Meet the team: Here is who is representing Sask. at this year’s Scotties

It’s been 15 years since Saskatchewan last won the Scotties, and skip Jolene Campbell looks to bring home the title to the province. Donovan Maess has more

The 2026 Bunge Pinnacle Provincial champion Team Campbell will be repping the green jackets for this year’s Scotties Tournament of Hearts in Mississauga, Ont.

Led by skip Jolene Campbell, the team earned their berth to this year’s Scotties by defeating fellow Regina curler Jana Tisdale in the provincial final on Jan. 11.

Campbell says the Pinnacle win has finally set in, nine days after lifting the trophy.

“Robyn [Silvernagle] and I practiced Sunday and it finally felt real,” she told CTV News Tuesday.

The team curls out of Regina’s Highland Curling Club. Campbell is joined by third Robyn Silvernagle, second Rachel Big Eagle and lead Dayna Demmans.

Callan Hamon has been added as an alternate and they are coached by Ben Gamble.

“It’s been a lot. We haven’t had a lot of time to enjoy it,” Campbell admitted. “It’s been a lot of planning, preparation and practice.”

“We’re all really excited to get to the airport [Wednesday], take a breath and really let it soak in,” she added.

The skipper

It is Campbell’s second provincial title as a skip after winning the 2016 Pinnacle, but her sixth Scotties after making three previous appearances as an alternate with Amber Holland.

Campbell was also the third for Chelsea Carey’s rink in 2022 as a wild card team.

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“It’s been incredibly rewarding,” Campbell said about this year’s season. “For a while there [you think], ‘Maybe it’s kind of not in the cards.’ You get back in that [provincial] final game and you can’t quite grind it out and you’re doing all the right things.”

“But everybody’s really good. And so this one feels pretty special,” she added.

Saskatchewan has not won a Scotties since 2011, when Amber Holland’s rink took home the crown in P.E.I.

Campbell was a part of the team, serving as the alternate.

“It was just such a great group,” she recalled. “I had been with Amber and the girls for a while. The year before, we maybe had just missed playoffs.”

She also remembers the win vividly.

“Seeing what a huge difference, even just one [year] of experience makes out a Scotties,” Campbell added. “It’s a long week and you learn it doesn’t take a lot. It’s just being consistent throughout the week, getting in that final game and then you just catch a couple breaks for it to go your way.”

The skipper says her current team has many similarities with Holland’s rink which won 15 years ago.

“We have a lot of fun. We really enjoy one another. We have quite a bit of experience,” Campbell said. “Robyn, Rachel and I have all been there before, so we kind of have that in common with them.”

“We know what to expect and we’ll just enjoy it I think the same way they did. That’s really how that team approached it; they were really united and they just really enjoyed being out there together,” she added.

Silvernagle takes on new role

Silvernagle has three previous Scotties appearances in 2019, 2020 and on home soil in Moose Jaw in 2023.

However, for each of those Scotties, she was the skip, taking on a different role as third when she joined Team Campbell at the beginning of last season.

“That team in ’23, we just threw together a good week at provincials,” Silvernagle said. “This team, we’ve put in a lot of work, done the practicing, played a lot of games, worked a lot with our sports psychologist.”

“We have every base covered. So I think this team has the potential to go all the way,” she added.

In 2023, Silvernagle tied a Scotties Tournament of Hearts record – scoring a 7-ender against Nunavut.

The now vice-skip says the experience of dealing with the ice conditions and outside noise is handy.

“Mentality is huge: how you take in everything from the crowd, you don’t get to play all season with crowds out on the ice,” Silvernagle explained. “It’s really embracing that, using it to your advantage and not letting it bother you.”

“Things out of your control and how you react to them is really big,” she added.

Out of the bubble

Second Rachel Big Eagle, formerly Erickson, is ready to finally play in front of fans at a Scotties.

“I haven’t worn green since juniors,” she said. “The Scotties is the stage everyone dreams of, so to get there is really special and to do it with this team is amazing.”

“[It’s] my first time with fans, too. The first two were both Covid,” Big Eagle joked.

Big Eagle has attended the national women’s curling championships twice in 2021 and 2022, both as an alternate.

In 2021, she was a part of Mackenzie Zacharias’ rink. Then in 2022, she was also with Chelsea Carey’s team with Campbell.

“It honestly doesn’t feel real yet,” Big Eagle said, “Once we get there and hit the practice ice, that’s when things will really set in. But yeah, we’re over the moon.”

The second added that carrying the momentum from provincials earlier this month will be key, and easier considering the quick turnaround.

“It really works for us, we all love the game, we love each other as teammates,” Big Eagle said. “We know the reasons we’re out there and we’re just going to see what we can do.”

Big Eagle is hopeful familiarity and chemistry will take them to a potential national championship.

“This is Jo and I’s fifth season together,” Big Eagle added. “We’ve put some time in together and it’s nice to see all that hard work pay off over the years. Dana and Robyn have been two amazing additions.”

The rookie

On the front end of Team Campbell is lead Dayna Demmans.

Like Silvernagle, Demmans joined the rink prior to last season.

After winning the Pinnacle this year, she will be making her first ever appearance at the Scotties.

“It’s been a few decades in the making. I’ve been close many times,” Demmans said. “We just have a lot of collective experience. We feel pretty comfortable with each other, too. We’ve individually played amongst each other over the years, so it doesn’t even really feel like a new team.”

Demmans said wearing a green jacket on Canada’s highest curling stage under the brightest of lights is, “surreal.”

“I just want to get to the rink and slide out in the arena, get comfortable and then also have all our fans in green there,” she said with a smile. “Sliding over those hearts for the first time is something I’ve definitely envisioned a lot over the years.”

Feeling the support

On Tuesday night, ahead of the team’s departure for Ontario, the Highland Curling Club held a send off for Team Saskatchewan.

“Jolene’s been a part of and around the club for a long time,” Highland general manager Brad Hebert said. “She won back in 2016, so it’s been 10 years since she won her last [provincials]. This team she’s brought together now has really come together, melded well and curls exceptionally well.”

The team says the love is not coming only from the local club as friends, family, former teammates and fans have been reaching out with messages of support.

“It reminds you of why you’re there and what you’re playing for,” Campbell said. “We definitely want to enjoy the moment with [our families] as much as we want to enjoy it together and for ourselves.”

“The support is amazing. Saskatchewan’s amazing in general,” added Silvernagle. “They’re all behind us and rooting for us all week.”

“Everyone’s extra excited, which is great,” Big Eagle said. “We’re all from different little towns and the support we’ve received from them, too, is huge.”

“People I curled with back in high school are messaging,” Demmans laughed. “The whole province alone has been so supportive.”

At the Highland, fans are hopeful they’ll need to schedule a party to celebrate when it is all done.

“We’ll have watch parties going on here cheering them on,” Hebert said. “They’ll have all the support as possible, certainly from Highland.”

The 2026 Scotties Tournament of Hearts runs Jan. 23 to Feb. 1, 2026 in Mississauga, Ont.

Team Campbell begins their tournament Saturday night against the provincial champions from Nova Scotia – Team Stevens.

For the full draw schedule and list of teams, click here.