The Crown Royal Players' Championship begins Tuesday at the Southeast Event Centre in Steinbach, Man.
The fifth and final Grand Slam of Curling event of the season features 12 of the top men's teams and 12 of the top women's teams from around the world.
We profiled the women's division Saturday. Now, let's take a look at the teams competing in the men's division.
TEAM CASPER
Lineup: Daniel Casper, Luc Violette, Ben Richardson, Aidan Oldenberg (Chaska, MN)
Casper has captured two Tier 2 titles in the Grand Slam of Curling, including the AMJ Masters this season in St. Thomas/London, Ontario. The American club will compete in Milano Cortina after winning the U.S. team trials and securing a spot through the Olympic Qualification Event.
TEAM DUNSTONE
Lineup: Matt Dunstone, Colton Lott, E.J. Harnden, Ryan Harnden (Winnipeg, MB)
Dunstone has reached three Grand Slam of Curling men's finals this season and earned his second major title in the series at the AMJ Masters. E.J. Harnden will be stepping back from full-time competitive curling at the end of the season.
TEAM EDIN
Lineup: Niklas Edin, Oskar Eriksson, Rasmus Wranå, Christoffer Sundgren (Karlstad, SWE)
Edin earned gold for an eighth time at the European Curling Championships this season. He is set to compete in his fifth consecutive Winter Olympics and has claimed a medal of every colour, winning bronze in 2014, silver in 2018 and gold in 2022.
TEAM JACOBS
Lineup: Brad Jacobs, Marc Kennedy, Brett Gallant, Ben Hebert (Calgary, AB)
Jacobs has won seven Grand Slam of Curling men's titles, including his first at the Players' Championship in 2015. All four members of the team have medalled at the Winter Olympics. The team will represent Canada at the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games, with Gallant also competing in mixed doubles with his wife, Jocelyn Peterman.
TEAM MCEWEN
Lineup: Mike McEwen, Colton Flasch, B.J. Neufeld, Dan Marsh (Saskatoon, SK)
McEwen is a three-time finalist at the Players' Championship. The Winnipeg native has done well in Manitoba in the series, winning his seventh Grand Slam of Curling title at the Elite 10 in March 2018 in his hometown and finishing runner-up at the Masters in November 2014 in Selkirk. Neufeld, who played with McEwen from 2007-18, is filling in for the event. Second Kevin Marsh is staying at home to be with his wife, who is expecting a baby.
TEAM MOUAT
Lineup: Bruce Mouat, Grant Hardie, Bobby Lammie, Hammy McMillan Jr. (Stirling, SCO)
Mouat has captured 12 Grand Slam of Curling men's titles, including back-to-back this season at the CO-OP Tour Challenge and the KIOTI GSOC Tahoe. They are the defending champions of the Crown Royal Players' Championship and also won the title in 2021 and 2022.
TEAM RETORNAZ
Lineup: Joël Retornaz, Amos Mosaner, Sebastiano Arman, Mattia Giovanella (Trentino, ITA)
Retornaz has earned four Grand Slam men's titles, including three straight during the 2023-24 season. The team will represent the home side during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games.
TEAM Y. SCHWALLER
Lineup: Yannick Schwaller (skip/third), Benoît Schwarz-van Berkel (vice skip/fourth), Sven Michel, Pablo Lachat-Couchepin (Geneva, SUI)
Schwaller scored his first career Grand Slam men's title last month at the HearingLife Canadian Open. The team will compete for Switzerland at the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games, with Schwaller also playing in mixed doubles with his wife, Briar Schwaller-Hürlimann.
TEAM SHUSTER
Lineup: John Shuster, Chris Plys, Colin Hufman, Matt Hamilton (Duluth, MN)
Shuster has made it to at least the semifinals in every event his team has played this season, including last month's HearingLife Canadian Open. It was Shuster's best result in the Grand Slam of Curling since reaching the final four of the Tour Challenge in 2015.
TEAM WADDELL
Lineup: Kyle Waddell, Mark Watt, Angus Bryce, Blair Haswell (Hamilton, SCO)
The team has qualified for the playoffs in two top-tier Grand Slam events this season and just missed the cut during last month's HearingLife Canadian Open, losing to Retornaz in a tiebreaker. Waddell will serve as the alternate for Team Mouat at the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games.
TEAM WHYTE
Lineup: Ross Whyte, Robin Brydone, Craig Waddell, Euan Kyle (Stirling, SCO)
Whyte captured his first career Grand Slam men's title last season at the Masters. The team has finished runner-up in two events in the series this season, including last month's HearingLife Canadian Open.
TEAM XU
Lineup: Xu Xiaoming, Fei Xueqing, Li Zhichao, Xu Jingtao (Beijing, CHN)
Xu will represent China at the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games after earning the final berth during the Olympic Qualification Event. The team most recently competed in the Tier 2 division of the HearingLife Canadian Open and reached the semifinals.
