Pre-season predictions are always a fun exercise. If you’re wrong? Hey, pobody’s nerfect. But on the odd chance you’re right? Oh baby, let the gloating begin.
In the interest of accountability, let’s look back at our Eight Ends from the start of the season, where we examined which skips could win their first Grand Slam of Curling title during the 2025-26 season and how those predictions turned out.
Yannick Schwaller
Why we picked Schwaller: Yannick Schwaller was our top pick for 2025-26 as he had come the closest to winning a Grand Slam title without actually winning one. Schwaller had just finished runner-up at the season-ending Players’ Championship for a second time, losing to Bruce Mouat in an extra end during the final. Schwaller also fell in the 2023 final to Kevin Koe on the last shot of that game. Trailing by two points and with time running out — in typical Koe fashion, of course — Koe pulled off an insane triple takeout to score three for the win. In other words, Schwaller got Koe’d. Schwaller also made it onto our 2024-25 list and was due.
How it turned out: How about that? Schwaller captured his first Grand Slam title at the HearingLife Canadian Open in December, defeating Ross Whyte 7-4 in the men’s final. Team Schwaller went undefeated through the tournament, posting a perfect 7-0 record. Simply lovely. With that out of the way, Schwaller will be quite happy that he won’t be on this list for a third time next season.
Xenia Schwaller
Why we picked Schwaller: Yannick’s cousin Xenia Schwaller had been buzzing on tour, racking up titles all around the world. Her team got off to a great start before the AMJ Masters, the first Grand Slam event of the season, winning the Oslo Cup and AMJ Shorty Jenkins Classic. The Swiss squad hadn’t qualified for the playoffs in a Grand Slam yet, but it felt inevitable. The Broom Brothers believed in the team, too.
Our bold prediction? A double Schwaller victory.
How it turned out: Right off the bat, Schwaller qualified for the playoffs for the first time in the series at the AMJ Masters and took the next step at the following two events by reaching the semifinals at the CO-OP Tour Challenge and KIOTI GSOC Tahoe. There was just one problem: Swiss compatriot Silvana Tirinzoni, who eliminated Schwaller in all three tournaments.
Although our double Schwaller victory prediction didn’t happen, it was a double Swiss victory at the HearingLife Canadian Open as Tirinzoni took the women’s title there.
Wait, we're not done. Schwaller upended Tirinzoni at nationals to represent Switzerland at the World Women’s Curling Championship. After losing the opening game to Japan, Schwaller went on an incredible run, rattling off 11 consecutive wins to finish first in the round-robin standings. Schwaller then defeated Sweden’s Isabella Wranå in the semifinals and Canada’s Kerri Einarson in the final to capture gold.
Schwaller didn’t win her first Grand Slam title, but our prediction of big things on the horizon for her team should count for something, right?
Eun-jung Kim
Why we picked Kim: Eun-jung Kim reached four semifinals in the Grand Slam of Curling during the 2024-25 season and finished at No. 4 in the world rankings. They were the highest-ranked women's team that hadn't won a Grand Slam. The stumbling block for the 2018 Olympic silver medallists is that they kept running into Rachel Homan’s red-hot team, losing three semis to the Canadian club. Kim also lost to Homan in the 2024 Tour Challenge quarterfinals.
How it turned out: Kim qualified for the playoffs in the Grand Slams just once this season at the AMJ Masters and was eliminated in the quarterfinals, losing to fellow Korean Eun-ji Gim in a 7-0 shutout. Kim missed the playoffs at the CO-OP Tour Challenge and HearingLife Canadian Open and dropped to No. 14 in the world rankings to fall short of an invitation to the 12-team Crown Royal Players’ Championship. The “Garlic Girls” announced at the end of the season that they were breaking up, with Kim forming a new team in her hometown of Uiseong.
Sayaka Yoshimura
Why we picked Yoshimura: Yoshimura is a one-time Grand Slam finalist, finishing runner-up at the 2019 National. That might seem like a while ago, but Yoshimura had been surging, winning the Japanese Olympic Trials at the start of this season. Her team qualified for the playoffs twice during the 2024-25 Grand Slam of Curling season, but like Kim, had a bit of a Homan problem and was eliminated twice in the quarterfinals – both times off of steals.
How it turned out: Yoshimura missed the playoffs in three Grand Slams but made it to the quarterfinals at the KIOTI GSOC Tahoe and the semifinals at the HearingLife Canadian Open, losing to eventual champ Tirinzoni at the latter. Yoshimura was one of three Japanese women’s teams competing in the semis during that event, a highlight for the nation’s curling program.
Marc Muskatewitz
Why we picked Muskatewitz: Marc Muskatewitz shocked the curling world when his German team won the 2024 European championship, upsetting Scotland’s Bruce Mouat in the men’s final. Muskatewitz then made his top-tier Grand Slam debut at the KIOTI National and reached the quarterfinals. He followed that up with another quarterfinal appearance at the WFG Masters.
How it turned out: Muskatewitz missed the playoffs in the first three Grand Slam events of the season before finally qualifying at the HearingLife Canadian Open. Unfortunately, Muskatewitz faced Schwaller in the quarterfinals, so only one of our picks could go all the way that time. Muskatewitz will not be on our list next season, as he has stepped back from the men’s tour. Perhaps he’ll make our “who could win their first Rock League title” story instead?
