Team Reid Carruthers adds Catlin Schneider at third after departure of Brad Jacobs
Reid Carruthers has returned to the skip position for his four-man team and added Catlin Schneider to the lineup to fill a vacancy caused by the departure of Brad Jacobs.
Carruthers started last season as fourth for the Winnipeg-based team but later switched positions with Jacobs, who threw third stones. Jacobs left the squad after the season-ending Grand Slam to skip Brendan Bottcher's previous rink.
Schneider, meanwhile, recently became a free agent when his British Columbia-based team announced it was parting ways.
"Fitting our portfolio of what we do and how we approach the game, he fits the bill perfectly," Carruthers said Friday from Winnipeg. "I'm excited about the opportunity to play for a couple more years and put everything I have into it."
Carruthers was sixth in Canada and 11th in the world in the season-ending rankings. The foursome also includes second Derek Samagalski and lead Connor Njegovan.
The 39-year-old skip said he had some calls from different players and was looking at options over the last week or two. Carruthers added that sticking with his teammates was his "No. 1 choice from the beginning."
"We've 100 per cent committed to each other to use the experience of Brad leaving as kind of like -- not a wake-up call -- but a kick in the pants to put that extra effort in and work harder, stay united as a group, use it almost like a motivating factor," he said.
"We got to that point and we were lucky that Catlin was a free agent."
Schneider has previously played on teams skipped by Matt Dunstone, John Morris and Colton Flasch. He skipped B.C. to a 4-4 record at the Montana's Brier last March and won bronze at the 2020 playdowns with Dunstone.
"For us, Catlin fits the bill exceptionally well as far as having a guy come in and play third and be comfortable in that spot," Carruthers said. "It's something that he was really excited about and I had some really good one-on-one honest conversations with him about what I thought and what he thought. We just really synced up."
Carruthers, 39, won a Brier and a world title in 2011 as a second for a team skipped by Jeff Stoughton. He later went on to skip his own team and also played third for Mike McEwen.
Carruthers won the PointsBet Invitational last fall and topped Braden Calvert to win the Manitoba playdowns. The team finished the campaign with a 43-28 record.
"For me, I'm looking at it like this as likely -- not binding here -- but likely my last couple of years playing competitively," Carruthers said. "I may or may not play the next quad.
"If I am going to do it, (I want) to play with guys that I really enjoy not only competing with but the time off the ice with (them) is (also) very important."
Carruthers has also served as coach of Team Kerri Einarson, which had its streak of four straight national titles end last winter. Carruthers plans to work with them again but they have yet to begin talks given the recent changes with his team.
The Canadian Curling Trials to determine Canada's representatives for the 2026 Milan Olympics will be held in November 2025 at Halifax. The Canadian Pre-Trials, which will round out the fields at the Trials, are set for October 2025 in Wolfville, N.S.
The mixed doubles trials have been moved up in the calendar for this quadrennial. That event is set for Dec. 30-Jan. 4 in Liverpool, N.S.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 3, 2024.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Teen was doing homework at family's Mississauga, Ont. restaurant when gunman opened fire: testimony
The 13-year-old sister of a young man killed in the attack on her family’s Mississauga restaurant in 2021 took the stand in a Brampton courthouse on Monday to describe the terrifying moments of coming under fire.
'Repetitive partisan conduct': Conservatives to force vote on ousting Speaker Greg Fergus
The federal Conservatives have advanced a motion that will force MPs to vote on whether to oust Greg Fergus as House of Commons Speaker, after MPs' deputy adjudicator ruled Monday that the Liberal member's allegedly errant partisan event invite required urgent attention.
Trial for B.C. man accused of killing, dismembering wife begins
The trial for a Langley man accused of killing his wife began Monday, with the prosecutor laying out a disturbing series of facts agreed upon by both Crown and defence.
Stars roar back to win Game 3 over Oilers
Jason Robertson's hat-trick goal midway through the third period broke a deadlock and proved to be the eventual winner as the Dallas Stars beat the host Edmonton Oilers 5-3 in Game 3 of the Western Conference Final to take a 2-1 series lead.
What a CBSA strike could look like, according to an expert
Slowed or interrupted travel, the passing of goods and significantly restricted borders should be expected if Canadian border workers take upcoming strike action.
WATCH Alta. man rescues wild foal trapped on steep cliffside
A man's daring rescue of a newborn wild foal that was trapped after falling down a steep embankment was caught on video over the weekend.
Severe thunderstorms, tornado watch in some areas of Canada. Here's where
Depending on where you live, you can expect to get a mixed bag of weather this week, as local forecasts predict heavy rain, strong wind, severe thunderstorms and even snowfall across some areas of Canada.
B.C. senior prepares to move due to devastating effects of fraud
A Courtenay, B.C., senior is downsizing and packing to move as she comes to accept she can no longer afford to stay in her home, after falling victim to a scam that robbed her of her life savings worth more than $100,000.
Israel close to approving Gaza reunification program before Rafah invasion: Miller
Immigration Minister Marc Miller says Israel seemed to be on the verge of approving a program to get Palestinian relatives of Canadians out of the Gaza Strip before the country's invasion of the town of Rafah.