A look at the 16 teams set to compete at the Montana’s Canadian Curling Trials in Halifax

Canada skip Brad Gushue slows a rock during a practice session at the world curling championship on March 31, 2023 in Ottawa. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

The Montana’s Canadian Curling Trials begin Saturday and run through Nov. 30 at the Scotiabank Centre in Halifax.

The winning teams will represent Canada at the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics.

Here’s a look at the eight women’s and eight men’s teams in the field (teams in alphabetical order with athletes from skip to lead, followed by home club location):

WOMEN

Team Black

Christina Black, Jill Brothers, Jenn Baxter, Karlee Everist, Marlee Powers (Halifax)

Five-player team will be a crowd favourite in their hometown. Black enters on a high after winning the Stu Sells 1824 Halifax Classic last weekend.

Team Brown

Corryn Brown, Erin Pincott, Sarah Koltun, Samantha Fisher (Kamloops, B.C.)

Brown, who reached the final of the PointsBet Invitational this season, is up to seventh in the Canadian rankings.

Team Cameron

Kate Cameron, Briane Harris, Taylor McDonald, Mackenzie Elias (St. Adolphe, Man.)

Harris joined the team this season after her departure from Kerri Einarson’s rink. Cameron played in the third position in her two previous Trials appearances.

Team Einarson

Kerri Einarson, Val Sweeting, Shannon Birchard, Karlee Burgess (Gimli, Man.)

Einarson has won four national women’s titles as a skip and was 5-5 in her lone Trials appearance in 2021. Her rink is ranked second in Canada and 15th in the world.

Team Homan

Rachel Homan, Tracy Fleury, Emma Miskew, Sarah Wilkes (Ottawa)

The world’s top-ranked team is the heavy favourite after winning three Grand Slams this season. Homan is looking to make a third straight Olympic appearance after playing in the women’s team event in 2018 and mixed doubles in 2022.

Team Lawes

Kaitlyn Lawes, Selena Njegovan, Jocelyn Peterman, Kristin Gordon (Winnipeg)

Three-time world men’s champion Marcel Rocque is on board as coach. Peterman is aiming for a double in Italy after qualifying in mixed doubles with partner Brett Gallant.

Team Skrlik

Kayla Skrlik, Margot Flemming, Ashton Skrlik, Geri-Lynn Ramsay (Calgary)

Looking to bounce back after a tough 14-21 start to the season. The team had a breakout 2024-25 campaign that included a playoff appearance at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts.

Team Sturmay

Selena Sturmay, Danielle Schmiemann, Dezaray Hawes, Paige Papley (Edmonton)

Sturmay’s rink clinched its spot by defeating Kayla MacMillan in the third and deciding game of the pre-trials final last month. A best-of-three final will also be used at this event for the first time.

MEN

Team Dunstone

Matt Dunstone, Colton Lott, E.J. Harnden, Ryan Harnden (Winnipeg)

The top-ranked Dunstone has been on the cusp of breaking through for a while now and nearly won a major title at the Montana’s Brier last season. The Harnden brothers won Olympic gold in 2014.

Team Epping

John Epping, Jacob Horgan, Tanner Horgan, Ian McMillan (Sudbury, Ont.)

Epping, who’s up to third in the Canadian rankings, reached the semifinals at the Grand Slam’s Co-op Tour Challenge this season.

Team Gushue

Brad Gushue, Mark Nichols, Brendan Bottcher, Geoff Walker (St. John’s, N.L.)

Gushue and Nichols won the Trials in Halifax in 2005 before taking Olympic gold at the Turin Games the following year. Gushue plans to retire after this season.

Team Jacobs

Brad Jacobs, Marc Kennedy, Brett Gallant, Ben Hebert (Calgary)

The reigning national champions are loaded with big-game experience. All four players have previously been to the Olympics.

Team Kleiter

Rylan Kleiter, Joshua Mattern, Matthew Hall, Trevor Johnson (Saskatoon)

It’s the Trials debut for Kleiter and his teammates, who are all in their late 20s. They continue to gain reps at top events after playing in the Brier for the first time last March.

Team Koe

Kevin Koe, Tyler Tardi, Aaron Sluchinski, Karrick Martin (Calgary)

Koe won the Trials in 2017 but missed the podium at the 2018 Olympics. It’s the sixth straight Trials appearance for the 50-year-old skip.

Team McDonald

Jordon McDonald, Jacques Gauthier, Elias Huminicki, Cam Olafson (Winnipeg)

McDonald is the youngest skip in the field at age 22. His rink defeated Braden Calvert in the deciding game of the best-of-three pre-trials.

Team McEwen

Mike McEwen, Colton Flasch, Kevin Marsh, Dan Marsh (Saskatoon)

McEwen reached the 2017 Trials final before falling to Koe by a single point. Brent Laing, who played second for Koe that year, is the team alternate.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 21, 2025.

Gregory Strong, The Canadian Press