Canada's best to compete for trials spot at Season of Champions opener

The Season of Champions has arrived.

Seven of the top men’s and women’s rinks from across Canada are headed to Sobeys Arena in Leduc, Alta., to compete in the Home Hardware Canada Cup from Nov. 27 to Dec. 1.

This year’s bonspiel offers competitors a major step towards the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics as the winning teams will automatically qualify for the 2021 Roar of the Rings Olympics trials set to take place in Saskatoon, Sask., from Nov. 27 to Dec. 5, 2021.

The first-place teams will receive $40,000 apiece which is a 185 per cent increase from last year's Canada Cup total purse in Estevan, Sask.

Following the $40,000 first-place prize, the runner-up will receive $25,000 with third-place getting $15,000. The winner also gets an automatic entry to the 2020 Continental Cup in London.

The tournament format in Leduc consists of a six-game round robin played over a three-day span with the top three advancing to the playoffs. The top seed heads straight to the final with the second and third seeds playing in the semifinal.

Let’s take a closer look at the team’s competing and who has the upper hand. Action starts Wednesday at 11am ET/8am PT on TSN 1/3/4, the TSN App and TSN Direct. 

 

MEN’S TEAMS

Team John Epping (Leaside Curling Club, Toronto)

Skip: John Epping Third: Ryan Fry Second: Mathew Camm Lead: Brent Laing

Season Record: 27-12

Best Results: Winners of Stu Sells Oakville Tankard and Shorty Jenkins Classic

World Ranking: 1st

The Rundown: The No. 1 ranked team on the planet – although Team Brad Jacobs is not far behind - found their groove early this season with new third Ryan Fry, picking up back-to-back wins in September. They’ve added one playoff appearance in two Grand Slam events since. The Canada Cup will be Team Epping’s toughest test yet with six games in three days against curling’s best.

 

Team Brad Jacobs (Community First Curling Centre, Sault Ste. Marie)

Skip: Brad Jacobs Third: Marc Kennedy Second: E.J. Harnden Lead: Ryan Harnden

Season Record: 28-7

Best Results: Winners of Tour Challenge (Grand Slam) and Stu Sells Toronto Tankard

World Ranking: 2nd

The Rundown: Team Jacobs won last year’s Canada Cup with this lineup as Marc Kennedy spared for Fry. Now with Kennedy on board full time, Jacobs and company are looking sharp so far in 2019-20 with three final appearances in five events played, including a pair of victories. Another Canada Cup win would give Kennedy a fifth consecutive trials appearance and a third straight for Jacobs and the Harnden brothers.

 

Team Brendan Bottcher (Saville Community Sports Centre, Edmonton)

Skip: Brendan Bottcher Third: Darren Moulding Second: Brad Thiessen Lead: Karrick Martin

Season Record: 18-7

Best Results: Winners of Ashley HomeStore Curling Classic, semifinal appearance at Tour Challenge (Grand Slam)

World Ranking: 3rd

The Rundown: The back-to-back Brier finalists are coming in hot after winning a World Curling Tour event in Penticton just two days before the start of the Canada Cup. They lost a tiebreaker to Team Koe at last year’s Canada Cup. It will be interesting to see how this young squad progresses this curling campaign.

 

Team Brad Gushue (Bally Haly Golf & Curling Club & Re/Max Centre, St. John’s)

Skip: Brad Gushue Third: Mark Nichols Second: Brett Gallant Lead: Geoff Walker

Season Record: 23-12

Best Results: Finals appearances at Masters (Grand Slam) and Tour Challenge (Grand Slam)

World Ranking: 7th

The Rundown: Team Gushue enters their sixth season as a foursome and will look for Canada Cup redemption in Leduc. Gushue and company held a 5-1 lead through six ends against Team Koe in the semifinal last year before allowing six unanswered points over the final four ends in the 7-5 loss. The 39-year-old skipper missed key shots in the 8th and 10th ends, leading to their demise.  Mark Nichols propelled this squad to a finals appearance in 2016 as Gushue was out with an injury.

 

Team Kevin Koe (The Glencoe Club, Calgary)

Skip: Kevin Koe Third: B.J. Neufeld Second: Colton Flash Lead: Ben Hebert

Season Record: 21-14

Best Results: Finals appearance at Stu Sells Toronto Tankard

World Ranking: 4th

The Rundown: This is not the time of year four-time Brier champion Kevin Koe excels. The sharpshooter usually saves his best stuff for the Canadian championship in March, but this rink is too good to not be in the mix at the Canada Cup. Team Koe lost to Team Jacobs in the final last year and will look to reclaim a top three spot in the world with a victory. Ben Hebert had something to say about the world ranking system earlier this season. 

 

Team Matt Dunstone (Regina)

Skip: Matt Dunstone Third: Braeden Moskowy Second: Catlin Schneider Lead: Dustin Kidby

Season Record: 23-13

Best Results: Winners of the Masters (Grand Slam)

World Ranking: 11th

The Rundown: Matt Dunstone has been one of the most exciting people in curling this season. At the Masters in late October, the 24-year-old, two-time Canadian junior champ was a human highlight reel all week in North Bay as he made a slew of all-world shots en route to his first career Grand Slam victory. The win punched his ticket to the Canada Cup and his Regina-based rink hopes to improve on the 1-5 showing at last year’s event in their home province. Is this the year Dunstone breaks out as a top skip in the game? Leduc will be another test.

 

Team Glenn Howard (Penetanguishene Curling Club, Penetanguishene)

Skip: Glenn Howard Third: Scott Howard Second: David Mathers Lead: Tim March

Season Record: 19-12

Best Results: Winners of Stu Sells 1824 Halifax Classic

World Ranking: 13th

The Rundown: This will be Glenn Howard’s first Canada Cup since competing in Camrose, Alta., in 2014 when he fell in the semis to Mike McEwen. The last major curling goal Howard has yet to accomplish is to wear Team Canada colours at the Olympics. This could be the last – and best – chance for the 57-year-old to accomplish the feat as qualifying for the 2021 trials down the road seems like a tough task without a surprise victory in Leduc. The Penetanguishene rink is the lowest-ranked team in the field so the father-and-son duo will need to work some curling magic to make it happen.

 

WOMEN’S TEAMS

Team Chelsea Carey (Glencoe Curling Club, Calgary)

Skip: Chelsea Carey Third: Sarah Wilkes Second: Dana Furgeson Lead: Rachel Brown

Season Record: 22-14

Best Results: Finals appearances at Booster Juice Shoot-Out and Prestige Hotels & Resorts Curling Classic

World Ranking: 8th

The Rundown: The defending Scotties Tournament of Hearts champions are having an up-and-down start to their 2019-20 season. Team Carey made the title game in their two first events, but failed to qualify for the playoffs in a pair of Grand Slams. They had a strong round robin performance at the Red Deer Classic before losing in the quarters. Which Team Carey will we get at the Canada Cup?

 

Team Casey Scheidegger (Lethbridge Curling Club, Lethbridge)

Skip: Cheryl Bernard Third: Cary-Anne McTaggart Second: Jessie Haughian Lead: Kristie Moore

Season Record: 14-10

Best Results: Finals appearances at Curlers Corner Autumn Gold Curling Classic

World Ranking: 13th

The Rundown: They’ll have “Scheidegger” on the back of their jerseys, but former Olympian Cheryl Bernard will be calling the shots. The 2010 Olympic silver medalist is filling in for the Lethbridge native at skip as Scheidegger just gave birth to her second child.

Bernard also spared for this squad at an event in Calgary in October and helped them advance to the final where they were shut out by Team Kerri Einarson, 7-0. It will be great to see Bernard back in primetime curling at the Canada Cup.

 

Team Rachel Homan (Ottawa Curling Club, Ottawa)

Skip: Rachel Homan Third: Emma Miskew Second: Joanne Courtney Lead: Lisa Weagle

Season Record: 20-8

Best Results: Winners of the Colonial Square Ladies Classic           

World Ranking: 4th

The Rundown: Team Homan will have their full lineup in Leduc as they’ve played parts of this season without either Rachel Homan or Joanne Courtney, who both gave birth to their first child this summer. After capturing an early victory in Saskatoon, Homan’s crew hasn’t been able to make the playoff round at two Grand Slam events. There’s a good chance they’ll get back on track at the Canada Cup.

 

Team Jennifer Jones (St. Vital Curling Club, Winnipeg)

Skip: Jennifer Jones Third: Kaitlyn Lawes Second: Jocelyn Peterman Lead: Dawn McEwen

Season Record: 26-13

Best Results: Winners of the Shorty Jenkins Classic

World Ranking: 6th

The Rundown: Jennifer Jones made an incredible long runback double to score three and seal her record fourth career Canada Cup title in last year’s final against Team Einarson. However, last season may be remembered by many as the first time the curling legend missed the playoffs at the Scotties. How will the Winnipegger bounce back this year?

 

Team Kerri Einarson (Gimli, Man.)

Skip: Kerri Einarson Third: Val Sweeting Second: Shannon Birchard Lead: Briane Meilleur

Season Record: 28-8

Best Results: Winner of Booster Juice Shootout and Curlers Corner Autumn Gold Curling Classic

World Ranking: 1st

The Rundown: Just like last year, Team Kerri Einarson is one of the busiest teams on the World Curling Tour. The Gimli crew already has over 30 games under their belts this season with five playoff appearances and three finals appearances, winning two of them. They even won their first 16 games to start the season. It’s already obvious last season wasn’t a fluke. This rink is an early favourite to represent the nation at the Winter Olympics in 2022 and they can take a major step in doing so by capturing the Canada Cup.

 

Team Robyn Silvernagle (North Battleford, Sask.)

Skip: Robyn Silvernagle Third: Stefanie Lawton Second: Jessie Hunkin Lead: Kara Thevenot

Season Record: 15-17

Best Results: Quarterfinal appearance at Booster Juice Shootout

World Ranking: 17th

The Rundown: Team Robyn Silvernagle surprised many by making the playoffs at last year’s Canadian championship in Sydney, N.S. The 2019-20 campaign has been a struggle so far as they sit below .500 and have only qualified for the playoffs in one of six events. The Canada Cup is a tough place to find your game so we'll have to wait and see how Team Silvernagle responds out West.

 

Team Tracy Fleury (East St. Paul, Man.)

Skip: Tracy Fleury Third: Selena Njegovan Second: Liz Fyfe Lead: Kristin MacCuish

Season Record: 37-14

Best Results: Winners of the Masters (Grand Slam), Cargill Curling Training Centre Icebreaker

World Ranking: 5th

The Rundown: Team Tracy Fleury has definitely earned their right to play at the Canada Cup. The Manitoba rink has played in a remarkable eight events, making five finals and winning two titles, including Fleury’s first Grand Slam at the Masters. Their 51 games should have them in mid-season form when they arrive in Leduc. Fleury’s squad will be the dark horse at the Canada Cup.