2014-15 Women's Curling Season Preview

Jennifer Jones's Manitoba rink is coming off a great season where they won Olympic gold in Sochi as well as the season ending Players' Championship in Sumerside, PEI. Jones should be right in the thick of things once again in 2014-15 as she retained her entire team during the off-season for another chance to represent her country at the Olympic Games four years from now. Look for Jones to be in contention at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts after missing last year's event due to Olympic commitments.

Rachel Homan's Ottawa rink will appear as Team Canada at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts for a second straight year in 2014-15. The young team defended their national title in Montreal last season with an undefeated record as Homan became the youngest skip to win back-to-back championships. They'll have a new second this time though as Alison Kreviazuk left the team and was replaced by Joanne Courtney who was a vice, sweeping lead, second and skip stones, on Valerie Sweeting's team for the past few seasons. Sweeting is one of the better female sweepers in the game and should fit in just fine with Team Homan. 

Chelsea Carey has a new team in 2014-15. Carey made the move from Manitoba to Alberta after her Winnipeg rink parted ways at season's end. Carey will team up with 23-year-old Laura Crocker and could threaten to win a few Grand Slams or even the Scotties this year. With the change of scenery, Carey will no longer have to battle the great Jennifer Jones in the provincial playdowns for the right to attend the Tournament of Hearts. Alberta is now arguably the most competitive province in women's curling with Heather Nedohin, Valerie Sweeting and Carey clashing with each other.

Val Sweeting was the most surprising rink in women's curling last season. Not only did she qualify for the Canadian Olympic Trials by winning the Pre-Trials in Kitchener, Ont., but she made it all the way to the finals of the Scotties Tournament of Hearts before losing to Rachel Homan. Sweeting did lose her best player, Joanne Courtney, to Team Homan in the off-season and replaced her with Lori Olson-Johns. It will be interesting to see if Sweeting can keep her trajectory going upwards after the departure of her vice.

Kelly Scott is entering the 2014-15 season with an entirely new rink with the hope of getting back to the top of curling world after winning back-to-back national championships in 2006 and 2007.