The Sheriff has found another Deputy.
Reigning Canadian champ Matt Dunstone has added Mark Nichols to his Winnipeg-based lineup for next season, the team announced Monday. It’s the kind of move that makes you blink twice—because Nichols isn’t just “a good player,” he’s been a pillar in Canadian curling for years.
“We’re incredibly excited to welcome Mark to the team,” Dunstone said in a team release. “He’s one of the most accomplished and respected players in the game, and his experience, shot making, and competitive mindset are a perfect fit for what we’re building. As we set our sights on defending our Brier title and earning our way back to the World Championships, we believe Mark will be a huge part of helping us get there.”
This reshaping wasn’t random, either. Dunstone, third Colton Lott and lead Ryan Harnden were in the market for a new teammate after second E.J. Harnden announced this year would be his last in full-time competitive curling. The timing feels loaded, like they’re trying to close the gap on everything that slipped through their fingers.
The team has had plenty of flashes in the meantime. They won the AMJ Masters in September and finished runners-up in two other Grand Slam of Curling events this season. Still, the sting came at the Canadian Olympic curling trials in November—they lost the best-of-three final series to Team Jacobs, and it wasn’t the kind of loss you shake off quickly. Earlier in the season, Dunstone captured his first Canadian men’s title last month at the Montana’s Brier in St. John’s, N.L., and then earned the silver medal at the World Men’s Curling Championship on April 4 in Ogden, Utah.
Nichols, meanwhile, arrives with a résumé that reads like a curling history book. He’s the longtime third for iconic skip Brad Gushue, who capped his men’s career after the Brier in his hometown. The 46-year-old Nichols has won gold and bronze medals at the Olympic Winter Games, one gold and four silver medals at the World Men’s Curling Championship and six Brier titles. He has also claimed 16 Grand Slam of Curling titles—winning 15 with Gushue and one with legendary Winnipeg skip Jeff Stoughton.
In a sports release world, it’s all carefully worded, but Nichols’ message still lands as personal. “After a very rewarding journey with Team Gushue, starting this new chapter with Team Dunstone feels like the perfect next step,” Nichols said in the release. “The opportunity to join forces with Matt, Colton, and Ryan was one I couldn’t pass up.”
“I’m energized by the opportunity to bring my experience to an already elite lineup, and I look forward to building on the foundation they’ve established as we pursue our goals on the world stage,” he added.
And there’s another practical detail, too: Dunstone will hold an auto-berth spot at next year’s Brier in Saskatoon as the defending champion. So while the team is clearly aiming higher—World Championships, again—they also have a clear runway already mapped out. Somewhere in Winnipeg right now, you can almost picture the quiet part of the season: the smell of ice and detergent drifting through a rink hallway, shoes squeaking as someone lines up stones… then the conversation shifts back to lineup decisions, which is where all of this really begins. Maybe the biggest question is how quickly Nichols’ experience blends with Dunstone’s rhythm—because in curling, that “fit” is sometimes felt before it’s measurable.
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