The New Year may have just begun, but the final event of the 2025/26 Grand Slam of Curling season takes place in Manitoba this week, with Scottish teams making up a quarter of the field in the men’s event at the Crown Royal Players’ Championships in Steinbach (6-11 January).
For current World Champions and world number one ranked Team Mouat it is the final competitive opportunity to test themselves ahead of their bid to claim the one major title that has so far eluded them, the biggest of them all at the Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina next month.
That has been the principal target for Bruce Mouat, Grant Hardie, Bobby Lammie and Hammy McMillan since they lost out in the 2022 Olympic final and their skip believes that with a field that is even tighter than the rest of the Grand Slam events, featuring just 12 teams, including seven of those heading to the Olympics, this competition provides the best possible preparation at this stage. 
“There’s a lot of competition within this field, with a lot of these teams going to the Olympics as well, so it’s a really good test for us,” said Mouat.
“I think that the momentum we’ve carried throughout this season has put us in a good spot and we’re just hoping to continue that.
“This field will be pretty strong with the top 12 teams in the world, but the Olympics is a different beast, so we know there’s a lot of different things that come into play there, but this is a great event to finalise our preparations.”
Having made history in season 2024/25 by becoming the first team to win four Grand Slam titles in a single campaign, they have already held onto two of those in maintaining their world number one ranking through the entire calendar year and they are keen to make it a hat-trick of successful defences at what is a special event for them.
“We’ve enjoyed this season at the Slams, so we’d love to come away with another title and The Players Championship is always a special one,” said Mouat.
“It was one of the first ones we won and the first time was in 2021 in the (Covid) bubble, so we’d love to win it again before the Olympics.”
Meanwhile, after making a major breakthrough in 2025 by claiming their first Grand Slam success, compatriots Team Whyte, the reigning Scottish Champions have their sights set on making a debut appearance at a World Championship.
Having won that Masters title almost a full year ago they have coped well this season with an injury enforced change to their line-up with Craig Waddell replacing the currently sidelined Duncan McFadzean, making a fine title defence in reaching the final, before ending the year contesting yet another Grand Slam final at last month’s Canadian Open.
“We are very pleased with how 2025 went, winning our first Grand Slam event and making it to two more finals,” said skip Whyte.
“That is really what we are wanting to achieve every year when we put the schedule together, so we make sure that we are really peaking around these events and trying to go out and win them, not just playing every event on the calendar and hoping we do well. 
“We are putting a real emphasis on this and we feel like we are starting to break through and trying to be more consistent, not just making quarter finals, but pushing on to the semis and finals and try to get over the line and win them.
“I feel like we did a good job of that last year, so hopefully we can continue to put on a good show and keep going deep in these events.
“We feel like we are doing a really good job this season in trying to put ourselves in a great position to be selected for the World Championships by showing we have the quality to beat teams that will be there and will be looking for those medals.
“Obviously there are a lot of good teams in British Curling, so we are just hoping for that selection and we feel like we have put ourselves in a good position to be that team to get that opportunity to go out and represent Scotland which would be amazing for us.
“There are still three competitions to go before the selections, however so we need to keep going and keep doing well and hopefully it goes our way and we get that opportunity.”
While acknowledging that The Players Championship field is so strong that this promises to be cut-throat competition, Whyte believes his men have demonstrated that they can be involved in the business end.
“It really does feel like the best 12 teams in the world are at this event this week, so we know it is going to be really tough,” he said.
“To make the quarter finals and semi finals and final is going to be a real grind out there this week, so we are trying to go out there and try and win every single point we can.
“Obviously after the last Slam we are feeling good, so hopefully that will give us the opportunity to try and go out and get as deep as we can in the event and try and win our second Grand Slam title.”
For the skip of the third of the Scottish teams in action, this week provides a two-fold opportunity as Kyle Waddell readies himself for his second Winter Olynpics, where he will be Team Mouat’s fifth player, while he and this season’s new teammates Mark Watt, Angus Bryce and Blair Haswell look to continue their impressive climb up the rankings that has earned them the right to rub shoulders with the best of the best.
“it’s the perfect way to start the year,” said Waddell. 
“We have had a good season so far but after a couple of missed playoffs to end the year we are definitely looking to bounce back this week.
“Qualifying for the Players’ Championship was one of our goals this season and while I’m not sure we can feel established as a top team yet and still have a bit to go, we are heading in the right direction.
“Hopefully over the next few months we can continue working on things and achieve the rest of our goals.
“Of course from a personal point view playing in these events will also help me prepare and make sure my game is where it needs to be to support Team Mouat at the Olympics.”
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Images: Anil Mungal/The Curling Group
