Thirty-six teams from across Canada are set to compete for a national title at the Gerry McCrory Countryside Sports Complex in Sudbury, Ont.
The week-long tournament will feature 18 teams of each gender, leading to two national champions, and the opportunity to represent Canada at next year’s World Junior Curling Championship.
“The New Holland Canadian U-20 Canadian Championships give young curlers a chance to see what’s possible,” said Helen Radford, Curling Canada’s Manager of NextGen and Podium Pathway. “When they watch Canada on the Olympic podium, it inspires them to dream about wearing the maple leaf themselves one day.”
Every province and territory was invited to send teams, with extra spots going to member associations with best collective performance in recent years of the event. Two territories, Nunavut and Yukon, did not send representatives, creating more opportunities for provinces to send a second team per gender.
A new champion will definitely be crowned this week, as both of last year’s winners aren’t in the field because many of the players involved had reached the age limit. Nova Scotia’s Calan MacIsaac and Alberta’s Myla Plett represented Canada at the recent World Championships in Denmark, with Team MacIsaac losing the bronze medal game and Plett missing the playoffs on a tiebreaker.
Last year’s U-20 women’s runner-up, Team Quebec skipped by Jolianne Fortin, remains intact and would be considered among the favourites at this year’s event. This young team actually won the Quebec women’s title and represented the province at the 2026 Scotties Tournament of Hearts in January.
Another top contender could be Team Newfoundland and Labrador skipped by Cailey Locke. Three team members – Locke, Hayley Gushue, and Sitaye Penny – made up three quarters of the team that won the U SPORTS national title this year, representing Memorial University.
On the men’s side, frontrunners might include another Quebec team skipped by Rafael Tremblay. Tremblay and third Louis Francois Brassard made up half of the team that won the Canadian U-18 Championship in February. The U-18 bronze medal winners skipped by Tyler MacTavish are also in the field.
Newfoundland and Labrador’s Simon Perry was one shot away from representing the province at the Montana’s Brier, but had to settle for silver in the men’s event.
“Many of the teams competing at this level have already participated in previous U-18 or U-20 championships,” said Radford. “That experience really helps them grow and compete at a higher level.”
Each gender is divided into two pools where teams will play an eight-game round robin, with the top three teams per pool advancing to qualifying and playoff rounds. Competition begins Saturday, with finals scheduled for Saturday, April 4.
For the event website, please visit: https://www.curling.ca/2026u20/
For scores and schedules, visit: https://www.curling.ca/scoreboard/#/events/26633
