The first ticket for the GSOC Masters in Medicine Hat, Alberta, will be punched this weekend at the Okotoks Classic.

The 26-team men's tournament, now underway and running through to Sunday at the Okotoks Curling Club, is part of the new Satellite Events series, with the winner guaranteed a spot at the upcoming Grand Slam of Curling stop.

Here's a rundown of what you need to know.

What's at stake?

The winner will qualify for the GSOC Masters, Nov. 3-8, at Co-op Place in Medicine Hat. The Grand Slam of Curling event features 16 teams in the men’s and women’s divisions: the top 12 teams from the world rankings (as of Sept. 29), two sponsors' exemptions and two Satellite qualifiers.

If the winning team is in the top 12 of the world rankings by the qualification cutoff date, the Grand Slam of Curling will reallocate the Okotoks Classic qualifier berth to the highest-finishing eligible team from the event that is not in the top 12.

The Autumn Gold Curling Classic, Oct. 8-11 in Okotoks, will qualify one women's team for the GSOC Masters, while the Saville U25 Challenge, Oct. 16-19 in Edmonton, will determine the final spots in both divisions.

Teams that advance to the playoffs in Satellite Events will also earn points toward qualification for the GSOC Players' Cup, Dec. 15-20, at Slush Puppie Place in Kingston, Ontario.

What's the format?

The 26 teams will compete in a triple knockout preliminary round. Teams that lose three games during this stage are eliminated from the tournament.

Two A-qualifiers, two B-qualifiers and four C-qualifiers will advance to Sunday's playoffs.

How can I watch?

Livestreaming will be available on CurlingZone's YouTube page.

Which teams are playing in the event?

• Ballance (Okotoks, AB)
• Blandford (Vancouver, BC)
• Bottcher (Edmonton, AB)
• Bryce (Kelso, SCO)
• deConinck Smith (Fox Valley, SK)
• Dunstone (Winnipeg, MB)
• Hirata (Kitami, JPN)
• Hösli (Glarus, SUI)
• Humbke (Lacombe, AB)
• Jacques (Edmonton, AB)
• Kapp (Gröbenzell, GER)
• Koe (Calgary, AB)
• Libbus (Okotoks, AB)
• Ma (Chengdu, CHN)
• Maeda (Kitami, JPN)
• McDonald (Winnipeg, MB)
• McEwen (Saskatoon, SK)
• Moulding (Red Deer, AB)
• Parent (Calgary, AB)
• Park (Gangwon, KOR)
• Shuster (Duluth, MN)
• Tardi (Saskatoon, SK)
• Tuma (Traverse City, MI)
• Van Amsterdam (Edmonton, AB)
• Wipf (Calgary, AB)
• Zisa (Trentino, AB)

Eight teams to watch

Over the five-year history of the Okotoks Classic, only one skip has won the event more than once. Edmonton's Brendan Bottcher captured consecutive titles in 2022 and 2023, however, he returns to Okotoks with a new rink this season, playing alongside Jacob and Tanner Horgan plus Geoff Walker. Bottcher has climbed into the top 10 in the world rankings, with back-to-back semifinal finishes in Ontario tour stops at the KW Fall Classic and Stu Sells Oakville Tankard.

Mike McEwen is also a past champion, winning the Okotoks Classic in 2024. He also arrives with a new-look team, joining forces with Rylan Kleiter, Joshua Mattern and Trevor Johnson. The Saskatoon squad has two quarterfinal finishes this season at the KW Fall Classic and Edmonton's Saville Grand Prix.

Meanwhile, McEwen's former teammates Colton Flasch, Kevin Marsh and Dan Marsh have linked up with Tyler Tardi, who has returned to skipping after spending the past quadrennial with Kevin Koe (plus earning an Olympic gold medal as the alternate for Brad Jacobs). The Green Machines of Saskatoon started their tenure as quarterfinalists at Edmonton's Saville Shootout.

You also can't count out Koe, who now has Johnson Tao throwing third stones on his Calgary club after Tardi's departure. Koe also reached the quarterfinals of the Saville Shootout in his season debut.

Brier champion Matt Dunstone of Winnipeg holds the highest ranking in the event at No. 5 in the world. Dunstone started his season at the Stu Sells Oakville Tankard, but just missed the playoffs, falling to John Shuster in the C-qualifiers.

Edmonton's Evan Van Amsterdam has been on the cusp of qualifying for the Grand Slams and could cash in this weekend. Van Amsterdam, No. 15 in the world rankings, is coming off a runner-up finish at the Saville Grand Prix.

Winnipeg's Jordon McDonald is also pushing into the elite ranks. McDonald moved up to No. 16 after a run to the final at the Stu Sells Oakville Tankard.

Benny Kapp has also done well on Edmonton ice this month, claiming the Saville Shootout title and reaching the quarterfinals of the Saville Grand Prix. Will that success translate down the road in Okotoks? Kapp, who is 17th in the world, took the reins of the German club after Marc Muskatewitz stepped back during the off-season.