#BetweenTheSheets: Men's Season Preview
Hot Topics, #TeamUpset, #PowerRankings and Predictions
This should be a very interesting season of men's curling.
From ongoing questions of parity to sports betting to new teams to what is old remains new...there are quite a few storylines to keep your eyes peeled (again?!) this year.
The women's season preview was released yesterday.
As they say inside Chippendales, "Bring on the men!"
For consistency, lets go with the same preview format.
Bring the heat with some Hot Topics, wave the flag for potential #TeamUpset challengers, reveal the pre-season Power Rankings and close it off with some light predictions.
#HotTopics
Online Sports Betting - Do We Need A Policy?
Last season's men's preview included a Hot Topic discussion around Fantasy Sports vs. Online Betting. If you want a refresher on the discussion, check out the post HERE.
I think this discussion is still worth having and we have really seen little to no traction on the addition of curling fantasy sports options. Considering every major sport has a fantasy option nowadays, curling continues to lag behind. And, in doing so, continues to make the sport feel more "amateur" than "professional".
Of course we have seen an influx in online sports betting for the sport.
PointsBet. CoolBet. Sports Interaction. Pinnacle.
There are many options available for those who want to throw down some money and wager on major curling events like the Brier and Scotties.
In fact we see some of these companies becoming curling sponsors as well. From sponsoring teams to events to becoming Curling Canada partners, the door is now open.
And while I am more of a fantasy sports guy than an online sports betting guy, I can still appreciate the value add in allowing sports betting to amp up interest in the sport.
If those companies offering online curling bets also happen to give back to the sport, call it a double win, no?
But when do we start asking about the policies around athletes gambling?
Look, we know curling athletes participate in online sports betting. From NFL to MLB to NHL to Golf to NBA to curling?
This may be an ugly topic of discussion to have but it might be one we need to start having.
Let us just take a look south of the border with the NCAA investigation into athletes at the University of Iowa and Iowa State University.
Oh you have not heard about this blockbuster investigation? HERE is a quick article to get you caught up from ESPN.
This is a HUGE problem on college campuses. And this is not new.
I was a student at an American university well-known for their athletics programs. To say students are not online sports betting is just being ignorant to the issue. It is happening.
But now what is being exposed is student athletes betting on sports in deceptive ways to try and get around the NCAA policies against online sports betting.
And, in some cases, these student athletes are betting on their own sport. Some betting on games they even PLAYED in.
Now I don't think we are at the level of match fixing, which we have seen become a hot topic issue for the sport of tennis over the years.
But athletes betting on their own sport? On their own games?
Outside of the value and ethics principle of being an inside source and having an advantage over the "common public" in betting, this is a scary slippery slope.
Curling Canada has worked hard on developing some great policies and procedures for athletes and coaches.
The next policy they might want to consider investing in is an online sports betting policy for athletes and coaches.
Should a curling athlete be allowed to bet on the Brier? Does it matter if they are competing in the event or not?
And, if allowed, could it eventually lead to match fixing? Tennis would have said no decades ago and now look where they are.
Maybe this is not a Curling Canada policy either. Maybe this should be a topic for the World Curling Federation as the sport is global and so is online sports betting opportunities.
I do not want to put a "doomsday device" in the hands of anyone and assume this would happen. I want to believe in the integrity and values and ethics of our athletes and coaches but....
Can we not assume every other sport who has faced this discussion also said the EXACT same sentence I just typed above? It takes one bad banana to destroy the bunch.
And we know the old saying: "Money makes the world go 'round"
I am not saying put a stop to offering online sports betting in curling. I am not calling out any athletes or coaches. And I am not calling out any company who provides a portal for online sports betting.
What I am saying is maybe we need to take a lesson from our neighbours to the south and from a few other sports around the world and rather than wait for a #HotTopic issue to hit our ice, get in front of it and go public with a policy outlining what is and is not allowed for our athletes and coaches.
We have polices regarding Discrimination & Harassment, Residency, Free Agency, Drug Usage. Should we not have a similar policy on Sports Betting?
Especially with companies becoming sponsors and partners with the sport?
If CoolBet or PointsBet or whomever can have a seat at the table or on the media bench or wherever, we should probably look into protecting the integrity of the sport and outline what those within the sport should or should not be allowed to do with their online sports betting profiles.
Is it a clear "no online sports betting allowed" policy similar to the NCAA for student athletes?
Is it a "no betting on curling" policy?
And, if enacted, how do we enforce it? How do we avoid curling becoming an ESPN or TSN story like what is happening with Iowa and Iowa State?
This may not be a #HotTopic discussion popular with many of you reading this. And you may disagree completely in thinking I am just trying to add kindling to a non-existent fire.
But if we think those within the sport are not participating in online sports betting in curling, who is the one being delusional?
Parity Returns To The Arena?
Men's sports seem to go through this discussion of lack of parity every few years.
Tennis had the Big 3.
NHL has had dynasties. As has the NBA.
The Yankees in MLB (minus this year).
The Pats in NFL.
The BlueBombers right now in the CFL even.
We see these teams or handful of players pull away from the pack and dominate a sport for a set number of years.
Sometimes it is exciting to watch these teams/athletes chase and break records and dominate.
And sometimes it gets stale. Predictable. Boring.
Is this the risk men's curling is having right now?
Last year in this preview I discussed this topic naming Gushue, Koe, Bottcher as the Big 3 in Canada.
Add in Edin and Mouat internationally and you generally have your Top 5 teams in the world on a consistent basis.
We love those teams. We love the athletes on those teams. But do the eyes start drifting away from the sport when every #gsoc playoff weekend and/or world championship remains the same 3 - 5 teams competing for the title?
Could this be the season we see parity knock on the arena door and force its way back in?
Matt Dunstone wants you to think that.
So does Joel Retornaz.
Both are making moves up the rankings entering this season, sitting #5 (Retoranz) and #6 (Dunstone).
What about The Young Bucks from USA? Korey Dropkin wants to see his name included in the "big boys" name grouping.
As does Yannick Schwaller and Ross Whyte.
Say hello to Karsten Sturmay and Aaron Sluchinski. Hello Ryan Wiebe and Kelly Knapp.
These are all teams sitting in or near the Top 20 heading into the season.
This could be the Olympic cycle where we see a changing of the guard.
Yes Gushue (#1), Mouat (#2), Edin (#3) and Bottcher (#4) remain at the top of the pyramid but is this the season we see one or two or all four slip up and not finish in the Top 5 by season end?
Attending a few events last season and talking to curling fans all year, many feel the Big 5 dominate the men's game and the results are becoming too predictable.
Again, not a knock against those teams. In fact, many of those same fans are actually big fans of those same teams.
But sport is also built on new names emerging. Upsets developing. Juniors upcoming.
Last year laid a preliminary foundation for the possible return of parity in men's curling around the world.
Is this season, the first season of the Olympic cycle, going to be the one that turns the rock on its head and flips the script?
We know the Big 5 will continue to be there.
If change is going to happen, those teams named above and others will need to step up their game and make it happen.
As the rock turns...
New Faces, Fresh Results?
Similar to the women's preview, we need to discuss a few of these new look teams for this season.
Mike McEwen and Colton Flasch are now together.
Reid Carruthers and Brad Jacobs will be official for the season after a "try out" last year.
Catlin Schneider is curling out of B.C. with the former Team Gauthier boys.
Team Horgan replaced 50% of their lineup from last season.
Kevin Koe and John Epping have slight tweaks made as well in adding Jacques Gauthier and Jason Camm respectfully.
The question now becomes which of these teams survive the season together? Not all of them will make it folks.
Hmmm, maybe that should be the next prop bet for online sports betting? 😜
Team Koe and Team Epping should be fine.
Schneider will have to navigate a return to skipping, something he has not done since his playing days at the University of Regina.
And curling fans will have close eyes on the personality matches between McEwen/Flasch and Carruthers/Jacobs.
Skill and ability to perform will not be what makes or breaks new look teams.
Getting along and personality "gelling" will be the ultimate deciding factor here.
Who can play nice in the sandbox with new friends? Time will tell...
Nation Surprise?
Which nation will be this year's Turkey? Or this year's New Zealand? Or this year's Guyana?
Turkey made their world championship debut.
New Zealand returned to the world championship ice after a long delay.
Guyana survived a Pan Continental B-Division and will compete in the A-Division in 2023.
Which nation wants to be next to surprise the curling world and earn a new set of fans cheering them on?
We have seen this in the past with nations coming on the scene and making noise.
Remember Finland going from non-competitive in the 80's to a regular mainstay at the world championship in the 90's and 2000's to now struggling to return to top division glory?
What about Denmark? World championship silver medal in 2016 to only two world championship appearances since. At one time they were competing in the Euro C-Division after that silver medal.
Australia has not been at a world championship since 2008, a drought actually longer than their Oceania rivals New Zealand who ended their own drought last season.
Pre-2012, Russia was nowhere on the curling scene. Then they developed and became a regular fixture as well. Present world events not withstanding of course.
Similar story for South Korea. Sporadic one off world championship appearances prior to 2018 and now a regular world championship challenger.
This is what we love about a global sport. Seeing new nations emerge and compete their way onto the world championship stage.
Turkey tasted it last year. We should see similar from them this year.
New Zealand got back, led by their own Kiwi young buck Anton Hood. Don't undersell them, especially with their new move to Calgary to train, compete and improve. The new fresh young face of curling could be from New Zealand?!
And the tiny South American nation of Guyana surprised the world with their PCC B-Division gold and will test their might against the best Pan Continental nations this October.
Who. Is. Next?
Australia? Chinese Taipei?
Spain? Latvia? France? Ireland?
Keep your eyes on those continental B-Division championships just as much as those A-Division events folks. You never know when a surprise challenger will emerge and have you cheering for them in a year or two at a world championship.
You know you were all cheering for Turkey and New Zealand last year, right?
#TeamUpset
Similar to the women's preview and as a reminder, for a team to earn #TeamUpset consideration, they need to be ranking outside the Top 20 to start the season.
Last season the blog identified Team Asselin, Team Sturmay, Team Kleiter, Team Jeong and Team Purcell as the teams to watch.
Looking back? I would chalk those predictions as pretty solid and accurate.
Here are 5 teams with #TeamUpset potential for the 2023/24 season:
1. Team Knapp (Saskatchewan, #23)
The Sasky Champs are here...and this could be the year to continue a rise in their ranking.
Saskatchewan is wide open right now but with Knapp finally getting over the hump last year to secure his green jacket, I do not think he is going to be willing to give it up this year.
And the jury is still out on how Mr. McEwen and Mr. Flasch will get along.
This is a very strong team, as we saw in their performance at the Brier. Give them another year, similar to last, and put them back on the Brier stage and watch out.
They went 37-15 last season and won 4 tour events.
Add in the confidence they now have in themselves knowing they are the Top Prairie Dogs and they just became a dangerous dark horse team.
Bit disappointed they did not make the cut for the PointsBet Invitational as I believe they deserve to be there competing but hopefully even that small blip can be used as a motivating force for this strong Sasky team.
2. Team Schneider (B.C., #28)
From Sask to B.C. via a Sasky guy?
Catlin Schneider seems to feel blue is more his colour and has left the green Saskatchewan landscape for the blue waters of British Columbia.
Hmmm, didn't we see something similar out of another former Sasky champ moving (but not curling) out of Saskatchewan? And a former teammate of Schneider's too...
The B.C. waters are calling apparently.
As did the former members of Team Gauthier, who watched their skip get pouched by his cousin to head to Alberta after a debut Brier appearance.
Schneider will have all eyes on him this season. How does he handle the pressure of running the show now? As mentioned above, he has not done so since his university playing days.
We know he can put up the big numbers as a third. He is a previous Brier All-Star after all.
But skip shots and skip pressure is much, much different. Ask former teammate Colton Flasch.
He has a strong core of young bucks around him. And their familiarity with one another can be a helpful advantage to the new skip.
Plus B.C. is wide open for the men's game. And this team is, by majority, the defending B.C. champs.
Pressure is on Mr. Schneider. Lets see what you are made of.
3. Team Hartung (Saskatchewan, #37)
I guess my Sasky green is showing. But hear me out.
If Knapp succumbs to the sophomore slump, something that happens to the best of teams in sports.
And McEwen/Flasch become not a Flash of Success on Ice.
Who do you think is going to be the big winner? A dark horse team out of Saskatoon, that's who!
Kody Hartung has been knocking on the Green Jacket door for a few seasons. And there is reason to believe this is the season the door finally opens.
Hartung had a struggle season last year, going 24-27 overall. However, they did win a tour event and reached the SF at the Tour Challenge Tier II so the potential is there.
This is a team who maybe is their own greatest weakness. Are they putting too much pressure on themselves? Are they seeing the opportunity is there but wilting under the pressure?
Maybe this is a great Matt Dunstone-esque example of a team who needs more assistance on sports psychology than sports technicality. Who knows? Only they know the answers as long as they are asking the right questions.
This is a team capable of challenging from a Tier II level again this season and working their way towards a Top 20 end of season ranking.
Look we cannot expect a team to go from hovering around Top 40 to Top 10 in one season. The ranking system just doesn't really allow that (impressed the blog refrained from rankings talk during these entire preview posts btw?!?).
BUT, this is a team capable of going from #37 to around Top 15. A twenty-place ranking improvement in one season would be HUGE.
Plus, we see you Brady Scharback. With his Olympic champ girlfriend being much closer to him than before, that could be a wildcard for the mental game.
4. Team Karagoz (Turkey, #58)
As mentioned above, last season was the breakout year for the Turkish men's team. Team Karagoz survived a tough Euro field to qualify for their first world championship.
They not only qualified but they actually finished 6th in the Euro A-Division with a 4-5 record, including wins over Czech Republic, Germany and Denmark.
They made more #HIStory at the world championships, picking up not 1 but 2 wins over New Zealand and South Korea to finish 11th overall with a 2-10 record. Another first for Turkey.
Turkey has been the fastest growing curling nation in the world the past few seasons. We saw the women's team make #HERstory. The men's team followed.
But what can they do next?
Last season on tour, Karagoz won a tour event in Belgium. The team finished runner-up at a world championship tune-up event in St. Catharines.
And while they may not earn strong ranking points for those results, they are making moves, improving and gaining confidence.
Last year they started the season ranked #88. They start this season ranked #58. A thirty-spot improvement in one season folks.
If they shoot up another twenty spots even this season, they crack the Top 40. Another thirty spots, the Top 30.
Keep your eyes on this developing Euro nation rock heads. I don't think we have heard the last of their success story.
Bring on Chapter 2!
5. Team Park (South Korea, #75)
Speaking of a developing success story, introducing Team Park from South Korea.
Remember last season the blog mentioned to watch out for Team Jeong. They finished 4th at the 2022 PCCC and representing Korea at the world championships.
Well the 2023/24 watch out team from Korea could be Team Park.
They already started their season with a #TeamUpset result, winning the Korean championships in June, besting defending champs Team Jeong in the final and eliminating 5-time Korean champ Kim Soo-hyuk in Round 2 of the competition.
You may not be familiar with the name Park Jong-duk but he should not be a new name to curling fans.
He curled with Kim in the past at second position, winning a Pacific-Asia title in 2015 and representing Korea at the 2016 world championship.
His 2023 Korean title is actually his 5th national title...but 1st as a skip!
And there lies the difference for the 37 year old from Gangwon Province.
This will be his first season as a skip. But, in his first season, he already won a national title. Experience pays off, yes?
The question will be how he rises the occasion of leading his Korean champions into major competitions like the 2023 Pan Continental and, if they qualify (which they should), the 2024 world championship.
Team Jeong struggled at the world championships last season. Team Park will want to right the ship and show Korean men's curling can be just as strong of a contender as their female national counterparts.
And this team is not new folks. Last season Park was vice and Jeong Yeong-seok was skip. They just switched positions for this season.
Last season they finished 2nd at the Korean championships. This year they improved to take home gold.
They even competed at a tour event in Swift Current last season, finishing 3rd behind winners Team Edin and runner-up Team Koe. And to qualify for the playoff bracket, they knocked off a few well-known Canadian teams like Calvert, Manners and Laycock.
With winning the Korean championship this year, we should expect to see them at more tour events with increased funding support behind them. Do not underestimate them.
#PowerRankings
1. Team Mouat (Scotland)
Last season the blog started with Bruce Mouat at the #1 spot, predicting them to win the world championship.
Well, that turned out to be a fairly accurate prediction.
They may not be ranked #1 in the world (ranking system?!!?) but they are the world champions.
And the world champs are starting atop the pre-season Power Rankings for the second year in a row.
When this team is on top of their game, they are the best in the business.
But now the target is on their back. They are the team everyone wants to defeat.
And that pressure can get to you sometimes. The test will be how they respond to being world champs.
Oh, and keeping Bobby Lammie from injury. #BubbleBobby
2. Team Gushue (Newfoundland & Labrador)
Brad Gushue remains the face that runs the place for Canadian curling.
He is loved by curling fans. He continues to showcase his talents on the ice.
And last year we saw a new side to Mr. Gushue: Emotion.
Could this be the difference maker this season?
Gushue was overcome with emotion over failing to win a world championship and well some toxic masculinity people around the world would call this weak, those who know call this respect and passion.
It was a side of Brad Gushue we do not see very often. Sometimes Gushue is referred to as robotic on the ice. And, with the ease he has in collecting victories, it can be robotic. And that is not a bad thing from a competitive standpoint.
But now seeing how much winning the world title means to him right now, at this stage of his career, there is the true motivating factor.
And that could make Gushue even more dangerous.
3. Team Dunstone (Manitoba)
Speaking of emotion, while Brad Gushue does not show it often, Matt Dunstone has it on full display.
Win. Lose. Tight game. Blowout. The score doesn't matter. You can look at Dunstone's face during a game and it will tell you how he is doing and what the score is.
And this is what we love about you, Mr. Dunstone. Bring emotion to the ice. Break down the "male stereotype" of behaviour.
Dunstone not only curls a game of pure technical joy to watch but he curls a game where you feel the emotion behind every shot and every line call. You are right there with him. And fans love it.
It helps of course with him being a great guy off the ice too. At an event last season, a older female curling fan leaned over to me and said "That Matt is like a teddy bear you just want to hug after a game."
But his emotion is what lights the fire for his competition. He wants it. He wants it bad.
After coming so close to Brier glory last year and seeing his new team turn heads and shoot up those rankings, this year could be his true breakout season.
Oh how I feel for those poor fingernails though folks.
4. Team Bottcher (Alberta)
Gushue gets all the talk about being the best.
Dunstone is winning over fans across the nation.
And yet here is Team Bottcher sitting back asking, what about us?
What about you indeed?! They ended the season with a Champions Cup win and should ride that momentum into this season.
This is a STACKED line up of pure Alberta beef Grade A stock. They should be a top contender at events. They should be considered a top contender for the Brier title.
And they will be!
Bottcher is your silent yet deadly assassin on the ice. Never to be counted out. Always ready to strike.
Hmm, sounds like another Alberta skip worth mentioning below, hey?
5. Team Edin (Sweden)
Injuries be gone. We want a healthy Niklas Edin on the ice all season. Curling gods, do your job!
With King Niklas back on the ice and ready for another season, competitors watch out. Your king wants his throne back.
And it really all starts at the Euro's in Scotland in November.
Edin makes it very clear this is one of his prized events. An event that means so much to him and one he yearns to win every season.
He has not stood tall over his Euro counterparts for a few seasons now. And that will not make for a Happy King entering this season.
If Team Edin truly is back to the butt-kicking domination station they were showing pre-COVID and pre-injury, it will all come to be in Scotland with them taking home another Euro title.
If they fail to do so, how they rebound and prepare for the world championships will be something to keep your eyes on.
6. Team Retornaz (Italy)
Why does this Joel Retornaz not have a Netflix special, similar to Point Break we saw in tennis?
He is one of the nicest guys in the sport. He has put in the time. He has worked his way up.
He IS the real curling story even non-curling fans would gravitate towards and love.
We can only hope with Italy hosting the 2026 Winter Olympics, Retornaz gets his full time in the spotlight...whether he will enjoy it or not may be another story. He is a very humble person.
But he deserves it!
The pressure is off Retornaz a bit heading into the start of the Olympic cycle. Qualification is not an issue for him.
Sure there are a few up and coming Italian teams in the works (we see you Team Colli and Team Ribotta) but Retornaz is going to skip the men's national team at the Olympics as long as he keeps curling.
And he should be the Opening Ceremony flag bearer. But I might be biased as a curling/Retornaz fan.
Retornaz won his first slam last season at The Masters. He won Euro bronze...again.
He has moved himself up into the upper echelon of the sport and his teams star will continue to rise.
Still consider this team an underdog? Sure, they don't mind. They will continue to prove you wrong.
7. Team Koe (Alberta)
Another silent but deadly predator awaits at the back of the house. Teasing you into believing you have him right where you want him.
No time on the clock? Not his concern.
No easy shot to make? He laughs in his head how he has manipulated you the entire game into thinking you actually stood a chance.
Enter...The Koe Effect!
Last season we wondered how the Kevin Koe / Tyler Tardi backend tandem would work out. Both are quiet guys in nature. How would the communication work?
And what we saw at the beginning of the season was...what we expected. A bit weird to watch at times.
But then the two got to know one another better. Tardi found his voice. Koe lent his ear. And the two built a connection.
Now, entering year two together, watch out. Remember, they did win the Players' Championship last season so they enter this year on a bit of high with momentum and confidence.
The front end will be where eyes fall though. The addition of Tardi's cousin Jacques Gauthier will be interesting.
Gauthier is not a silent curler. He knows his voice. And he is going from being a skip of a junior championship swagger and a defending B.C. title to taking a role behind his cousin and legend Koe.
The personality dynamic will be fun to watch unfold. Whether it turns into success, stay tuned!
8. Team Schwaller (Switzerland)
Team Schwaller started last season strong, winning a few tour events early in the season and getting ready to take the world by storm.
The storm suffered a small drought midseason though before the team regained their competitive edge in reaching the Euro final, winning world bronze and finishing runner-up at the Players' Championship to end their season.
Yet, for some reason, this team still does not attract the fever pitch of the teams listed above. Why?
And this blog is no exception. Why are they slotted in at #8 on the Power Rankings?
Stats wise, should they not be higher? Top 5? As was predicted to possibly happen by this very blog in the preseason preview last year?
I think what holds this team back is the lack of finish, and I say that with respect.
Bronze medal wins are nice. But this team might still have a SF monkey on their back.
When you see them entered in a tour event or #gsoc event or a major international event, you right away assume they are playoff bound. But that is where many predictions stop.
This team needs to start finishing off the competition. Go Mortal Kombat style in the playoff rounds and "Finish Him" already!
We want to see that hunger and thirst for blood...figuratively of course, not literally.
The quiet nice guys image works because it fits them as people. But sports fans want to see the blood lust for victory too.
Maybe that is what we need to see out of Team Schwaller this season.
And lets hope the drama happening with the Swiss women's teams does not have a lagging effect on their partner teammates. IYKYK!
9. Team Dropkin (USA)
Oh those Young Bucks. The confidence is growing. And the Young Bucks are ready to take on the world once again.
This is a very dangerous team in any field.
But also a team capable of slipping up and faltering in those big pressure moments.
At Pan Continental last year, they looked to be the cream of the crop during the week. They knocked off Canada's Team Gushue in the RR remember.
Yet they faltered down the line, looked vulnerable and slipped into a bronze medal win.
A nice result, yes. But the result they wanted, hardly.
Korey Dropkin is hungry to win. He won his world championship at the end of last season, winning the mixed doubles gold.
And now you know he wants to taste the same with his men's team.
If this team can put together a full tournament, a full season, of their real potential...well this #9 ranking will be laughable at the end of the season.
This team has the potential to be Top 5.
Also note, this very blog went on record many years ago stating Korey Dropkin would be the face of USA Curling heading into the 2026 Winter Olympics (this was before 2018 btw). I stand by that prediction.
And, for reference, the same prediction was made his friend/Pan-Am Cup competitor Matt Dunstone would stand in his way of Olympic glory.
As we start this next Olympic cycle, lets see how those two predictions pan out. This is the Season 1.
10. Team Whyte (Scotland)
What do you do when your main roadblock to international glory just went out and won a world championship and is the best team in the world?
Creates quite a bag of mixed emotions, no?
For Ross Whyte, he is trying to elevate his Scottish boys to the top of the curling game.
Standing in his way are good friends, players he has been an alternate for, Team Mouat.
You want to see your friends succeed. But is their success coming at his price and holding back his potential?
Hmmm, maybe?
Whyte is experiencing what many Canadian teams have experienced over the years. You are a great player with a great team but cannot get out of your own province/country because a "better" team is ahead of you.
Similar to the Big 3 effect we saw in men's tennis for years. So many great potential grand slam champions fell to the wayside because the Big 3 were just too big and too strong.
And those players were excelling at the wrong time. Sports are cruel sometimes.
But it is not all doom and gloom for these Scottish lads either.
They are a Top 10 team. They are capable of winning big events and slams.
And do not underestimate their ability to knock off Team Mouat along the way.
This will be an interesting year for Team Whyte. They are also trying to build towards a possible ticket to Italy in 2026. This is the year where they can start laying down the path.
#TourLifePredictions
2024 Tim Hortons Brier: Manitoba (Team Dunstone) def. Team Canada (Team Gushue)
2024 World Men's Curling Championship: Sweden (Team Edin) def. Scotland (Team Mouat)
2023/2024 #1 World Ranking (End of Season): Team Mouat
#StayTuned
The previews are done.
The pre-season #PowerRankings are revealed.
And we have a few #TeamUpset challengers to keep our eyes on.
The blog will also return this season with previews of the upcoming weekend's action and updated Power Rankings coming out of the weekend results.
And you never know when a Hot Topic will emerge to melt the ice and turn up the heat.
Bring on the new season!
And, as always rock heads, THANK YOU for keeping the "little blog that could" alive heading into another season.
Remember to check out/subscribe to the #TwineTime YouTube channel HERE.
Posted interviews with players like Bruce Mouat, Brad Gushue, Niklas Edin, Anna Hasselborg, Tracy Fleury, Anton Hood, Korey Dropkin and learn more about curling development in Nigeria, Guyana, Brazil, Hong Kong and Mexico.
Welcome to Year 11 of #TwineTime!!
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