Team Saskatchewan females, Team Québec #1 males win gold at 2026 Canadian Under-18 Curling Championships

TIMMINS, Ont. — A new pair of Canadian champions were crowned at the 2026 Canadian Under-18 Curling Championships on Saturday afternoon, hosted at the McIntyre Curling Club.

Team Saskatchewan’s Renee Wood (8-1; Saskatoon) defeated Team Ontario #1’s Charlotte Wilson (7-3; Ottawa) 8-3 in the female final, while Team Québec’s #1’s Raphaël Tremblay (8-1; Shawinigan) downed Team Ontario #2’s Aaron Genjaga (7-3; Mississauga) 6-5 in the male final.

Wood, alongside her Sutherland Curling Club squadron of third/vice-skip Edie Jardine, second Amelia Whiting, lead Winnie Morin, alternate Abby Hogeboom, and coach Dwayne Yachiw, were dominant in the gold-medal performance, scoring four unanswered points in the second half of the match en route to the win.

“I’m so happy,” said Wood. “I’m so proud of my team and I’m so proud that we got to represent the province and bring home the gold.”

The win is the first-ever female gold medal for Saskatchewan at the Canadian Under-18 Curling Championships since the event’s inception in 2017.

“I’m just so proud of us,” said Wood of the feat. “It’s such an honour to be able to do that. This is my last year in U-18’s so definitely amazing to end it on the high note of winning nationals.”

Wood plans to continue chasing her curling dreams with her team as she moves on to the U-20 level.

“I think our team will continue forward,” said Wood. “I definitely have that drive to keep going and to play U-20’s and hopefully win some more.”

The last female medallist from Saskatchewan at the Canadian Under-18 Curling Championships was Team Skylar Ackerman (Moose Jaw), who won a silver medal in 2018.

This year’s gold-medal win brings Saskatchewan’s female Canadian U-18 total medal count to two.

On the male side, Team Québec #1’s Raphaël Tremblay, rounded out by third/vice-skip Louis-François Brassard, second Nathan Beaudoin-Gendron, lead Olivier St-Pierre, and coach Yves Tremblay, secured Québec’s first ever male gold medal at the Canadian U-18 event.

“It feels really good to have a good game today,” said Tremblay. “Really good game from both teams. Intense battle. It’s really nice.”

The male final came right down to the wire, with Tremblay making a delicate draw-weight in-off to sit two behind a smattering of shrapnel in front of the house in the eighth end. Team Québec #1 had hammer in the final frame but never needed to throw its last stone after a Team Ontario #2 bump attempt from skip Aaron Genjaga missed its target.

“We were in a lot of trouble,” said Tremblay leading up to the eventual game-winning shot. “I tried to be calm, but I was pretty nervous, naturally. I threw it pretty close to the broom, I think, and my teammates made some good line calls and good sweeping.”

Tremblay says he will continue chasing his curling dreams further in the future.

“I plan to keep for a lot of years to come, I hope, with my teammates and my family supporting me.”

Québec now has two male Canadian U-18 medals to its name; Gold in 2026 and a bronze in 2025 from skip Zachary Janidlo (Pointe-Claire).

The last time the Canadian Under-18 Curling Championships were held in Timmins, Ont., Alberta swept the top of the podium. The female gold medallist was Team Myla Plett (Airdrie/Sherwood Park) while the male gold medallist was Team Zachary Davies (Edmonton).

Nova Scotia leads the female overall U-18 Canadian medal count with seven; two gold, three silver, and two bronze. Alberta leads the male overall U-18 Canadian medal count with five; two gold, two silver and one bronze.

Archived scores, rosters, and additional details can be found at the event website by clicking here.

The Canadian Under-18 Curling Championship Skills Competition podium finishers are as follows:

Male:

Gold – Evan Hanson (Team New Brunswick #1)
Silver – Henry Salzman (Team Nova Scotia #2)
Bronze – Jake Kowalchuk (Team Manitoba #2)

Females:

Gold – Avery Colwell (Team New Brunswick #1)
Silver – Angélie Thomassin (Team Québec #2)
Bronze – Sophie Chapman (Team Alberta #1)