Opportunity knocks at the Scotties with five-time champion Homan not in the field

Team Canada skip Kerri Einarson, left, and Nova Scotia skip Christina Black shake hands after a game at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts in Kamloops, B.C., on Feb. 25, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

MISSISSAUGA — With five-time champion Rachel Homan not playing at the Canadian women’s curling championship due to Olympic preparation, the 18-team field won’t have its usual heavy favourite in the mix.

That has opened things up for the likes of Kerri Einarson, Kaitlyn Lawes, Christina Black and the other headliners at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts starting Friday at the Paramount Fine Foods Centre.

Other notable teams include Northern Ontario’s Krista Scharf, Saskatchewan’s Jolene Campbell, Alberta’s Selena Sturmay and British Columbia’s Taylor Reese-Hansen.

“I think it’ll be really interesting to see who comes out at the end because I think that you could pick a name out of a hat,” said Manitoba vice Beth Peterson.

Homan will miss a chance at a three-peat as she instead gets ready for the upcoming Milan Cortina Games in Italy. Einarson, a four-time champion and 2025 finalist from Gimli, Man., will wear Canada colours instead.

Black, from Halifax, and Calgary’s Kayla Skrlik earned pre-qualification berths while Lawes claimed Einarson’s vacated spot. Lawes, from Winnipeg, dropped the Manitoba final to Peterson’s side, now skipped by Kelsey Calvert.

Black, a semifinalist last year, comes in on a high after beating Einarson to reach the Olympic Trials final for the first time.

“We’re still feeling like we’re still playing really well and throwing well,” Black said. “We’ve had those big games under our belt already this season from the Trials and from other events.”

Lawes second Jocelyn Peterman won’t be in the lineup as she’s preparing to play mixed doubles with Brett Gallant at the Winter Games. Laura Walker, who has played as a substitute for the team throughout the quadrennial, will replace her in the lineup.

Calvert earned the Manitoba berth with a 9-7 win over Lawes in the provincial final. Lawes had a chance to win but ticked a guard with her final throw and tapped an opposing stone to the button.

Despite the loss, Lawes - a two-time Olympic champion - squeaked in for the vacated pre-qualification berth by less than a quarter point over fifth-ranked Serena Gray-Withers of Alberta. The Canadian Team Ranking System list was used as the decider.

“It’s been a bit of a wild ride for us as Team Lawes in our journey to the Scotties,” Walker said. “We just feel very fortunate to have the opportunity to go by such a small margin.

“We’re excited, and we want to make the most of it because we do feel very lucky to be there.”

Other entries include New Brunswick’s Melodie Forsythe, Mackenzie Mitchell of Newfoundland and Labrador, Nicky Kaufman of the Northwest Territories, Nova Scotia’s Taylour Stevens, Nunavut’s Julia Weagle, Ontario’s Hailey Armstrong, Prince Edward Island’s Amanda Power, Quebec’s Jolianne Fortin and Yukon’s Bayly Scoffin.

Teams are split into nine-team pools. The top three teams in each pool at the end of round-robin play will advance to the playoffs.

The first-place team from Pool A will meet the second-place team from Pool B in the first round.

The winners will go to the Page playoff 1-2 game, while the losing teams meet the third-place finishers from pool play. The winners of those games will advance to the Page 3-4 game.

The 1-2 winner will advance to the final on Feb. 1, while the 1-2 loser plays the 3-4 winner in the semifinal.

The winning team will represent Canada at the March 14-22 world women’s curling championship in Calgary.

The Canadian men’s curling championship - the Montana’s Brier - will be played Feb. 27-March 8 in St. John’s, N.L. The Calgary-based team skipped by Brad Jacobs beat Winnipeg’s Matt Dunstone in the 2025 final.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 22, 2026.

Gregory Strong, The Canadian Press