B.C. skip Taylor Reese-Hansen’s breakout season will include Scotties debut

It was the latest accomplishment in a breakout season for Reese-Hansen, third Megan McGillivray, second Kim Bonneau and lead Julianna Mackenzie.

The team has risen to third in the Canadian rankings behind top-ranked Rachel Homan and No. 2 Kerri Einarson.

“We were really fortunate to have a good season and have lots of opportunities to play in a few semis and finals this year,” Reese-Hansen said in an interview this week. “So we felt really comfortable going into that game.”

Reese-Hansen’s foursome has reached six finals this season. In addition to the provincial crown, the squad won a tier-two title at the Grand Slam of Curling’s HearingLife Canadian Open along with a SaskTour bonspiel in Lloydminster.

The rink will be a team to watch at the Jan. 23-Feb. 1 Scotties Tournament of Hearts at the Paramount Fine Foods Centre.

It’s considered one of the more wide-open fields in recent memory given that Homan — a five-time Scotties champion who won in 2024 and ’25 — is not in the field since she’ll be preparing for the Milan Cortina Olympics next month in Italy.

The 18-team field will be finalized at the end of the week once the six remaining provincial playdowns are complete. The Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario, Quebec, Northern Ontario and Nova Scotia championships are all underway.

Christina Black of Halifax, who beat Einarson in the semifinals at the Montana’s Canadian Curling Trials in November, has pre-qualified for the Scotties along with Calgary’s Kayla Skrlik.

Einarson, who lost in the final last season, had pre-qualified but will instead wear Canadian colours given Homan won’t be able to defend her title. That has opened up another berth for the highest-ranked non-qualified team.

Kelsey Calvert (née Rocque) will skip the Manitoba entry after a 9-7 win over Kaitlyn Lawes last weekend. The field also includes New Brunswick’s Melodie Forsythe, Nicky Kaufman of the Northwest Territories, Nunavut’s Julia Weagle, Prince Edward Island’s Amanda Power, Yukon’s Bayly Scoffin and Mackenzie Mitchell of Newfoundland and Labrador.

“I think it’ll be really interesting to see who comes out at the end because I think that you could pick a name out of a hat,” said Manitoba vice Beth Turnbull (née Peterson).

Her Winnipeg-based side pulled out a semifinal victory over Kate Cameron of St. Adolphe, Man., before topping Lawes for the right to wear the buffalo.

Lawes, a 2014 Olympic champion from Winnipeg, attempted a hit for a deuce with her last throw but ticked a guard and bumped her opponent’s stone to the button. That gave Calvert a single point and a 9-7 win.

“They are not only top teams in the province, but top teams in the country,” Turnbull said of her last two opponents. “That’s been the story of Manitoba for years and years and years.”

It will be Turnbull’s second career Scotties appearance after playing in 2021 as a wild-card entry.

Second Katherine Remillard was also on that team while Calvert played in 2024 on a pre-qualified team with Cameron. It will be the Scotties debut for lead Melissa Gordon-Kurz.

The national champion will represent Canada at the March 14-22 world championship in Calgary.

The Canadian men’s curling championship is set for Feb. 27-March 8 in St. John’s, N.L. The Calgary-based team skipped by Brad Jacobs will return as the Canada entry after winning last year in Kelowna, B.C.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 7, 2026.

Gregory Strong, The Canadian Press

by The Canadian Press

B.C. skip Taylor Reese-Hansen’s breakout season will include Scotties debut

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