By Jonathan Brazeau
The top teams in Canada clash at the 2025 PointsBet Invitational, taking place from Wednesday to Sunday at Calgary's WinSport Event Centre.
With all of the teams that have already qualified for the Canadian Olympic curling trials hitting the ice, this event will serve as a test run to see who's the front-runner as we get closer to Halifax in November.
Teams tend to win in bunches, and with this event following so closely after the Grand Slam of Curling's AMJ Masters — where some teams even faced off against each other — we can gauge who holds the edge.
To see the draw schedule plus up-to-date standings and the latest results as the tournament progresses, CLICK HERE.
Here's a rundown of what you need to know for the 2025 PointsBet Invitational.
FORMAT
Previously a single-elimination knockout bracket, this year's event has a retooled format.
Both men's and women's divisions consist of 10 teams split into two pools of five for round-robin play.
If a game is tied after 10 ends, a draw-to-the-button shootout will determine the winner.
Teams receive three points for a regulation win (in 10 ends or less), two points for a shootout win and one point for a shootout loss.
The pool leaders at the end of round-robin play advance to the finals.
MEN'S DIVISION
| POOL A | POOL B |
| Team Brad Jacobs | Team Matt Dunstone |
| Team Brad Gushue | Team Mike McEwen |
| Team John Epping | Team Rylan Kleiter |
| Team Kevin Koe | Team Jordon McDonald |
| Team Calan MacIsaac | Team Sam Mooibroek |
BEST BETS
Dunstone: Coming off a Grand Slam title victory this past Sunday at the AMJ Masters, Team Matt Dunstone is the slight favourite in the men's division. The Winnipeg club defeated the likes of Team Mike McEwen in pool play and Team Brad Jacobs in the semifinals, and finished with a 6-4 extra-end victory over Scotland's Team Ross Whyte. Dunstone was one-and-done in the PointsBet Invitational last season, losing to Team Jordon McDonald, but this year's round-robin format ensures a bit of a margin for error.
Jacobs: The reigning Brier champs from Calgary are the top-ranked team in Canada and started the season with an undefeated run through the ATB Okotoks Classic. Jacobs had to grind it out through the AMJ Masters. The team finished preliminary play at 2-2 and needed a 5-2 win over McEwen in a tiebreaker to qualify for the playoffs, then a 4-3 victory over Italy's Team Joël Retornaz in the quarterfinals. Jacobs took Dunstone to the distance in the semis, losing in an extra end. We could see the rematch here in the final.
Epping: The Ontario team earned a 6-5 victory over Jacobs during pool play in the AMJ Masters and went 3-1 to qualify for the playoffs. If Epping can pull it off against Jacobs once more with such a short round-robin and no tiebreakers, that could end up being the difference-maker. Epping also has a title win this season from the AMJ Shorty Jenkins Classic.
WOMEN'S DIVISION
| POOL A | POOL B |
| Team Rachel Homan | Team Kerri Einarson |
| Team Christina Black | Team Kayla Skrlik |
| Team Kaitlyn Lawes | Team Corryn Brown |
| Team Beth Peterson | Team Kate Cameron |
| Team Myla Plett | Team Selena Sturmay |
BEST BETS
Homan: The best of the best bets. Homan successfully defended the Canadian and world titles last season, and captured two Grand Slam titles while appearing in all five finals in the series. Finishing 2024-25 with an incredible 75-8 record, the Ottawa club lost just once to a Canadian opponent. Homan went 7-0 through the AMJ Masters to claim a record-extending 18th Grand Slam title, ending with a 6-4 victory over Switzerland's Team Silvana Tirinzoni.
Einarson: That lone loss Homan sustained last year to a fellow Canadian team? That was to Team Kerri Einarson in the Tour Challenge women's final. Homan proceeded to win their next five head-to-head matchups, including the Scotties Tournament of Hearts final. Still, the four-time Scotties and five-time Grand Slam champ Einarson can handle big-game situations. Einarson went undefeated through the Saville Shootout to start the season but stumbled at the AMJ Masters, missing the playoffs with a 1-3 record. Although Pool B might seem a bit more open for the taking, Einarson holds a career 23-3 combined record against her four pool opponents, including 8-0 last season, according to CurlingZone.
Black: No longer an underdog, Black is a legit contender. The Halifax club won four tour events last season, including the Tour Challenge Tier 2, and earned bronze at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts. Black went 2-2 in the AMJ Masters and just missed the playoffs by a single point. The team will have to be perfect to upend Homan in Pool A.
