U.S. Men 2026-27 Discussion - Of Ice and Men

[haribobo]

TOP US JR MEN SCORES 2026
(removed anyone confirmed to be skating senior)

EAST
Caleb Farrington 201
Zachary LoPinto 185
Henry Gao 183
Hitonari Tani 181
Daniel Koppel 180
Aaron Kulvatunyou 170 (164 NQS)
Solomon Bristol 170
Michael Khavin 168
Jake Mao 153

MIDS
Louis Mallane 191
Joshua Snyder 188
Marlo Rosen 185
Evan Neuhaus 177 (165 NQS)
Isaac Fulton 169
Mikhail Mokhov 156
David Zhao 154
Zenith Chen 152

PACS
Ryan William Azadpour 187 (177 NQS)
Ryedin Rudedenman 180
Kirk Haugeto 179
Nicholas Brooks 166
Brian Tokuda 149 PACS

Bold = NQS Score

 

[Sylvia]

^^^ Would it be too much trouble to indicate which are NQS scores above? (Or I could do it later since I'm trying to keep track of NQS scores.)

 

[Karen-W]

^^^ Would it be too much trouble to indicate which are NQS scores above? (Or I could do it later since I'm trying to keep track of NQS scores.)

I'm keeping track of NQS scores also. I'll post the list I have so far after this weekend's NQS comps are complete.

I really think we need to strive to separate domestic (NQS) scores from international scores because they are not equivalent.

 

[haribobo]

SENIOR MEN 2026-27
Underlined- should be confirmed byes to Nationals
The others will need one more event each, which I am sure they will get

Likely or Confirmed Byes to Nationals
Liam Kapeikis 227.02 PACS (1GP + Kinoshita, Nebelhorn)
Daniel Martynov 221.38 MIDS (1GP + Cranberry, Lombardia)
Jacob Sanchez 206.50 (4th @ Nats)
Patrick Blackwell 202.80 (2JGPs)
Lucius Kazanecki 189.29 (1GP + Kinoshita)
Ilia Malinin (1st @ Nats)
Andrew Torgashev (2nd @ Nats)
Jason Brown (2GPs)
Jimmy Ma (1GP +Nebelhorn)

NQS Scores Bolded below

MIDS
Taira Shinohara 229.69 MIDS (Lombardia)
Lorenzo Elano 202.02 MIDS
Kai Kovar 198.26 MIDS
Beck Strommer 178.29 MIDS
Anthony Mugg 171.18 MIDS
Joseph Klein 163.12 MIDS
Antonio Monaco 155.50 MIDS

PACS
Goku Endo 192.67 PACS (Asian Trophy + Nepela)
Arsen Meghavoryan 186.41 PACS
Vaclav Vasquez 174.82 PACS (173 NQS)

EAST (looking very lonely for Will right now)
Will Annis 186.02 EAST

Unclear if Lopinto, Gao, Farrington, or Haugeto are moving up to Senior this season...

 

[Sylvia]

Blackwell has to make the JGP Final in order to get a bye to Nationals in Senior (or get assigned a Senior international that conflicts with Easterns, Nov. 3-7 in Norwood, MA).

 

[Stephanie]

Blackwell mentioned in an interview that he’s planning on doing a (senior) challenger, which, combined with two JGPs, would give him a bye to nationals.

 

[haribobo]

EMS Standings as of 9/14

SENIOR MEN Top 10
Taira Shinohara 229
Liam Kapeikis 227
Lorenzo Elano 202
Arsen Meghavoryan 186
Will Annis 186
Beck Strommer 178
Vaclav Vasquez 173
Antonio Monaco 164
Collin Motley 148
Dmitri Murphy 110

JUNIOR MEN Top 10
Louis Mallane 191
Joshua Snyder 188
Marlo Rosen 185
Ryedin Rudedenman 180
Daniel Koppel 180
Ryan William Azadpour 177
Michael Khavin 168
Nicholas Brooks 166
Evan Neuhaus 165
Aaron Kulvatunyou 164

NOVICE MEN Top 10
Kyle Jiang 149
Filip Fegan 142
Noah Ryu 142
Jake Ueno 134
Alan Fang 128
Adrastos Deng 123
Kohaku Murai 121
Yixi Lin 119
Nathan Gu 116
Sava Kramarev 116

 

[Sylvia]

^^^ EMS = USFS' Event Management System in the Members Only section of their website for the 2026-27 National Qualifying Series (NQS) that determines who will compete in the 3 Sectional Championships [also called "NQS Finals"] in November 2026:

The link to USFS' 2027 SINGLES, PAIRS AND ICE DANCE QUALIFYING SEASON ATHLETE BYE & ADVANCEMENT CRITERIA [to Sectionals/Singles Finals as well as to Nationals] document is posted here: https://www.fsuniverse.net/forum/threads/usfs-2026-27-international-assignments.113994/#post-6952469

 

[spin2win]

Louis Mallane posted a clip yesterday: "First triple axel!!!"

Louie on Instagram: "First triple axel!!! 🎊🎊 - - Thank you so much everyone that helped me reach this goal of mine! And thank you to my team that helped me reach this milestone! @jjcassar @amyevidente @d2too Cindy Stuart @angela.nikodinov @laeliteice

684 likes, 99 comments - louiemskates on September 17, 2026: "First triple axel!!! 🎊🎊 - - Thank you so much everyone that helped me reach this goal of mine! And thank you to my team that helped me reach this milestone! @jjcassar @amyevidente @d2too Cindy Stuart @angela.nikodinov @laeliteice...

www.instagram.com

eta: he is still assigned to JGP Ljubljana in 2 weeks

 

[haribobo]

SENIOR MEN Top 12 (new entries in bold)
Taira Shinohara 229
Liam Kapeikis 227
Kai Kovar 219
Lorenzo Elano 202
Arsen Meghavoryan 186
Will Annis 186
Beck Strommer 178
Vaclav Vasquez 173
Antonio Monaco 164
Mitchell Friess 154
Andriy Kratyuk 148
Collin Motley 148

 

[Sylvia]

Kirk Haugeto, 17, certainly was memorable, both on and off the ice, in Ankara - today he shared the FS clip of his choreo. sequence (where he "met" the judges ), along with photos with many of his fellow USA team members, Habin Choi (bronze) & Donghan Yu, Daiya Ebihara (gold) + commentators Mark & Ted (Mark's comment: "And THANK you Kirk! Your skating oozed positive good vibes and I think we all want to try your slide now too "):

KIRK HAUGETO ⛸️💵 on Instagram: "Thank you Ankara for your amazing hospitality at the JGP Ankara 2026! Also, thank you to the amazing ice maintenance team who made the ice extra slippery for my choreo sequence 😉! Thank you @usfigureskating for sendi

555 likes, 21 comments - happy_kirk on September 21, 2026: "Thank you Ankara for your amazing hospitality at the JGP Ankara 2026! Also, thank you to the amazing ice maintenance team who made the ice extra slippery for my choreo sequence 😉! Thank you @usfigureskating for sending me to this...

www.instagram.com

Here's Kirk's 3rd place FS in Ankara (scored 127.87, pulling him up from 11th in SP to 4th overall, 188.77): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8t5XQ99LAXE

From the JGP Ankara Men's PBP thread in Kiss & Cry:

Kirk Haugeto was warming up before his SP on Thursday by doing a handstand for about 10 seconds at the side of the rink while Estonia's Vladislav Churakov was finishing his SP with spins - timestamped link (Ted & Mark even noticed during the replays ): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YdLCD79VSME&t=170s
Screenshot on X :

https://twitter.com/x/status/2100621308610466271

Sept. 8 in this thread, ICYMI:

Kirk Haugeto article by Scott Mammoser with animated photos by Robin Ritoss (Sept. 8) ahead of his return to the JGP next week in Ankara:

‘Happy’ Kirk Haugeto returning to first Junior Grand Prix since 2022 – Figure Skaters Online

Kirk hasn't had a USFS national team bio since the last time he competed (debuted) on the JGP at the age of 13 and placed 17th in Riga, Latvia:

Kirk Haugeto - National Team: Figure Skating - U.S. Figure Skating

Kirk Haugeto (46) Feb. 23, 2009 - 2026-27 SEASON NOTES SP Music: 24 Preludes, Op. 28: No 15 in D-Flat Major "Raindrop Prelude" by Frederic Chopin FS Music: "Vocea"

usfigureskating.org

Teammate Ryan Azadpour's comment in Kirk's Instagram post: "Had so much fun competing, exploring, and having fun with you Kirk! Can’t wait to see what you do next "

This is Ryan's first national team bio (JGP debut at 18 - will be 19 on Sept. 30 and recently started his freshman year at Washington University in St. Louis):

Ryan Azadpour - National Team: Figure Skating - U.S. Figure Skating

Ryan Azadpour (3) Sept. 30, 2007 - 2026-27 SEASON NOTES SP Music: "David's Writings" by Christopher Willis FS Music: Music from The Lion King by various artists IJS

usfigureskating.org

He finished 11th (172.30) and was credited with rotating both triple Axels in his programs.

 

[Sylvia]

CS Lombardia Trophy results:
5 Daniel MARTYNOV USA 223.14 ISU PB 7 (75.37) 5 (147.77) ISU PB
6 Taira SHINOHARA USA 219.14 5 (79.38) 6 (139.76) - 3 ISU PBs for him here

Last month Daniel Martynov attempted 2 different quads (first time in comp.? he was trying 2 4Ts in his FS at the end of last season) in his FS at CS Cranberry Cup -- 4T+, 4S<< fall, 3A+ = 23.06 points -- and this past weekend at CS Lombardia Trophy his first half jumps were 4T+, 4Sq fall, 3A+ = 26.01 pts. FS video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JIBcBGNs2ck

Taira Shinohara uploaded both of his CS Lombardia Trophy programs, self-choreographed (https://www.isuresults.com/bios/isufs00113180.htm), to his YT channel - SP (his first quad landed in international competition on his first attempt!): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eP9tOPa9BDI
FS: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XeN0fBZM7XM

Daniel shared "Some moments from Lombardia" today:

Daniel Martynov on Instagram: "Some moments from Lombardia"

147 likes, 4 comments - danielymartynov on September 21, 2026: "Some moments from Lombardia".

www.instagram.com

 

[Sylvia]

[ETA: I've moved my post to the International Assignments thread - link: https://www.fsuniverse.net/forum/threads/usfs-2026-27-international-assignments.113994/#post-6954075]

 

[spin2win]

nice 3A+Eu+3F+2A clip from jacob this weekend: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/9ErS_qRyne8

 

[Sylvia]

Jacob has started posting his Japan trip (CS Kinoshita Group Cup & MF Academy training visit earlier this month) travel vlog - part 1 is his departure from home & arrival in Tokyo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bE6ytldm-n8

 

[Sylvia]

Better late than never: Taira Shinohara finally uploaded his Kazakhstan vlog (CS debut at 2025 Denis Ten Memorial) from almost one year ago! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Y0mgwW_8jI

Taira's Lombardia Trophy post today:

Taira Shinohara on Instagram: "Lombardia Trophy 🇮🇹 I went to Italy to compete at a challenger series event. There were both good parts and room for improvement in my skating, but it was definitely an experience competing with these high leveled skat

227 likes, 9 comments - taira.shinohara on September 23, 2026: "Lombardia Trophy 🇮🇹 I went to Italy to compete at a challenger series event. There were both good parts and room for improvement in my skating, but it was definitely an experience competing with these high leveled skaters...

www.instagram.com

At the end he mentions "competing again in Hungary" so... CS Budapest Trophy?

 

[Sylvia]

Woke up early to watch Blackwell in the first group in Batumi and he did not disappoint:

Patrick went up high for his opening 3A on a lean and I was "oh noooo!" but he stayed upright and fell out - landed 3Lz & 3F+3T this time and got his levels, said Mark - 74.96 ISU SB 2nd.

ETA during the resurfacing break: That's 10 points higher than his 12th place SP in Xi'an with 2 jump errors and just below his ISU PB of 75.86 (JGP Baku last year when he landed all his jumps, incl. 3A, cleanly).

Henry Gao: 3F+3T, 2A with good distance, 3Lz fall argh - wonderful lines, flow and expression! He was SO SHOCKED to see his 65.36 4th place score (JGP debut SP last year was 48.66) Think that was Sergei Minaev with him in k&c.

They're currently in 3rd and 5th with 2 groups to go!

@Stephanie noticed that Kirk Haugeto's name has replaced placeholder Louis Mallane's for the JGP in Ljubljana, Slovenia next week (where Vaclav Vasquez will make his debut) and I've replied in the JGP general discussion thread: https://www.fsuniverse.net/forum/th...general-discussion.113919/page-6#post-6954477

 

[mtnskater]

Patrick Blackwell has made such improvement in his presentation and basic skating. His short program this season is quite good. Quite a compelling skater to watch. An athletic talent for sure, but I’m waiting for him to learn jump consistency. How is this learned??

Henry Gao was somewhat new to me. I think I remember him vaguely last year and I didn’t have much impression. But he has some lovely skating quality now at 15. His reaction to his score in the short after the fall was great! Better score than he expected.

Hope they both have a good free skate in Batumi!

 

[mtnskater]

Sooooo. Patrick Blackwell was really menning in the free. Where has his triple axel gone this season? Pops and other messy landings. The quad toe at the open was excellent. Props for that! I can’t help but think I’d like to see him work with Malinina/Skorniakov camp or RAF in California. He still reminds me of out of control Keegan Messing in his early career. Someone needs to really help him harness the talent and athletic ability to delivering under pressure. There is still hope….Ilia was pretty inconsistent early on.

Henry GAO is such a young budding artiste! Very much enjoyed his free program. Bright future if he can progress his jumps.

 

[haribobo]

US MEN 2026-27 Top Intl Scores

Daniel Martynov 223
Liam Kapeikis 221
Taira Shinohara 219
Jacob Sanchez 206
Jimmy Ma 205
Kai Kovar 198
Goku Endo 190
Lucius Kazanecki 189
Will Annis 175
Ryan William Azadpour 170

Next Week- Lucius K @ Trialeti

 

[Sylvia]

Paging @Allskate and any other Broussard fans out there! Copying over the exchange just now in the NQS competitions thread in the Kiss & Cry section for those without access:

I see that Lucas Broussard is listed for Sr men competition for the NQS LA Autumn!
(together with Taira Shinohara and Beck Strommer!)

2026 LA AUTUMN CLASSIC

Event Results for 2026 LA AUTUMN CLASSIC

ijs.usfigureskating.org

Before we all get TOO excited Broussard has just begun his freshman year at Stanford University so let's see if he will, in fact, show up and compete.

Yes, I know he is at Stanford but being listed is one step forward!

(He actually mentioned to someone I know that he'd like to do a NQS if his college schedule works out, so hopefully that is the case!)

Prayer circle time?

On a less happy note, Aleksandr "Sasha" Fegan is not listed in the Junior Men SP starting order at LA Autumn Classic (Kirk Haugeto is listed but he registered for this competition before he was assigned his 2nd JGP in Slovenia this week): https://ijs.usfigureskating.org/leaderboard/results/2026/36751/CAT008SEG011.html
I guess there's still a chance Fegan could have a bye to Sectionals since he's in the ISP... we'll just have to wait and see. His younger brother, Filip, is listed in Novice Men (currently #2 in the nation & the Eastern section in the NQS standings).

 

[mtnskater]

Yes @Sylvia! Prayer circle time for Broussard’s appearance at NQS!!

But sad about Aleksandr Fegan who I have enjoyed so much in past seasons. The ballet prince!

 

[Sylvia]

Currently listed in USFS' ISP - SENIOR:

Has not competed yet this season/assigned to Grand Prix:
Ilia Malinin
Andrew Torgashev
Jason Brown

14 in the current ISP have competed at least once this season (NQS Senior or club comp. or a JGP/Sr. international):
Patrick Blackwell
Goku Endo
Caleb Farrington - moving up to Senior or staying Junior?
Liam Kapeikis
Lucius Kazanecki
Kai Kovar
Jimmy Ma
Daniel Martynov
Arsen Meghavoryan
Jacob Sanchez
Emmanuel Savary - registered for Boston Open NQS this week
Jared Sedlis - registered for LA Autumn Classic this week
Taira Shinohara
Vaclav Vasquez

Not currently listed in ISP but has NQS score of 175+:
Will Annis (was invited to compete at CS Cranberry Cup)
Lorenzo Elano (has not announced anything to date via social media, AFAIK)
Beck Strommer (not competing in pairs this season after all?)

TBD:
Lucas Broussard - has registered to compete in one of the final NQS comps
Samuel Mindra - reportedly taking time off/has been coaching
Maxim Naumov - taking at least this season off?

===

JUNIOR

Eastern section:
Henry Gao
Michael Khavin
Daniel Koppel
Aaron Kulvatunyou
Zachary LoPinto
Hitonari Tani
Aleksandr Fegan (status?)
Not in ISP but has a NQS score of 150+:
Jake Mao

Midwestern section:
Zenith Chen
Isaac Fulton
Louis Mallane
Evan Neuhaus
Marlo Rosen
Josh Snyder
Mike Weng
David Zhao
Not in ISP but has a NQS score of 150+:
Daniel Liu
Mykhailo (Misha) Ivanchenko
Mikhail Mokhov
Alvin Luu

Pacific Coast section:
Ryan Azadpour
Nicholas Brooks
Kirk Haugeto
Michael Jin
Ryedin Rudedenmen
Jesse Zhong
Not in ISP but has a NQS score of 150+:
Matthew Centers (invited to compete at Cranberry Cup Int'l)

 

[Allskate]

Paging @Allskate and any other Broussard fans out there! Copying over the exchange just now in the NQS competitions thread in the Kiss & Cry section for those without access:

I know he just started college, but I don't think he would have signed up if he didn't intend to compete.

I thought it was odd that he did not compete earlier - before school started. But, maybe he didn't feel fit enough and was trying not to overdo it and injure himself again. Doing jumps in isolation in practice is not the same as doing them in a complete program.

Hopefully, he now feels ready. And, hopefully, the competition cobwebs won't be too much of a problem; it's been a long time since he competed. I'm just happy for him that he is healthy enough to be doing this. I do hope there are videos.

 

[mtnskater]

Lucius Kazanecki had a much better short at Trialeti than Kinoshita. He has really improved so much of his skating since last year. I can tell he really wants it and is working hard. He looks like he has grown taller. Maybe affected his quad toe which was very reliable last year? His spins are much better, though need more work. His Rippon triple lutz/triple toe was gorgeous. That has been a bit of a problem jump. Triple axel good too.

 

[Sylvia]

Welcome back, Lucas Broussard!!! He landed 4T, 3A & fell on 3Lz - called 'q' (landed 3Lz+3T in warmup) and skated to Poeta (his planned SP from the cursed last season) - 78.97 at LA Autumn Classic NQS (protocols link will appear here): https://ijs.usfigureskating.org/leaderboard/results/2026/36751/CAT009SEG013.html

Here's his SP from the Livestream via Blades & Banter: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lyoo-y3sye0
Coronado Productions is livestreaming for $12/day: https://www.coronadoproductions.net/live-video

ETA:

Broussard's ISU bio with last season's planned music: https://www.isuresults.com/bios/isufs00111284.htm
SP: Poeta en el Viento by Vicente Amigo
FS:
Gabriel’s Oboe (from "The Mission") by Ennio Morricone
Falls (from "The Mission") by Ennio Morricone
Vita Nostra (from "The Mission") by Ennio Morricone
Choreographer: David Wilson

I think I saw Derrick Delmore after Lucas got off the ice (just helping out, I assume?).

 

[Rukia]

Welcome back, Lucas Broussard!!! He landed 4T, 3A & fell on 3Lz (landed 3Lz+3T in warmup) and skated to Poeta (his planned SP from the cursed last season) - 78.97 at LA Autumn Classic NQS (protocols link will appear here): https://ijs.usfigureskating.org/leaderboard/results/2026/36751/CAT009SEG013.html

Here's his SP from the Livestream via Blades & Banter: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lyoo-y3sye0
Coronado Productions is livestreaming for $12/day: https://www.coronadoproductions.net/live-video

gorgeous gorgeous skating as always

 

[Allskate]

Yay for Lucas! That quad was wonderful, and he should be really pleased with how the program went, all things considered. All level 4 spins and all positive GOE except the combo. I'm sure he is kicking himself over the lutz combo. (He posted some beautiful ones on Instagram over the summer). He did look a bit tight and in his head, but that is to be expected given how long it's been since he competed. I'm sure the combo and step sequence will be better next time. I'm so happy he is healthy, skating, and competing. I can't wait to see the long program!

 

[SkateFanBerlin]

If all we get of Lucas is the occasional club competition so be it. The amount of injury this man has suffered is tragic. I enjoyed the skate very much.

 

[beckab81]

Loved the held Ina Bauer early in the program. Just happy to have him back, beautiful skating!