With the 2025 Montana’s Canadian Curling Trials quickly approaching, TSN.ca will profile one men’s team and one women’s team each day before the first rocks fly on Nov. 22 at the Scotiabank Centre in Halifax.
Team Kevin Koe
Lineup
Skip: Kevin Koe (Age 50)
Third: Tyler Tardi (27)
Second/Vice-Skip: Aaron Sluchinski (38)
Lead: Karrick Martin (36)
Alternate: Mike Libbus (47)
Coach: John Dunn
Curling Club: The Glencoe Club in Calgary
2025-26 Season
Events: 5 Record: 16-11 World Ranking: 25th
Highlights: Team Koe qualified for the final of the Masters Tier 2 on the Grand Slam circuit, but dropped the game to Minnesota’s Team Daniel Casper, 4-2. They also made the semifinal at the recent Penticton Curling Classic.
How They Qualified
Qualified via their two-year total (2023-25) on the Canadian Team Ranking System (CTRS).
Trials Schedule
Nov. 22 – Brad Jacobs
Nov. 23 – Brad Gushue
Nov. 24 – Jordon McDonald, Mike McEwen
Nov. 25 – Matt Dunstone
Nov. 26 – John Epping, Rylan Kleiter
Expert Analysis from TSN’s Russ Howard
Team Koe will have a successful week at the Canadian Curling Trials if...
“If Kevin finds the speed - both with draw weight and thinking!”
Team Story
Four-time Brier champ Kevin Koe will be the oldest player at the Montana’s Canadian Curling Trials in Halifax.
The 50-year-old skip also has the most experience at this prestigious event as this will be his sixth straight appearance.
Koe won it all back at the 2017 Trials in Ottawa, defeating Mike McEwen with a dramatic draw to the four-foot in the 10th end of the final. At the Olympics in South Korea, Koe lost the bronze-medal game to Switzerland’s Peter De Cruz, marking the first time Canada failed to medal in men’s curling at the Olympics.
Four years ago in Regina, Koe fell to Brad Jacobs, 8-3, in the semifinal. He also went 2-5 at the 2013 Olympic Trials, 4-3 in 2009 and lost the 2005 Trials semifinal to Jeff Stoughton as a member of John Morris’ rink.
Lead Karrick Martin is the only other player on Team Koe with Trials experience, playing in the last two alongside former skip Brendan Bottcher.
Once a perennial contender, Koe has taken a bit of step back in the last few years, missing the playoffs at back-to-back Briers.
The 2025-26 season has been a mixed bag for the Calgary foursome with an 0-4 performance at October’s Tour Challenge and a semifinal showing at the Penticton Curling Classic being their last two events entering the Trials.
Team Koe has yet to find their stride together as a foursome and may be in tough to reach the playoffs in Halifax if results over the past few seasons are any indication.
Games against the Brads – Jacobs and Gushue – to begin their tournament won’t make things any easier for Team Koe.
Still, Koe is one of the legends of the game and will want to go out on a high note in what could very well be his final Olympic Trials.
