Eight Ends: Curling team changes for 2016-17
The 2016-17 curling season draws near with most of the top teams set to hit the ice in the following few weeks.
Technically the season already started a few weeks ago with the Hokkaido Bank Curling Classic in Japan. In case you missed it, it was a Canadian sweep with Calgary’s Team Chelsea Carey taking the women’s title and Team Karsten Sturmay of Edmonton winning on the men’s side. The tour season begins in full Friday with the Baden Masters in Switzerland getting underway while the Canadian kickoff takes place next week with the Oakville OCT Fall Classic in Oakville, Ont. Business will pick up fast this year with key qualification points on the line for Olympic trials.
A number of teams have undergone significant changes since they last threw rocks with some familiar faces in new places. For the season debut of Eight Ends let’s look at eight of those notable new combos:
Read More: Team Tracker — Curling lineup changes for 2016-17
1st End: Team Bottcher
Two-time Brier champ Simmons was on the hunt for a new team after his former rink split. Lead Nolan Thiessen and second Carter Rycroft stepped back from competitive curling while third John Morris already found a new team for the upcoming season (save that thought for the next end). Simmons didn’t stay on the free agent market for too long following his team’s loss in the quarterfinals of the season-ending Humpty’s Champions Cup. Less than 24 hours later Simmons had already found a new squad joining Edmonton’s Team Brendan Bottcher to play third.
Simmons’ experience is the key ingredient that has been missing from the young Bottcher squad and should give them an edge: he’s been to the Brier nine times with two appearances at the worlds including a bronze medal in 2015. Simmons has also won two Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling titles.
“We’re a team that’s trying to win a lot of the things that he’s been to and won already,” Bottcher said after making the announcement. “You can always fake it until you make it but having someone on your team who’s actually been there and can articulate that and just knows what it takes and knows how to keep everyone in check. That’s something you can’t do every day and it’s something that very few people have done.”
2nd End: Team Morris
The band is back together. Morris rejoined Team Cotter, who he played with during the 2013-14 season. The 2010 Olympic gold medallist Morris will skip the B.C. rink again while throwing third stones.
Team Morris showed a lot of promise in their lone season together finishing runner-up at both the Canadian Olympic Curling Trials and the Tim Hortons Brier. We didn’t see much of them in a Slam setting, but if they can rekindle the magic it could make them another powerhouse on tour.
The band………is back together. @TyrelGriffith @johnnymocurler @RickSawatsky #jimmycotter. #chasinggold pic.twitter.com/0g3ihKJTNK
— Rick Sawatsky (@RickSawatsky) April 25, 2016
3rd End: Team Howard
Four-time world champ Howard makes a third consecutive appearance on our annual lineup change recap. This time it’s a little bit complicated. Middaugh sustained a broken leg during a skiing accident at the start of 2016. Hart shifted back to his familiar third position for the second half of the season with Spencer playing the “super spare” role helping them win the Recharge with Milk Tankard and represent Ontario at the Tim Hortons Brier.
Middaugh is still on the IR while Spencer was unable to commit to a full tour season. Enter David Mathers, who returns to his home province after playing with Team Adam Casey in P.E.I. last season. Mathers and Scott Howard have history together representing Ontario at the 2011 Canadian Junior Curling Championship (with Mat Camm), winning the 2012 Players’ Championship (with John Epping) and capturing the Ontario men’s title in 2015 (with Mark Kean).
Young guns in the front, experience in the back. It could be the winning combo to keep them ahead of the competitive pack in Ontario.
4th End: Team Dunstone
Two-time Canadian junior champ Dunstone is moving on up to the men’s ranks for good after aging out of juniors. Dunstone made three appearances in the Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling series this past season as a spare with Team Simmons at the Meridian Canadian Open and Team Charley Thomas at the Elite 10 and Players’ Championship events. Dunstone, who was also runner-up at the Manitoba men’s provincial championship, now looks to strike on his own skipping a new squad.
Team Dunstone enter the season ranked 31st on the World Curling Tour’s Order of Merit total ranking system but if they get off to a hot start and move up a few spots they could be in the mix for a Tier 2 spot at the Tour Challenge.
2016-17 season starts now! pic.twitter.com/MhYJEsrQO7
— Team Dunstone (@TeamMDunstone) August 23, 2016
5th End: Team Clarke
The rink formerly known as Team Mary Fay had a stunning Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling series debut at the Humpty’s Champions Cup. The defending world junior champions from Nova Scotia upset reigning Scotties Tournament of Hearts winners Team Carey even though they were playing without their skip Fay, who missed the event due to exams for her high school international baccalaureate program. The team later announced Fay’s decision to walk away from curling to focus on her studies as she heads to Queen’s University with plans to attend medical school afterwards.
Clarke handled skip duties admirably during the Humpty’s Champions Cup and will remain in that role with newcomer Lloyd coming on board at third. They’ll look to defend the Canadian and world junior titles.
6th End: Team Muirhead
Muirhead won three Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling titles during the past two seasons, but missed the podium at the last two world championships and retooled at the midway point of the Olympic cycle by parting ways with not only Reid but coach David Hay as well. Gray previously skipped her own squad and finished runner-up to Muirhead at the 2016 Scottish Curling Championships.
Muirhead has also welcomed back former third Kelly Schafer, who will fill in at the start of the season for Sloan while she continues her rehabilitation from an ACL injury.
Glenn Howard makes his second appearance on this list as he joins Team Muirhead as their tactical coach. Having Howard on board is a huge win for Team Muirhead.
The team!
Delighted to have Kelly here at @KinrossCurling for a couple weeks before we kick off the season in pic.twitter.com/hW3WI1zxT1— Team Muirhead (@Team_Muirhead) August 24, 2016
7th End: Team Englot
McDonald stepped back from competitive curling and her former teammates from Winnipeg decided to stick together by bringing in Englot, a winner of seven provincial titles in Saskatchewan. Right now they’re ranked 17th on the OOM but a strong start could have them moving up quickly.
8th End: Team Lawton
Iskiw already made debut with the Saskatoon-based team at end of last season during the Humpty’s Champions Cup. Iles is a totally new addition to Team Lawton however. The 21-year-old from Edmonton won the 2015 World Junior Curling Championship playing lead for Kelsey Rocque. Team Lawton start the season 29th on the OOM but as we saw last year they will climb those ranks in no time.
Extra End: Honourable mentions
Of course we couldn’t include every change so here’s a quick rundown of some more: Sweden’s Niklas Edin has a new second. Kristian Lindstroem’s injured shoulder forced Edin to make a change and bring in Rasmus Wrana. … Winnipeg skip Jason Gunnlaugson has linked up with Dunstone’s former teammates. … Regina’s Shaun Meachem revamped his front-end with Dustin Kidby at lead and Adam Casey at second. … Mark Kean has a new third with 2010 world junior bronze medallist Jake Walker now at vice skip on his Kitchener-Waterloo based team. … Reigning Nova Scotia Scotties champion Jill Brothers added Erin Carmody at third as Sarah Murphy is expecting her first baby and will now serve as the team’s fifth. … Sweden’s Margaretha Sigfridsson picked up Cissi Ostlund, who will throw fourth stones for the team.