(By Jonathan Brazeau)
The fields have been finalized for the upcoming Humpty’s Champions Cup and Princess Auto Players’ Championship at Calgary’s Markin MacPhail Centre.
Both Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling events will feature 12 of the top men’s teams and 12 of the top women’s teams from around the world. Teams earned their invitations based on the World Curling Federation’s world team rankings. In the event a team declined, the next ranked team received an invitation. Full team lineups and match schedules to be determined.
Leading the way are men’s No. 1 Team Brad Jacobs of Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., and women’s No. 1 Team Anna Hasselborg from Sweden. Jacobs and Hasselborg finished last season winning three consecutive Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling titles and captured the Pinty’s Cup as overall champions in the series.
Edmonton’s Team Brendan Bottcher is the defending men’s champion for the Princess Auto Players’ Championship and Humpty’s Champions Cup. Team Kerri Einarson of Gimli, Man., is the reigning champion on the women’s side for the Princess Auto Players’ Championship while Switzerland’s Team Silvana Tirinzoni looks to defend the women’s Humpty’s Champions Cup.
Joining Jacobs and Bottcher in the men’s division are Team Peter de Cruz of Switzerland, Regina’s Team Matt Dunstone, Team Niklas Edin of Sweden, Toronto’s Team John Epping, Winnipeg’s Team Jason Gunnlaugson, Team Brad Gushue of St. John’s, N.L., Calgary’s Team Kevin Koe, Winnipeg’s Team Mike McEwen, Team Bruce Mouat of Scotland and Team Yannick Schwaller of Switzerland.
The women’s division also features Team Tracy Fleury of East St. Paul, Man., Japan’s Team Satsuki Fujisawa, Ottawa’s Team Rachel Homan, Winnipeg’s Team Jennifer Jones, Team Min-Ji Kim of South Korea, Russia’s Team Alina Kovaleva, Scotland’s Team Eve Muirhead, Team Tabitha Peterson of the United States, and Switzerland’s Team Elena Stern.
The Humpty’s Champions Cup and Princess Auto Players’ Championship will be played under a hub city concept at WinSport’s Canada Olympic Park in April following the Scotties Tournament of Hearts, Tim Hortons Brier, Canadian mixed doubles championship and world men’s curling championship tournaments.
Although both Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling events will be closed to the public, broadcast coverage will be available via Sportsnet.
Women’s Teams
| Team (Skip) | Hometown |
|---|---|
| Kerri Einarson | Gimli, MB |
| Tracy Fleury | East St. Paul, MB |
| Satsuki Fujisawa | Kitami, JPN |
| Anna Hasselborg | Sundbyberg, SWE |
| Rachel Homan | Ottawa, ON |
| Jennifer Jones | Winnipeg, MB |
| Min-Ji Kim | Chuncheon, KOR |
| Alina Kovaleva | Saint Petersburg, RUS |
| Eve Muirhead | Stirling, SCO |
| Tabitha Peterson | Chaska, USA |
| Elena Stern | Oberwallis, SUI |
| Silvana Tirinzoni | Aarau, SUI |
Men’s Teams
| Team (Skip) | Hometown |
|---|---|
| Brendan Bottcher | Edmonton, AB |
| Peter de Cruz | Geneva, SUI |
| Matt Dunstone | Regina, SK |
| Niklas Edin | Karlstad, SWE |
| John Epping | Toronto, ON |
| Jason Gunnlaugson | Winnipeg, MB |
| Brad Gushue | St. John’s, NL |
| Brad Jacobs | Sault Ste. Marie, ON |
| Kevin Koe | Calgary, AB |
| Mike McEwen | Winnipeg, MB |
| Bruce Mouat | Stirling, SCO |
| Yannick Schwaller | Bern, SUI |
Click to read this story at the Grand Slam of Curling website