Four Sask. curling teams qualify for Olympic Curling Trials, Pre-Trials

WATCH: Saskatchewan may have up to four attempts to represent Canada at the 2026 Winter Olympic Games.

Saskatchewan may have up to four attempts to represent Canada at the 2026 Winter Olympic Games next year.

Curling Canada announced Tuesday the 30 men’s and women’s teams who have qualified for either the Canadian Curling Trials or Pre-Trial tournament this fall.

Seven teams in each gender have qualified directly for the 2025 Montana’s Canadian Curling Trials.

One more team of each gender will get a trials invite by winning their berth at the 2025 Home Hardware Canadian Curling Pre-Trials.

Mike McEwen Saskatchewan-McEwen skip Mike McEwen reacts to his shot while playing Manitoba-Carruthers during the playoffs at the Brier, in Kelowna, B.C., on Friday, March 7, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck (DARRYL DYCK/THE CANADIAN PRESS)

On the men’s side, Mike McEwen out of Saskatoon’s Nutana Curling Club and Sutherland Curling Club’s Rylan Kleiter have both locked in their spot for the Canadian Curling Trials in Halifax.

Team McEwen earned their spot finishing fourth place in the combined two-year CTRS standings behind Brad Jacobs, Brad Gushue and Matt Dunstone.

While Kleiter finished sixth place, also good enough to clinch their position in the tournament.

Rylan Kleiter Saskatchewan-Kleiter skip Rylan Kleiter delivers a rock while playing Northwest Territories during the Brier, in Kelowna, B.C., on Monday, March 3, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck (DARRYL DYCK/THE CANADIAN PRESS)

For the women’s tournament, Nancy Martin and Ashley Thevenot – both out of the Nutana – will have to work a bit harder for a chance to don the Maple Leaf.

Both teams will have to win their way into the curling trials via a pre-trial tournament.

However, just one of the eight teams in the pre-trials will head to the final trials.

Nancy Martin Saskatchewan skip Nancy Martin calls a sweep during Scotties Tournament of Hearts action against Team Canada in Thunder Bay, Ont., Monday, Feb. 17, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press)

The 2025 Montana’s Canadian Curling Trials, which will take place Nov. 22-30 at the Scotiabank Centre in Halifax and will determine the women’s and men’s teams that will be nominated to the Canadian Olympic Committee to be part of the Canadian team for the 2026 Winter Games.

While the 2025 Home Hardware Canadian Curling Pre-Trials are scheduled for Oct. 20-26 in Wolfville, N.S.

The Home Hardware Pre-Trials and Montana’s Trials will have identical formats — eight-team round robins, with three teams making the playoffs. The first-place team will get a bye to the final, while the second and third-place teams will meet in the semifinal.

Skylar Ackerman, Ashley Thevenot Team Saskatchewan skip Skylar Ackerman, left, and vice-skip Ashley Thevenot discuss strategy as they play Team British Columbia-Brown at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts in Calgary, Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh (Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press)

For the first time in trials and pre-trials history, both events will feature best-of-three finals.

The qualifying period for both events concluded after the Grand Slam AMJ Players’ Championship earlier this month in Toronto.

To be eligible for the berths, teams had to meet various qualifying standards, as well as maintaining the standard three-of-four player rule (with potential exceptions in the case of medical exemptions).

The 2026 Winter Olympic Games will be held in Milano-Cortina, Italy in February.