Rock League names four replacement curlers for inaugural season

Two-time Olympic medallists Amos Mosaner and Benoit Schwarz-van Berkel are among the four replacement curlers Rock League announced Thursday for its inaugural season.

Both Mosaner and Schwarz-van Berkel will join Shield Curling Club, taking the places of Tyler Tardi and Colton Lott, who have decided to take extended time off following a busy curling season.

Mosaner, from Cembra, Italy, captured gold at Beijing 2022 and bronze at Milano Cortina 2026 in mixed doubles with Stefania Constantini. He has also won four Grand Slam of Curling titles while playing third with Joël Retornaz. 

Schwarz-van Berkel, from Bülach, Switzerland, earned bronze medals in men’s curling at PyeongChang 2018 and Milano Cortina 2026. He is also a two-time Grand Slam champion, winning the Canadian Open in 2018 with Peter de Cruz and in 2025 with Yannick Schwaller while throwing last rocks. 

Canadian skip Mike McEwen has been called in for Maple United. The Winnipeg native has won seven Grand Slams and has competed in 11 Briers, winning silver in 2024. McEwen replaces Matt Dunstone, who has also opted to take extended time off. 

Colin Hufman has joined Frontier Curling Club. The Seattle, Wash., native has won four U.S. men’s national championships while playing second for skips Brady Clark, Rich Ruohonen and John Shuster. Hufman takes over for E.J. Harnden, who has stepped back from Rock League to spend more time with his family.

Rock League also named Linda Stenlund and Mattia Giovanella as super spares who will be on call during the inaugural season in case of injuries or unforeseen circumstances. 

Stenlund, from Uppsala, Sweden, won her first Grand Slam title while playing lead for Isabella Wrana at the 2024 Players’ Championship. She is currently competing in her first World Women’s Curling Championship. Giovanella has won four Grand Slams while throwing lead stones for Retornaz.

The inaugural season of Rock League, featuring six mixed-gender global franchises, will take place April 6-12 at the TMU Mattamy Athletic Centre in Toronto. Tickets are now available, visit Ticketmaster.ca to purchase your tickets today. To see the match schedule, click here.

Alpine Curling Club (Europe)

Women's Players

• Alina Pätz (captain)
• Selina Gafner
• Emma Miskew
• Sofia Scharback
• Almida de Val

Men's Players

• Joël Retornaz
• Oskar Eriksson
• Sven Michel
• Hammy McMillan Jr.
• Marc Muskatewitz

GM: Eve Muirhead

Frontier Curling Club (USA)

Women's Players

• Stefania Constantini
• Tabitha Peterson
• Taylor Anderson-Heide
• Sarah Wilkes
• Cory Thiesse

Men's Players

• Korey Dropkin (captain)
• Danny Casper
• Grant Hardie
• Colin Hufman
• John Shuster

GM: Chris Plys

Maple United (Canada)

Women's Players

• Rachel Homan (captain)
• Xenia Schwaller
• Maria Larsson
• Karlee Burgess
• Jocelyn Peterman

Men's Players

• Mike McEwen
• Ross Whyte
• Colton Flasch
• Tanner Horgan
• Brett Gallant

GM: Glenn Howard

Northern United (Europe)

Women's Players

• Isabella Wranå
• Sara McManus
• Jennifer Dodds
• Giulia Zardini Lacedelli
• Kristin Skaslien

Men's Players

• Bruce Mouat (captain)
• Robin Brydone
• Rasmus Wranå
• Martin Sesaker
• Yannick Schwaller

GM: Christoffer Svae

Shield Curling Club (Canada)

Women's Players

• Kerri Einarson
• Tracy Fleury
• Agnes Knochenhauer
• Carole Howald
• Marlee Powers

Men's Players

• Brad Jacobs (captain)
• Benoît Schwarz-van Berkel
• Jacob Horgan
• Dan Marsh
• Amos Mosaner

GM: Carter Rycroft

Typhoon Curling Club (Asia-Pacific)

Women's Players

• Chinami Yoshida (captain)
• Anna Hasselborg
• Min-ji Kim
• Ye-eun Seol
• Tori Koana

Men's Players

• Niklas Edin
• Tsuyoshi Yamaguchi
• Bobby Lammie
• Dexin Ba
• Anton Hood

GM: J.D. Lind

Super Spares

• Linda Stenlund
• Mattia Giovanella