TORONTO — Team Kevin Koe and Team Chelsea Carey will lead the way for the 2019 Players’ Championship next month at Ryerson’s Mattamy Athletic Centre.
The Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling announced Tuesday the 12 men’s teams and 12 women’s teams set to compete in the sixth event and fourth major of the season, running April 9-14, featuring the recently crowned Canadian champions.
Teams were invited based on the World Curling Tour’s year-to-date rankings. A full matchup schedule is expected to be announced soon.
Both divisions will be divided into two pools of six teams for round-robin play with the top eight overall qualifying for the playoffs.
A $300,000 total purse split evenly between the men’s and women’s divisions is on the line as well as the Pinty’s Cup, which will be awarded to the season champions in the series with the winning teams cashing in $75,000 bonuses. Team Brad Gushue of St. John’s, N.L., (34 points) and Ottawa’s Team Rachel Homan (52 points) are at the top of the Pinty’s Cup standings entering the Players’ Championship.
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Broadcast coverage begins April 11 on Sportsnet with online streaming available at Sportsnet NOW (Canada) and Yare (international).
It’ll be the fifth consecutive season and sixth time in seven years the historic venue formerly known as Maple Leaf Gardens hosts the crown jewel Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling event. The Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling announced last week Ryerson’s Mattamy Athletic Centre will hold the Players’ Championship next season as well.
Players’ Championship: Men’s Teams
| Team | Hometown |
|---|---|
| Team Brendan Bottcher | Edmonton, AB |
| Team Reid Carruthers | Winnipeg, MB |
| Team Peter de Cruz | Geneva, SUI |
| Team Matt Dunstone | Regina, SK |
| Team Niklas Edin | Karlstad, SWE |
| Team John Epping | Toronto, ON |
| Team Brad Gushue | St. John’s, NL |
| Team Glenn Howard | Penetanguishene, ON |
| Team Brad Jacobs | Sault Ste. Marie, ON |
| Team Kevin Koe | Calgary, AB |
| Team Bruce Mouat | Edinburgh, SCO |
| Team Ross Paterson | Glasgow, SCO |
Players’ Championship: Women’s Teams
| Team | Hometown |
|---|---|
| Team Chelsea Carey | Calgary, AB |
| Team Kerri Einarson | Gimli, MB |
| Team Tracy Fleury | East St. Paul, MB |
| Team Satsuki Fujisawa | Kitami, JPN |
| Team Anna Hasselborg | Sundbyberg, SWE |
| Team Rachel Homan | Ottawa, ON |
| Team Jennifer Jones | Winnipeg, MB |
| Team Casey Scheidegger | Lethbridge, AB |
| Team Robyn Silvernagle | North Battleford, SK |
| Team Elena Stern | Oberwallis, SUI |
| Team Silvana Tirinzoni | Aarau, SUI |
| Team Sayaka Yoshimura | Sapporo, JPN |