AMJ Players’ Championship playoff preview
TORONTO — It’s never too early to start thinking about next season, especially when what happens this weekend will have a direct impact on next season.
Team John Epping has an opportunity to leapfrog Team Brad Gushue in the Canadian Team Ranking System (CTRS) points and secure a pre-qualification berth for next year’s Montana’s Brier. The Canadian men’s curling championship will take place Feb. 27–March 8, 2026, in Gushue’s hometown of St. John’s.
There’s just one catch: Epping has to outright win the season finale AMJ Players’ Championship this weekend to earn enough points to surpass Gushue.
“That could be a thing if we win this weekend, which would be awesome,” Epping said following the conclusion of round-robin play Friday night. “We’ll get a spot in the Brier, which will be great, and if we don’t, we’re happy to go and battle in the provincial playdown.”
Curling Canada will officially announce the pre-qualification berths after the conclusion of the AMJ Players’ Championship, however, we know Team Brad Jacobs can return to the Montana’s Brier as the defending champion, while Team Matt Dunstone (338.375 points) and Team Mike McEwen (289) are safe above the cutline in the CTRS standings.
Gushue (274.25) is in the danger zone in the final pre-qualification spot based on points. His team missed the playoffs with a 1-4 record and will remain idle while Epping (4-1) qualified for the quarterfinals.
Of course, with the men’s competition at the 2026 Olympics set for Feb. 11-21, one of the teams mentioned may represent Canada overseas in Italy and skip the Brier altogether. We’ll cross that bridge when we get there, but for now, let’s see how it could shake down for Epping.
A team’s top eight results from the season count toward their points tally. Epping has already earned 30 points in the AMJ Players’ Championship for reaching the quarterfinals and will drop his result from the Montana’s Brier. That puts Epping at 238.75 points at the moment. Here’s how it will look should Epping continue to advance.
| Epping scenarios | Points Total |
|---|---|
| Semifinals | 251.25 |
| Finals | 263.75 |
| Champion | 283.75 |
An underdog has won the Players’ Championship before, someone Epping knows all too well — it was him. Epping entered the 2012 Players’ Championship as the eighth seed in an eight-team field and overcame the odds, eliminating then-reigning Olympic champion Kevin Martin in the semifinals and then-reigning world champion Glenn Howard in the final to win his first Grand Slam of Curling title as a skip.
Epping, who has captured two more Grand Slam titles since then, linked up with Jake Horgan, Tanner Horgan and Ian McMillan ahead of this season, claiming five tour events to crack the top 12 and receive an invitation to the AMJ Players’ Championship.
The team, ranked 10th in the world, won four straight to start the tournament to secure a spot in the playoffs. Epping dropped his round-robin finale 7-5 to Dunstone on Friday night to miss out on a bye to the semifinals.
“Any time in an event like this when you have the top 12 teams in the world and you get to play on the weekend shows that you’re doing some things right,” Epping said. “That was the first goal. The bonus and gravy would have been obviously getting that direct spot into the semis, but we’re looking forward to (Saturday).”
Although the team represents Northern Ontario, Epping and the Horgan brothers live in the Toronto area, with lots of support in the stands throughout the week. The Friday evening draw was a Pride Night celebration, something near and dear to Epping, who came out publicly in 2017 and is one of the few openly gay male athletes in major North American sports.
“This is why we play the sport. Especially when you get to play in your hometown, you get to play in front of all of your friends and families, and we have a lot of clubs that we’re affiliated with, so that’s extra special,” Epping said. “And of course Pride Night, having so many people from the LGBTQ community, that’s just such a great feeling to have out there. Curling, I’ve said it all along, it’s a great sport for inclusiveness. Still lots of work to be done, but the game is growing and I’m really happy to see that.”
Epping will take on Jacobs in the quarterfinals (3:30 p.m. ET; Sportsnet and Sportsnet+) and a rematch from Tuesday’s opening draw of pool play. A steal of four points for Epping in the sixth wrapped things up early as he defeated Jacobs 8-1.
Jacobs arrived straight from Moose Jaw, Sask., where his team earned bronze medals at the World Men’s Curling Championship this past Sunday.
His Calgary-based club has a bit of a different look this week as Jacobs and third Marc Kennedy are joined by super spares Tyler Tardi and Connor Njegovan at second and lead, respectively. Tardi is filling in for Brett Gallant, who is resting and recovering as he prepares to represent Canada again at the upcoming World Mixed Doubles Curling Championship. Njegovan is subbing for Ben Hebert, who is rehabbing an injury.
The revamped and now rested Team Jacobs bounced back from the loss to Epping and finished pool play at 3-2. Epping will have an edge to start as he begins with the hammer due to his superior round-robin record.
The seven-time Grand Slam champion Jacobs won his first here at the Players’ Championship in 2015. He seeks his first in over five years with his most recent title victory in the series at the Canadian Open in January 2020. Coincidentally, Jacobs defeated Epping in that final.
The winner of the match meets reigning world champion Team Bruce Mouat of Scotland in the semifinals (7:30 p.m. ET; Sportsnet One and Sportsnet+). Mouat captured three straight Grand Slam titles to start the season and is looking to become the first to win four in the series in a single season.
McEwen and Dunstone face off on the other side of the bracket with world silver medallist Team Yannick Schwaller of Switzerland awaiting the winner.
Schwaller, a finalist here in 2023, is looking for his first career Grand Slam title. Dunstone seeks his second while seven-time champ McEwen is aiming for his first in the event to complete a career Grand Slam.
The women’s quarterfinals kick off playoff coverage (11:30 a.m. ET; Sportsnet and Sportsnet+). Canada’s Team Rachel Homan faces Japan’s Team Sayaka Yoshimura (winner plays South Korea’s Team Eun-jung Kim in the semifinals) and Sweden’s Team Anna Hasselborg goes up against South Korea’s Team Seung-youn Ha (winner plays Switzerland’s Team Silvana Tirinzoni).
Homan has won a record 17 women’s titles in the series. She is looking for a first at the AMJ Players’ Championship to complete a career Grand Slam and cap another amazing season that has seen her Ottawa-based team successfully defend the Canadian and world championships.
“It would mean a lot for us to be able to find a way to win this one,” Homan said Friday. “We haven’t won it yet, so hopefully, we can play a little bit better (Saturday).”
Hasselborg aims for her ninth Grand Slam title and second straight in the series while Tirinzoni is the defending champion and is seeking career title No. 5.
Yoshimura, Kim and Ha are all after their first Grand Slam championship.
Tickets are available at the Mattamy Athletic Centre box office and online at Ticketmaster.ca. Live streaming of every game is also available in free preview via HomeTeam.
