Maybe, just maybe, this men’s field for 2025 Skate Canada International could be the least topsy-turvy of the three so far this season on the Grand Prix Series. But then again, we are talking about the men’s competition, so really anything could happen. The steady presence has been Ilia Malinin, who won in France two weeks ago and is looking to punch his ticket to the Grand Prix Final with another win this week.
2025 Skate Canada predictions
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GOLD Ilia Malinin USA - With his win at Grand Prix de France two weeks ago, Malinin continues the win streak that started for him 22 months ago. Barring a boatload of mistakes, he’s going to take another win out of this week on his path toward the Olympics, but he’s always looking for continued progress as the season continues.
SILVER Kevin Aymoz FRA - So far, Aymoz has shown no signs of the mental blocks that he’s that the past few seasons. He won Nepela Memorial a month ago and is looking to get back on the Grand Prix podium again after two silvers last year. He looks to be the solid favorite for silver here, and it will be important for him to continue with the consistency that he’s shown this season.
BRONZE Kazuki Tomono JPN - If there’s any moment to break through for Tomono, it is the Olympic season. He’s got to have witnessed the past few weeks of his teammates’ performances and be thinking that there is a door that is wide open for him to step through. The Grand Prix has always been solid for him, but he wants to be stronger than just solid—putting down two consistent programs will be key for him as he builds his resume for the Olympic qualification process.
4. Nika Egadze GEO - Two weeks ago, Egadze said jokingly that it was the worst decision of his life to compete three weeks in a row. And so he’s back on the Grand Prix with all of one extra week of rest, so you wonder where his recovery is right now. Either way, this season has been very steady for him so far, and he comes into Saskatoon with a bronze medal from Grand Prix de France.
5. Stephen Gogolev CAN - Will the Gogolevaissance continue this week? A month ago, he won Nebelhorn Trophy with his best-ever scores. His issues the past few years have been the penchant to pop jumps, and avoiding that will be critical here. His highest career finish on the Grand Prix was seventh, and he’s got the opportunity to surpass that at home this week.
6. Tomoki Hiwatashi USA - All of a sudden a frontrunner for an Olympic spot for the US, Hiwatashi wants to repeat what he did last week in Beijing to further make his case. Two GPs in a row in very different time zones is no easy feat, and he will want to make sure he maintains some semblance of the consistency that has served him so well so far this season.
7. Nikolaj Memola ITA - After a red-hot start at Lombardia Trophy, where he posted one of the highest scores of the season so far, Memola has come back down to earth a bit in his last two competitions. This event will be important for his confidence going into the all-important Italian Nationals, and he will want to be better than where he was at Nepela Memorial a month ago, where he finished eighth.
8. Roman Sadovsky CAN - The two-time Canadian champ has put down some solid skating early this season, particularly in the free skate at Cranberry Cup, where he rallied to take gold. This will be his first time back on the Grand Prix since 2022, and his biggest competition domestically will come from Gogolev—a win over Gogolev here will do a lot in both his confidence and his standing among the Canadian men.
9. Kao Miura JPN - Changing his free skate for a second time this season, Miura has struggled, particularly with the free skate, in figuring out how his body is going to cooperate with him this season. Two weeks ago in France, he had a solid short and then fell apart dramatically in the free. Has two weeks been enough for him to regain his footing?
10. Aleksandr Selevko EST - As has become commonplace for Selevko, we’ve seen some moments of brilliance from him this season paired with bouts of inconsistency. In this competitive field, he cannot afford lapses in his jump content if he wants to get into the top eight.
11. Vladimir Samoilov POL - You can always count on huge jumps with Samoilov, but can you count on consistent programs? He finished seventh and fifth at his two Challenger Series events earlier in the season.
12. Aleksa Rakic CAN - The former Canadian silver medalist has had a good start to his season, taking seventh at Kinoshita Group Cup and then tenth at Nepela Memorial three weeks later.