Brian Orser sees a little of a young Javier Fernández in 20-year-old Boyang Jin.
"He is super talented but a bit of a loose cannon, like Javi was when he came to me (also at age 20)," Orser said. "I have to give him direction and purpose. That will come with maturity."
The new president of the Chinese Skating Association, Xue Shen, the 2010 Olympic pairs champion with husband Hongbo Zhao, approached Orser at worlds in March to discuss the possibility of his coaching Jin. The skater staggered into 19th place at worlds after winning bronze the previous two years.
"With the next Winter Olympics in Beijing, she (Shen) is shaking things up a little," Orser said. "I know it's about medals, medals, medals in Beijing."
Orser said Wednesday he has had no extended conversation with Jin since the deal was struck. They chatted briefly at a show in South Korea last month, when Orser also had the meeting with Medvedeva that led to her upcoming training move to Canada.
Although Jin is in Toronto doing choreography with Lori Nichol, Orser does not expect to work with him until mid-June. The coach is going on vacation next week and then to Japan for a Hanyu ice show.
When the Japanese Skating Federation approached Orser about having Hanyu work with him in 2012, the coach asked Fernández to sign off on the idea. Orser approached the Jin situation differently with Hanyu when they met in April at the Japanese superstar's apartment in Toronto.
"I didn't really ask [Hanyu] for permission," Orser said. "I just threw it out there to get his reaction, and I didn't really get one. I'm sure if there was an issue, I would have heard about it by now."