Cory Heggestad might not have played in January's Ontario Tankard, but he had a unique perspective in seeing Jayden King's team win the provincial championship and clinch a spot in the Brier for the first time.
The Barrie curler was King's alternate during the tournament, building upon a relationship within the sport that started years ago.
"We just met through curling, obviously," he explains. "Me, being the old guy, looking down at them, watching while this guy's got some talent. I always took a keen interest in into them."
Heggestad, a one-time Canadian mixed curling champion, is still active in that discipline, and played King and his team's second Owen Henry in some select fields. He says he even came across King's third, Dylan Niepage, through play in the Simcoe Major Curling League.
"I had talked (to King) a little bit last year after our mixed provincials about coaching and things of those magnitude," Heggestad explains. "I just didn't really quite have the time available to be able to follow them around because they played like 11 events through the fall, and that's a big time commitment.
"But come November, they approached me and asked me if I'd be interested in giving them a hand at Tankard, and I cleared my schedule."
King's rink, which plays out of Tillsonburg Curling Club in Tillsonburg, also features lead Victor PIetrangelo.
At the provincial championship in Elmira, which is played in a triple-knockout format, King lost once to defending champion Sam Mooibroek in the page playoff, before defeating him in the final.
King led the final 8-6 heading into the 10th end with Mooibroek having hammer, and the Guelph alumnus' final shot might've been his best: a double takeout and roll behind cover. It left Mooibroek a difficult tap, which he couldn't pull off, sealing the victory for King.
"We all looked at each other at that point in time when he came after that shot," Heggestad recounts. "We didn't say anything, we just looked at each other [as if to say] 'I think that's it, boys.'"
Heggestad says it was at that tournament where he noticed them playing extremely well as a team, and the guys jelling throughout the event was important for winning the final.
Other key wins included a knockout round victory over Tiny's Scott Howard, and the semifinal win over one-time provincial champion Mark Kean. Both opponents had beat King in October at the Canadian Olympic Curling Pre-Trials.
Howard, the one-time Canadian and world champion, had beaten King in the final of the 2022 Tankard in Dorchester, an experience that likely helped him in January.
"They knew how to react in those situations," Heggestad says. This year was a real effort for them to be able to focus on staying in the moment and being confident... they achieved that so well, and we really focused on worrying about the things that we could control, which are our eight rocks."
While playing in the Brier for the first time might be a culture shock considering the television coverage and added competition, Heggestad is confident the bright lights won't get to them.
"To go your first Brier. It's a feeling like nothing else you can really describe," he says. "They will be back again. They are very consistent and very good. Their demeanor is so grounded that I think that just bodes well to them being able to continue on with the sport in the years to come.
"I'm not even sure there's going to be a challenge. I think it's going to be more so taking it all in."
Spencer Dunlop, who was the lead for Mark Kean's rink at the Tankard, will be the alternate for Ontario for the 2026 Brier. The team will be coached by Morgan Lavell.
"It's just such an exciting opportunity that they can go and experience this and really learn and grasp what their future is going to be all about," Heggestad says. "This isn't the last time you're going to hear of them or see them."
Notably, King will be the first Black skip in Brier history. Also, Niepage is deaf and wears cochlear implants.
The Ontario team will open the tournament against Nova Scotia's Kendal Thompson on Friday.
Their pool also consists of Canada, Newfoundland and Labrador (Gushue), Newfoundland and Labrador (Young), Nunavut, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, and Saskatchewan (Knapp).
Out of those first four games, if they can come out 2-2 or 3-1, I really do like their chances," Heggestad says. "That will also give them a momentum build so that as they go forward, they will have that opportunity to think, 'okay, we can do this.'"
The tournament's champion will represent Canada at the 2026 World Men's Curling Championships in Ogden, Utah.
OTHER STORYLINES
Brad Jacobs rink is not only the defending Brier champion, but is also the reigning Olympic champion, having claimed gold on Saturday in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy.
"They are going to be tired, there's no question about that," Heggestad believes. "Curlingat that level for that period of time is very mentally draining, not just physically draining. You might see them stumble a little bit at the start of the Brier, but I think at the end of it, they'll still be in contention."
Meanwhile, Barrie's Brent Laing, a three-time Canadian and world champion, will appear in his 17th Brier, rejoining Mike McEwen's team out of Saskatoon.
McEwen is skipping a wild card team in his 11th-consecutive appearance at the tournament, one which he is yet to win after losing in the final in 2024.
"He has been knocking at the door forever," Does he have a shot? One-hundred per cent he has a shot. A solid team with [Kevin and Dan Marsch] there and (Colton) Flasch. I think it's a field that is very competitive. I think you'll still see the cream and the crop rise there, which would likely include Mike.
