Six teams accept pre-qualification invitations to 2025 Scotties Tournament of Hearts and Montana’s Brier

The anticipation for next season’s Scotties Tournament of Hearts and Montana’s Brier is building, as six teams have now accepted pre-qualification invitations. This gives curling fans a clear picture of some of the top teams they can expect to see in action.

This marks the first time three men’s and three women’s teams (non-reigning champions) have pre-qualified for the Canadian women’s and men’s curling championships. In April 2023, Curling Canada updated the pre-qualification methods to include teams from the Canadian Team Rankings System (CTRS), increasing the number of pre-qualified teams from two last season to three this upcoming season.

2025 Scotties Tournament of Hearts

Manitoba will be well-represented when the 2025 Scotties Tournament of Hearts kicks off at Fort William Gardens in Thunder Bay, Ont., on Feb. 14. All three CTRS teams hail from the Keystone Province after securing the top spots in the Canadian standings.

Skip Chelsea Carey takes over Jennifer Jones’s team, which has been a proven force at the Scotties over the past couple of years. The unit from Winnipeg/Altona, Man., has earned back-to-back silver medals at the past two national championships, paving the way for the team to acquire the top CTRS spot available with 316.125 points. The team’s season included a victory at one Grand Slam of Curling (GSoC) event, the Tour Challenge Tier 1 event, and a semifinal appearance at the WFG Masters. The team capped the season with 44 wins and 29 losses.

Team Kerri Einarson’s Scotties Tournament of Hearts winning streak was halted in 2024, but the team from Gimli, Man., still amassed a 34-23 win-loss record during the season and 251.250 CTRS points to earn the second CTRS spot. Team Einarson earned two semifinal appearances on the GSoC tour, a playoff spot at the 2024 Scotties and was runner-up at the 2023 PointsBet Invitational.

Winnipeg’s Team Kaitlyn Lawes (39-31) earned 207.375 CTRS points for the third CTRS berth. Team Lawes qualified for the playoffs at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts and one GSoC event, along with playoff qualification at tour events in Dundas, Ont., and Red Deer, Alta.

Those three teams join the 2024 Scotties Tournament of Hearts champions, Team Rachel Homan (67-7) of Ottawa, which will compete as Team Canada in Thunder Bay. Team Homan’s season included winning the BKT Tires World Women’s Curling Championship, the PointsBet Invitational, Co-op Canadian Open, WFG Masters, Saville Shootout and Red Deer Curling Classic. Team Homan finished the season first in the CTRS with 498.750 points.

Full-event, weekend and weekday ticket packages are now available for the 2025 Scotties Tournament of Hearts, starting from $60. Take advantage of seeing the best of the best compete in the return of the Scotties to Thunder Bay. Click here for ticket package details.

2025 Montana’s Brier

Prospera Place in Kelowna, B.C., will be the pinnacle of curling when it hosts the 2025 Montana’s Brier starting Feb. 28. This season’s pre-qualified CTRS teams span the three prairie provinces, meaning it is a short trip due west to see some of the best men’s curling teams compete in British Columbia.

Skip Brad Jacobs takes over Brendan Bottcher’s Calgary-based team as the first pre-qualified CTRS team after earning 366.750 points. The team’s 53-21 record included a bronze-medal finish at the 2024 Montana’s Brier, two runner-up finishes at GSoC events and victories at tour events in Dundas and Okotoks, Alta.

Saskatoon’s Team Mike McEwen (58-27) went on a second-half season surge to claim the second pre-qualification berth. The team earned the silver medal at the 2024 Montana’s Brier in Regina. It kept the momentum running hot by finishing as a semifinalist during the final GSoC event of the season. Team McEwen earned 236.875 CTRS points, enough to leapfrog other contenders for pre-qualification spots.

Winnipeg’s Team Matt Dunstone (41-19) earned the final CTRS spot, with 224.250 points earned during the 2023-24 season. A victory at the Soo Curlers Fall Classic in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., highlighted the team’s season, along with a second-place finish at the PointsBet Invitational and playoff appearances at the Montana’s Brier and three GSoC events. Dunstone, who hails from nearby Kamloops, B.C, will surely enjoy a home crowd boost at the event in Kelowna.

Those three teams join the three-time reigning national champions, Canada’s Team Brad Gushue (St. John’s, N.L.). In addition to winning the 2024 Montana’s Brier, Team Gushue’s 44-16 win-loss record from last season includes a silver-medal finish at the 2024 LGT World Men’s Curling Championship, victory at the Players’ Championship and Pan Continental Championship and playoff appearances at three GSoC events. Team Gushue led the CTRS with 381.750 points.

Full-event, weekend and weekday ticket packages are now available for the 2025 Montana’s Brier, starting from $72. Click here for ticket package details.