Power Rankings - W25

#BetweenTheSheets: Updated Power Rankings

Canadian Open and playdown results shake up the mountain

Camrose, Alberta welcomed in 2023 with a few historic moments...or should we say #HERstory was made in Camrose?

The third major of the curling season, the Co-op Canadian Open, tossed its final rock on Sunday when Japan's Team Fujisawa removed the monkey off their #GSOC backs and won their first slam title.

Of course #HIStory was made a few hours earlier when the newly formed Team Bottcher collected their first slam together.

Camrose brought in a sweeping change atop the podium but the more things change, the more they stay the same?

The teams atop the Power Rankings at the end of 2022, Canada's Team Einarson and Scotland's Team Mouat, also had strong showings in Camrose.

Einarson made the final. Again.

Mouat made the playoffs before succumbing to an old rival in the QF.

Neither took their feet off the top of the mountain.

But just because the #1 spot remained the same for the first Power Rankings of 2023, it does not mean the rest of the mountain was as lucky.

Welcome to the first Power Rankings of 2023.

#PowerRankings

Women

1. Team Einarson (1)

Team Einarson has now reached 6 straight GSOC finals, dating back to last season's Players' Championship. They are easily the most consistent team in the world, always qualifying and making deep playoff runs. Sure winning 2 of the 6 finals (2022 Champions Cup, 2022 Masters) might be concerning for some but really? Teams would kill for this championship final run. Heck, teams would kill just to get in a slam field.

2. Team Gim (3)

Speaking of consistency, Team Gim reached their 3rd straight slam SF in Camrose. They have qualified in 5 straight GSOC events, dating back to reaching the final of the 2022 Champions Cup. With Asian rivals Team Fujisawa now owning a slam title, is this the next best team to yet hoist a GSOC trophy?

3. Team Fujisawa (HM)

20 slam appearances. 0 finals. 4 SF. 6 QF. And coming off back-to-back missed qualifications at the previous two slams. All of that can be a distant memory for Japan's Team Fujisawa. The monkey is off the back and they are finally slam champions, going undefeated as well after qualifying from the A-side. What a season they are having. They won the inaugural Pan Continental Curling Championships and now have their first (of what should be many) GSOC titles. Is this team the world championship favourites right now?

4. Team Homan (2)

Another slam, another playoff battle with main Canadian rivals Team Einarson. Only this battle came way too early in the playoffs, with Einarson defeating Homan in the QF in Camrose. The Tracy Fleury/Rachel Homan - Kerri Einarson rivalry continues to add logs to the fire. Fleury (with her previous team) defeated Einarson in the QF en route to winning last year's Masters title. Einarson defeated Fleury in the SF at the 2022 Players' Championship. Einarson defeated Homan (her previous team) in the QF at the 2022 Champions Cup. Fleury/Homan defeated Einarson in the 2022 National final. Einarson defeated Fleury/Homan in the 2022 Tour Challenge final. Einarson defeated Fleury/Homan in the 2023 Canadian Open QF. Name a better rivalry in curling right now? And this is EXACTLY what the sport needs. A friendly rivalry between two of the best teams in the world.

5. Team Dupont (4)

The Power Rankings are having a hard time pushing the Euro champs down the mountain. You cannot fault them for not playing at a slam, we certainly know they are quite capable of hanging with any team in a GSOC field. But the Euro win is not enough to earn them qualification either. So what do you do? ICYMI, listen HERE or wherever you listen to your podcasts (Spotify, Amazon Music, Google Podcasts, ect) for the TwineTime interview with skipper Madeleine Dupont.

6. Team Wrana (NR) 

Another strong slam performance from the #NextGen Swedes. The SF result in Camrose is their 2nd SF of the slam season, having reached the same stage at the Tour Challenge. Consistency is what plagues this team at times. DNQ at The National. SF at Tour Challenge. DNQ at The Masters. SF at the Canadian Open. Once this team finds their consistency, they will be even more dangerous. Is this the best team in Sweden right now?

7. Team Ackland (NR) 

And that is how you make your GSOC debut! The Power Rankings have been high on Manitoba's Team Ackland all season, moving them on and off the mountain a few times this season. They finally qualify for a slam and reach the QF, defeating Hasselborg in the B-qualifier. And they gave Gim a run in their QF game too. This is a dangerous dark horse team heading into the Manitoba Scotties. #TeamUpset?

8. Team Jones (6) 

Speaking of the Manitoba Scotties, Team Jones prepped for the upcoming provincial championship with a QF appearance of their own in Camrose. They took the long way to get there through the #CSideGrind but they made it. We even had the much anticipated Jen Jones vs. Kaitlyn Lawes game in the C-qualifier. Too bad it was not on TV. Although with a scoreline of 8-1, maybe best it wasn't.

9. Team Hasselborg (HM) 

Playing with only 3 players and reaching the playoffs at a slam is always a tremendous accomplishment. The team originally planned to play with 4 but their alternate, Therese Westman, was sick and unable to join them. The #SwedishVikings powered on, reaching the QF through the #CSideGrind. This is a team who knows how to fight and never give up. Plus congratulations are in order as Anna Hasselborg and Agnes Knochenhauer announced they are both expecting. Anna and Agnes share the same birthday so why not share the same announcement?! Congrats to both and their families.

10. Team Grandy (NR) 

The team who qualified for the Canadian Open, in double time through their ranking but also through their Tour Challenge Tier II win, made the best of a missed opportunity. Sure they were not competing for a GSOC title in Camrose; however, they were competing for a B.C. Scotties title. And they made the most of it, winning a tightly contested extra end final against past champ Team Brown. Grandy actually lost the A-qualifier and 1 vs 2 PPG to Brown but won the game that mattered most. Grandy will now represent #TeamPacific at the 2023 Scotties in Kamloops as the home team. Heartbreak to jubilations from missing a slam you earned to compete in but winning a provincial title.

Hon. Mention: Team St-Georges, Team Lawes, Team Constantini, Team Jentsch, Team Galusha 

Men

1. Team Mouat (1) 

Another slam qualification but this time rivals Team Gushue bettered the Scottish lads in the QF. This is the second QF loss at a slam this season vs. Gushue, following up the similar result at the Tour Challenge. Is Gushue finally getting to Mouat? Qualifying for the playoffs in Camrose keeps them in the #1 spot though.

2. Team Bottcher (6) 

The games may not always be pretty. They may be low scoring. They may have some blanks. But when the end result is a "W", I don't think Team Bottcher cares. The newly formed team finally captured a slam title, an accomplishment many expected to happen this season with this lineup. They not only won the title but went undefeated in the process, qualifying via the A-side. Plus they extracted some revenge on Team Retornaz, winning the SF in Camrose after losing the SF at The Masters. They have all the momentum and confidence heading into the Alberta Tankard right now.

3. Team Retornaz (2) 

How do you follow up winning your first slam? By qualifying and reaching the SF at the next. Sure they qualified via the #CSideGrind but they got it done. And then they dominated Team Dunstone in the QF before falling in a tightly contested SF vs. Bottcher. A SF with 5 blank ends! Is Retornaz vs. Bottcher a newly formed rivalry? Watch out world. Italy's Team Retornaz is peaking at the right time heading into world championship season. Can they continue to make #HIStory?

4. Team Gushue (3) 

They bettered their world rivals Mouat once again but, also once again, fall short of the slam final. This time they lost to another main rival, Team Edin, in the SF. Poor Gushue. The Euro tag team of Mouat / Edin seems to one up him. If one doesn't get you, the other will. Although Gushue did better Edin for the 2022 National title of course (Team Edin/Eriksson earned revenge with a SF win at the Tour Challenge en route to the title). Since the 2019/2020 season, Gushue has reached the SF or better in 13 of 14 slam events. The only miss being the QF finish at the 2022 Masters. Consistency, consistency, consistency. Although now they rest and prep for the Brier, where they will try to #DefendTheIce once again.

5. Team Edin (10) 

The Return of the King! Niklas Edin is back on the ice, as a few might have expected if you follow him on IG. And what does he do in his return? Qualifies A-side at a slam and reaches another slam final. And look how he curled in the playoffs: 95% (QF vs Dropkin), 91% (SF vs. Gushue) and 82% (F vs. Bottcher). And this is after surgery and recovery folks. The curling world can rejoice as their King has returned to his throne.

6. Team Dunstone (5) 

Another slam playoff appearance is a plus for The Sheriff, qualifying B-side, but the egg the team laid in the QF is not the way they would want to make their exit. It happens in sports. Sometimes it just is not your day and your opposition outperforms you. Dunny now has the trifecta of slam results this season with a QF, SF and F appearance (we won't mention the DNQ at The Masters, right? Oops!). Can he finally snag a W? The Manitoba Tankard is coming up and you know Dunny wants that Buffalo back.

7. Team Schwaller (4) 

Make it a #3peat...as in 3 straight GSOC QF results in a row for the Swiss. And back-to-back QF losses to teams who ended up winning the title: Retornaz (Masters) and Bottcher (Canadian Open). As for the 3rd QF loss at the Tour Challenger? It was against finalist Dunstone. Maybe teams want to draw Schwaller in the playoffs. If you win, odds are good you will make the final. This is still a dangerous team heading into world championship season. They are very capable of bringing a world title home to Switzerland, which would be their first since 1992.

8. Team Dropkin (HM) 

The Young Bucks continue to show they are no #NextGen team on the rise. They are the US team of the present! And they look ready to make another run for a world title after just missing the podium last year (and winning bronze at the Pan Continental this year). Dropkin's boys reached the QF in Camrose, following up a SF run at The National and their Tour Challenge Tier II title (which technically qualified them for this slam). This team is sneaky good and still underestimated. And with Dropkin's good looks, why hasn't ESPN or SI or The Athletic started following this team? Korey is cover model material to #growthesport in the US. Think what "Break Point" on Netflix is doing for tennis right now but with curling. Just sayin'...

9. Team Asselin (NR) 

Welcome back to the Brier as #Labelleprovince Team Asselin! Asselin has been hovering around the Power Rankings mountain a few times this season, even cracking the Top 10 and/or HM section. While the "big name" teams were in Camrose, Asselin was trying to #DefendTheIce at the Quebec Tankard (Asselin was part of Team Fournier, who was awarded the Brier spot in 2022 when the competition could not be held due to COVID-19). After losing the 1 vs 2 game vs. main rival Team Roberge, Asselin gained their revenge in the final. The final was also the rubber match of the event, with Asselin defeating Roberge in the A-qualifier. Don't sleep on this team come Brier time folks. We knew they were good last year but they are even better this year.

10. Team Gauthier (NR) 

Speaking of Brier teams who could be dark horse challengers, meet the new B.C. champions Team Gauthier! Gauthier was the cream of the crop in the B.C. Tankard, qualifying A-side and knocking off previous champs Team Cotter (1 vs. 2 PPG) and Team Pierce (final) in the playoffs. Even more impressive considering skipper Jacques Gauthier was hospitalized the day before the final due to a flu bug that went around the competition. Glad to hear he is doing better...and a B.C. title is the perfect medicine to make you feel better as well I am sure. Gauthier will make his Brier debut, only a few years removed from his Canadian junior title (2020).

Hon. Mention: Team Whyte, Team Carruthers, Team Ramsfjell, Team Horgan, Team Nyman

The Power Rankings may need to take some time off between now and the next slam, Players' Championship. We now enter Playdown Season, with little to no tour events planned between now and the world championships.

The blog is not taking a hiatus though of course. There will still be fun content sliding out of the hack.

Also note the 2023 FISU World University Games are underway in Lake Placid. The curling RR started on Friday and wraps up on Wednesday, with the gold medal games scheduled for Saturday.

There are some big names stepping on the ice including: Team Purcell (Canada - Men), Team Craik (Great Britain - Men), Team Aoki (Japan- Men), Team Nygren (Sweden - Men), Team Iseli (Switzerland - Men), Team Casper (USA - Men), Team Marks (Canada - Women), Team Ha (Korea - Women), Team Han (China - Women), Team Henderson (Great Britain - Women), Team Yamamoto (Japan - Women), Team Hurlimann (Switzerland - Women) and Team Strouse (USA - Women).

Stay up to date on all the results HERE.

#StayTuned

We saw a few provincial/territorial playdowns already conclude this past weekend and more are scheduled to begin.

The blog will return for a playdown season preview VERY SOON!

Have you joined the #TwineTime facebook group yet? Come join us for up to date info, news and share your thoughts HERE.