Lawes, Scheidegger, Walter get wild card spots for Scotties Tournament of Hearts
Teams skipped by Manitoba’s Kaitlyn Lawes, Alberta's Casey Scheidegger and Manitoba’s Meghan Walter will fill the three wild-card positions at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts.
With all of the provincial and territorial championships now complete, they are the top three non-qualified teams in this week's Canadian team rankings.
Curling Canada officially announced the wild-card entries for the 18-team competition on Tuesday. The playdowns are set for Feb. 17-26 in Kamloops, B.C.
Lawes is ranked fourth behind defending Scotties champion Kerri Einarson of Manitoba, Ontario champion Rachel Homan and Manitoba champion Jennifer Jones.
British Columbia champion Clancy Grandy holds the fifth spot ahead of Scheidegger and Walter.
Laura Walker will fill in at third on Team Lawes for Selena Njegovan, who was granted a pregnancy leave by Curling Canada. Another mixed doubles player, Lisa Weagle, will serve as team coach.
There are still some provincial playdowns on the men's calendar ahead of the March 3-12 Tim Hortons Brier in London, Ont.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 31, 2023.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Risk of a hard landing for Canadian economy is up, former Bank of Canada governor says
Former Bank of Canada governor Stephen Poloz says Canada’s economy is at a greater risk of a 'hard landing' — a rapid economic slowdown following a period of growth and approaching a recession.

'Horrible, horrible deals': Trump criticizes Biden's visit to Canada
Former U.S. president Donald Trump shared his disdain for Joe Biden's visit to Canada, saying Prime Minister Justin Trudeau treats the U.S. ‘horribly’ on trade issues.
Putin says Russia will station tactical nukes in Belarus
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced plans on Saturday to station tactical nuclear weapons in neighboring Belarus, a warning to the West as it steps up military support for Ukraine.
'There's nothing left': Deep South tornadoes kill 26
Rescuers raced Saturday to search for survivors and help hundreds of people left homeless after a powerful tornado cut a devastating path through Mississippi, killing at least 25 people, injuring dozens, and flattening entire blocks as it carved a path of destruction for more than an hour. One person was killed in Alabama.
Officials: 2 dead, 5 missing in chocolate factory explosion
An explosion at a chocolate factory in Pennsylvania on Friday killed two people and left five people missing, authorities said. One person was pulled from the rubble overnight.
Trump, facing potential indictment, holds defiant Waco rally
Facing a potential indictment, Donald Trump took a defiant stance at a rally Saturday in Waco, disparaging the prosecutors investigating him and predicting his vindication as he rallied supporters in a city made famous by deadly resistance against law enforcement.
Canadians view own country favourably but many unsure about Canada's system of government: survey
A recent study by the Angus Reid Institute found Canadians view their country more positively than Americans do, but only a slight majority of people in Canada believe their system of government is good.
Declining suicide rates in Europe may be linked to increased preventative initiatives: report
Within the last decade the total suicide rate among European nations have decreased, according to a new report that says increased suicide prevention initiatives may have helped bring down this death rate.
Russia 'largely stalled' in Bakhmut, shifting focus, U.K. says
The top commander of Ukraine's military said Saturday that his forces were pushing back against Russian troops in the long and grinding battle for the town of Bakhmut, and British military intelligence says Russia appears to be moving to a defensive strategy in eastern Ukraine.