Meet the teams: AMJ Players’ Championship men’s division
The AMJ Players’ Championship begins Tuesday at Toronto’s Mattamy Athletic Centre.
Here’s a capsule look at the 12 men’s teams set to compete in the fifth and final Grand Slam of Curling event of the season.
Click here for the women’s division capsules.
Note: Lineups are listed from skip to lead, plus alternate if applicable. World Rankings are as of April 5.
Team Dropkin
Lineup: Korey Dropkin, Tom Howell, Andrew Stopera, Mark Fenner
Hometown: Duluth, USA
World Ranking: No. 11
Dropkin secured enough points after winning the USA Curling national championship to earn an invite. The team also picked up a pair of tour titles this season in Edmonton and Martensville, Sask. Dropkin made a third career appearance at the world championship this past week in Moose Jaw, Sask.
Team Dunstone
Lineup: Matt Dunstone, Colton Lott, E.J. Harnden, Ryan Harnden
Hometown: Winnipeg, Canada
World Ranking: No. 2
The Brier silver medallists won three events on tour this season in Sault Ste. Marie, Red Deer and Lloydminster. The Harnden brothers captured the Players’ Championship in 2015 with skip Brad Jacobs. E.J. Harnden joined at second, with Lott moving up to third, after the team parted ways with B.J. Neufeld in December.
Team Epping
Lineup: John Epping, Jake Horgan, Tanner Horgan, Ian MacMillan
Hometown: Sudbury, Canada
World Ranking: No. 10
After starting the season No. 34 in the world, Team Epping cracked the top 10 thanks to five title wins on tour, including the Stu Sells Toronto Tankard at the High Park Club. Epping has won three Grand Slam titles as a skip, earning the Players’ Championship in 2012. The team represented Northern Ontario at the Montana’s Brier and just missed the playoffs with a 6-2 record in pool play.
Team Gushue
Lineup: Brad Gushue, Mark Nichols, Brendan Bottcher, Geoff Walker
Hometown: St. John’s, Canada
World Ranking: No. 7
Gushue is the defending champ, capturing his 15th career Grand Slam of Curling title at the event last year to take sole possession of second place on the all-time wins list among men’s skips. The team finished runner-up this season in the HearingLife Tour Challenge and Co-op Canadian Open. Former skip Bottcher, winner of the 2019 Players’ Championship, joined at second in the fall after the team parted ways with E.J. Harnden.
Team Hoesli
Lineup: Marco Hoesli, Philipp Hoesli, Simon Gloor, Justin Hausherr
Hometown: Glarus, Switzerland
World Ranking: No. 9
Team Hoesli won tour events in Oslo and Bern this season. The squad also finished second to Team Schwaller in the Swiss Curling Championships. Marco Hoesli skips and throws third with his brother Philipp handling last rock duties.
Team Jacobs
Lineup: Brad Jacobs, Marc Kennedy, Brett Gallant, Ben Hebert, Tyler Tardi
Hometown: Calgary, Canada
World Ranking: No. 3
Jacobs earn his second career Brier title this season and claimed bronze at the world championship. The skip from Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., has won seven Grand Slam titles including the Players’ Championship in 2015. The members of the team have earned a combined 52 Grand Slam of Curling championships.
Team McEwen
Lineup: Mike McEwen, Colton Flasch, Kevin Marsh, Dan Marsh
Hometown: Saskatoon, Canada
World Ranking: No. 6
McEwen is a seven-time Grand Slam champion and a three-time finalist at the Players’ Championship. The team won three titles on tour in September, all in Alberta, at the Saville Shootout, ATB Okotoks Classic and PointsBet Invitational. The Winnipeg skip linked up with Flasch and the Marsh brothers last season and finished runner-up at the Brier in their first year together.
Team Mouat
Lineup: Bruce Mouat, Grant Hardie, Bobby Lammie, Hammy McMillan Jr.
Hometown: Stirling, Scotland
World Ranking: No. 1
Mouat earned gold for the second time in three years at the World Men’s Curling Championship. Winners of three straight Grand Slam of Curling men’s titles this season at the HearingLife Tour Challenge, Co-op Canadian Open and KIOTI National. Mouat has captured nine career Grand Slam championships including two at the Players’ Championship in back-to-back years (2021 and 2022).
Team Muskatewitz
Lineup: Marc Muskatewitz, Benny Kapp, Felix Messenzehl, Johannes Scheuerl
Hometown: Füssen, Germany
World Ranking: No. 8
It’s been a breakout year for the German club after upsetting Team Mouat for gold at the European Curling Championships. Muskatewitz made his Grand Slam of Curling debut this season and has reached the playoffs in the past two events in the series.
Team Retornaz
Lineup: Joël Retornaz, Amos Mosaner, Sebastiano Arman, Mattia Giovanella
Hometown: Cembra/Trentino, Italy
World Ranking: No. 12
Retornaz finished runner-up to Gushue during last year’s Players’ Championship. The team has won four Grand Slam titles, taking three straight at the HearingLife Tour Challenge, KIOTI National and WFG Masters last season.
Team Schwaller
Lineup: Yannick Schwaller, Benoît Schwarz-van Berkel, Sven Michel, Pablo Lachat-Couchepin
Hometown: Geneva, Switzerland
World Ranking: No. 4
The World Men’s Curling Championship silver medallists got out to a hot start this season winning the Stu Sells Oakville Tankard and Shorty Jenkins Classic back-to-back in September. Schwaller was a finalist at the Players’ Championship in 2023.
Team Whyte
Lineup: Ross Whyte, Robin Brydone, Duncan McFadzean, Euan Kyle
Hometown: Stirling, Scotland
World Ranking: No. 5
Whyte earned a first career Grand Slam of Curling title at the WFG Masters in January, defeating Team Jacobs in the final. The squad also successfully defended the Scottish men’s championship, beating Team Mouat for gold.
