Scotties up for grabs with 5-time Canadian women's curling champion Homan not in field

With five-time champion Rachel Homan not playing at the Canadian women's curling championship due to Olympic preparation, the 18-team field won't have its usual heavy favourite in the mix.

That has opened things up for the likes of Kerri Einarson,

Kaitlyn Lawes, Christina Black and the other headliners at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts starting Friday at the Paramount Fine Foods Centre in Mississauga, Ont.

Other notable teams include Northern Ontario's Krista Scharf, Saskatchewan's Jolene Campbell, Alberta's Selena Sturmay and

British Columbia's Taylor Reese-Hansen.

"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 Peterson.

Homan will miss a chance at a three-peat as she instead gets ready for the upcoming Milan-Cortina Winter Games in Italy. Einarson, a four-time champion and 2025 finalist from Gimli, Man., will wear Canada colours instead.

Black, from Halifax, and Calgary's Kayla Skrlik earned pre-qualification berths while Lawes claimed Einarson's vacated spot. Lawes, from Winnipeg, dropped the Manitoba final to Peterson's side, now skipped by Kelsey Calvert.

Black, a semifinalist last year, comes in on a high after beating Einarson to reach the Olympic trials final for the first time.

"We're still feeling like we're still playing really well and throwing well," Black said. "We've had those big games under our belt already this season from the Trials and from other events."

Lawes second Jocelyn Peterman won't be in the lineup as she's preparing to play mixed doubles with Brett Gallant at the Winter Games. Laura Walker, who has played as a substitute for the team throughout the quadrennial, will replace