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TORONTO — Niklas Edin and his team have taken a new approach in their chase for the top spot on tour.

Rather than return home to Karlstad, Sweden, following events in Canada, the reigning world champions are staying put on this side of the Atlantic renting an apartment in Ottawa during the first few months of the season and training here instead.

It’s a novel concept and one that Edin said wouldn’t have worked out with his old squad but he’s now able to pull it off with the new team he formed last season.

“I’ve been thinking about that for years now actually,” Edin said earlier this weekend during the StuSells Toronto Tankard. “With my old team it was more personal things we did that we didn’t want to be over here too long with families back home and stuff. Now with this new team, we’ve got more time and we really want to try this, stay here instead, and get rid of some of the travel and time-changing. It makes it easier for us to train and compete a lot.”

Edin skipped Team Sweden to a bronze medal at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics and he’s now tasked with guiding this rink featuring third Oskar Eriksson, second Kristian Lindström and lead Christoffer Sundgren through the next Olympic cycle and into South Korea for the 2018 Games. He believes their Canadian stay has worked out for them as they’ve been able to capitalize on the time saved from avoiding lengthy flights back home and the jet lag that comes with hopping back and forth across the pond.

“It’s been more time for pretty much everything: relaxing, training and competing,” Edin said. “So far it’s really good. We really enjoy it here.”

“This is what we do and we’ve been doing that for years so even if we would have chosen to go home it’s not like we’d have a lot of time back home anyway so it’s actually only a good thing,” he added. “Last year we were travelling instead of being back home in our apartment now so it’s only good.”

Edin is ranked fourth on the World Curling Tour’s total order of merit behind Winnipeg’s Mike McEwen, Brad Gushue of St. John’s and reigning Olympic champion Brad Jacobs of Sault Ste. Marie, Ont. This weekend’s Stu Sells Toronto Tankard sees the rink on a collision course with all three of those teams, plus 11 others ranked within the top 30 and more, and Edin said it’s going to be tough to qualify at this event.

“It’s pretty much the best lineup you could have in a spiel,” Edin said. “We’re going to have to fight really hard to make the playoffs.”

Team Edin hope to make a brief return overseas in late November to defend the European Championship title in Denmark if they’re selected to represent Sweden before they resume their Canadian stay.

UPDATE (Oct. 20): Team Edin has been selected to represent Sweden at the 2015 European Curling Championships.

Kean qualifies at StuSells Toronto Tankard

Reigning Ontario Tankard champion Mark Kean was the first one through to the playoffs at the StuSells Toronto Tankard. Kean, of Stoney Creek, Ont., and his all-new team scored a 6-4 victory over Glenn Howard in the first A-side final of the triple knockout tournament.

Also advancing is Team Jacobs, who defeated Team Gushue 8-7 in the other A-side final.

The remaining six men’s playoff spots are up for grabs Sunday with all three playoff rounds scheduled for Monday.

On the women’s side, Erika Brown is atop of the leaderboard with a 3-0 record.