also think the ceiling on pcs works against Patrick who should especially at 4ccs be killing pcs - even if Hanyu skated his best the 4ccs fs should score 5 pts higher than Hanyu after seeing the GPF again of Hanyu and 7 or 8 ahead of Fernandes - but Chan of course is way behind technically

Jin and Shoma are maybe the new Hanyu There is a good two years to olys and maybe what happened to Patrick will happen to Hanyu - he might just get clipped in two years. Life is about timing and Chan would have had OGM had it been a year or two earlier. There is enough time for Shomo or Jin to mature pc wise and surpass the great one - Hanyu.

 

[HanDomi]

I agree though I think Patrick is really vulnerable still having issues with consistency and lacking big jumps. I also think the ceiling on pcs works against Patrick who should especially at 4ccs be killing pcs - even if Hanyu skated his best the 4ccs fs should score 5 pts higher than Hanyu after seeing the GPF again of Hanyu and 7 or 8 ahead of Fernandes - but Chan of course is way behind technically

.

How did you came to conclusion about 5 pts diffrence ? I want to see marks listed. Chan should got higher SS slightly, but Hanyu higher transitions.


And in what way Fernandez has been the most consistent man ? He didn't skated any clean competition this season

Jin and Shoma are maybe the new Hanyu There is a good two years to olys and maybe what happened to Patrick will happen to Hanyu - he might just get clipped in two years. Life is about timing and Chan would have had OGM had it been a year or two earlier. There is enough time for Shomo or Jin to mature pc wise and surpass the great one - Hanyu.

The diffrence is that Hanyu is still upping his tech while Patrick didn't added anything over 3 years to Olys

 

[Interspectator]

http://www.rockerskating.com/news/2016/2/21/opining-on-2016-four-continents-chan-joins-the-200-club
A rather good analysis by Jackie Wong on the top 3 LPs going into World Championships.