Veteran skip Mike McEwen joins forces with Rylan Kleiter on new curling team

Mike McEwen of Team Saskatchewan-McEwen calls to his team during Draw 14 at the Montana's Brier in St. John's, N.L., on March 4, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Daly

SASKATOON — Veteran skip Mike McEwen’s run as a curling free agent lasted less than a week.

The 45-year-old Winnipeg resident will fill a vacancy on Rylan Kleiter’s Saskatoon-based side on a new-look Team Mike McEwen, the rink said Wednesday in a post on social media.

Kleiter will move from skip to third on a team that includes Trevor Johnson at lead and Joshua Mattern at second. Matthew Hall, who played third this season, recently announced he was leaving the team.

McEwen, who has competed at the Montana’s Brier on 10 occasions over his career, was let go from a team that included Colton Flasch, Dan Marsh and Kevin Marsh last week.

That team brought on Tyler Tardi as skip after he left a team skipped by Kevin Koe.

McEwen missed the playoffs at the Brier in St. John’s earlier this month with a 5-3 record. He has competed at the Canadian Curling Trials on four occasions and reached the final in 2017.

McEwen holds the No. 14 position in the men’s world rankings. Kleiter’s side was ranked 30th.

There have been several lineup announcements in recent days as teams look ahead to next season and the new quadrennial.

Earlier this week, Brendan Bottcher announced he was returning to the skip position on a new team with former Team Brad Gushue teammate Geoff Walker. They’ll be joined by Jacob Horgan at third and Tanner Horgan at second.

The Horgan brothers spent last season on a team with skip John Epping, who announced Wednesday that he’ll play out of Manitoba next season on a team with vice B.J. Neufeld, second Ryan Wiebe and lead Ian McMillan.

Walker will also serve as an alternate for Matt Dunstone’s team that will represent Canada at the March 27-April 4 world men’s curling championship in Ogden, Utah.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 18, 2026.

The Canadian Press