World's best curlers competing on Steinbach ice for Crown Royal Players' Championship

The world’s top 24 curling teams are on the ice in southeastern Manitoba this week as part of the Crown Royal Players' Championship, the final tune-up before the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics.

The top 12 men's and women's teams from the year-to-date rankings are facing off at the Southeast Event Centre in Steinbach for the Grand Slam of Curling event, which began Tuesday.

Thirteen of the teams competing in Steinbach this week are heading to the Winter Olympics in Italy next month.

On Wednesday, the team led by Winnipeg’s Mike McEwen was defeated 6-3 by Scotland’s Ross Whyte.

BJ Neufeld, who is filling in to play third for McEwen’s team, said Scotland was a worthy opponent.

"We were just a little off on a few shots where we could have maybe, you know, turned the tables a bit and they played extraordinarily well," Neufeld said after the game.

"They made things really, really hard on us, so that’s the way it goes."

Neufeld’s parents are from Steinbach, a city about 50 kilometres southeast of Winnipeg. He grew up in Gimli, in Manitoba's Interlake region, but often visited the province's southeast city to see family.

He says Wednesday's curling match was a little more special because of those ties to the city. It was also his first time playing in the new Southeast Event Centre, which celebrated its grand opening in August.

Neufeld said he’s impressed with the space.

"Manitoba doesn’t have a lot of buildings like this," he said. "It’s great to see, and hopefully we’ll attract more big events like this. Maybe the Grand Slams can come back here every now and then."

Southeast Event Centre communications director Michelle Sawatzky-Koop says the event is a boost for Steinbach, drawing new people to the city.

Though many people