| Connor Njegovan | |
|---|---|
| Born | June 23, 1992 |
| Team | |
| Curling club | Granite CC, Winnipeg, MB [1] |
| Skip | TBD |
| Third | Reid Carruthers |
| Second | Derek Samagalski |
| Lead | Connor Njegovan |
Curling career  | |
| Member Association |  Manitoba |
| Brier appearances | 5 (2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024) |
| Top CTRS ranking | 5th (2021–22, 2022–23) |
Connor Njegovan (born June 23, 1992) is a Canadian curler from Winnipeg, Manitoba. [2]
Njegovan made his first and only Canadian Junior Curling Championships appearance in 2010 playing second for the Alex Forrest rink. The team finished the round robin in first place only suffering two losses to Northern Ontario and Saskatchewan. This meant the team had an automatic bye to the final. There, they faced Ontario who they had previously beaten in the round robin. The team gave up two in the final end to lose the game 8–7. Njegovan curled an average 81% during the round robin. [3]
Njegovan played for the Jeff Stoughton rink for the 2014–15 season, which would be Stoughton's last. The team played in four Grand Slam of Curling events but only qualified in one, the 2014 Masters. At the 2015 Manitoba provincials, the team qualified for the championship round as the third seed. They defeated Braden Calvert 6–4 in the 3 vs. 4 game before being eliminated in the semi-final by the Mike McEwen rink. [4]
The following year at the 2016 Viterra Championship, his rink of Alex Forrest, Travis Bale and Ian McMillan failed to make the final four championship round after losing the Double Knockout qualifier against Matt Dunstone 7–3. [5] Njegovan joined Dunstone the following season with Forrest and McMillan to try to qualify for the Brier again at the 2017 Viterra Championship. But once again, his team would be bested in the Double Knockout round, this time to Jason Gunnlaugson. [6]
For the 2017–18 season, Njegovan would once again stay with Forrest and McMillan but would bring on Gunnlaugson to skip the team. The team had a successful Grand Slam season, playing in every slam and qualifying in six of their seven events including winning the 2017 Tour Challenge Tier 2. [7] However at the 2018 Viterra Championship, the team struggled going 1–2 in the Double Knockout bracket and missing the playoffs. The team had a less successful following season, only playing five slam and qualifying in one of them. At this years provincials, the team qualified for the Championship Round as the number one seed. But they fell apart in the playoffs, losing the 1 vs. 2 game against Carruthers and the semifinal against Lyburn. [8] The team did get to represent Canada at the Second Leg of the 2018-19 Curling World Cup, where they went 1–5. [9] [10]
The team won the 2019 Cargill Curling Training Centre Icebreaker to start the 2019–20 season. [11] They also won the Mother Club Fall Curling Classic and the Ed Werenich Golden Wrench Classic. [12] [13] Njegovan won his first Provincial title at the 2020 Viterra Championship after defeating the Mike McEwen rink 7–4 in the final. [14] Team Gunnlaugson represented Manitoba at the 2020 Tim Hortons Brier, where they finished in eighth place with a 5–6 record. [15] It would be the team's last event of the season as both the Players' Championship and the Champions Cup Grand Slam events were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [16]
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Manitoba, the 2021 provincial championship was cancelled. As the reigning provincial champions, Team Gunnlaugson was chosen to represent Manitoba at the 2021 Tim Hortons Brier. [17] At the Brier, they finished with a 6–6 record. [18]
During the 2019–20 season, Njegovan coached the Sayaka Yoshimura team from Japan. He coached them to a bronze medal finish at the 2020 Japan Curling Championships and a runner-up finish at the 2019 Masters Grand Slam event.
He also coaches his wife Selena's rink, team Kaitlyn Lawes. [19]
Njegovan is married to fellow curler Selena Njegovan, and has one son. [20] He is currently a real estate agent with Royal LePage - The Neufeld Group. [21] He attended the University of Manitoba.
| Season | Skip | Third | Second | Lead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009–10 [22] | Alex Forrest | Joey Witherspoon | Connor Njegovan | Mike Neufeld |
| 2011–12 | Joey Witherspoon | Connor Njegovan | Taylor McIntyre | Brett Brezden |
| 2012–13 | Kyle Doering | Connor Njegovan | Derek Oryniak | Kyle Kurz |
| 2013–14 | William Lyburn | Alex Forrest | Connor Njegovan | Tyler Forrest |
| 2014–15 | Jeff Stoughton | Rob Fowler | Alex Forrest | Connor Njegovan |
| 2015–16 | Alex Forrest | Travis Bale | Ian McMillan | Connor Njegovan |
| 2016–17 | Matt Dunstone | Alex Forrest | Ian McMillan | Connor Njegovan |
| 2017–18 | Jason Gunnlaugson | Alex Forrest | Ian McMillan | Connor Njegovan |
| 2018–19 | Jason Gunnlaugson | Alex Forrest | Denni Neufeld | Connor Njegovan |
| 2019–20 | Jason Gunnlaugson | Alex Forrest | Adam Casey | Connor Njegovan |
| 2020–21 | Jason Gunnlaugson | Adam Casey | Matt Wozniak | Connor Njegovan |
| 2021–22 | Jason Gunnlaugson | Adam Casey | Matt Wozniak | Connor Njegovan |
| 2022–23 | Reid Carruthers | Jason Gunnlaugson (2022) Brad Jacobs (2023) | Derek Samagalski | Connor Njegovan |
| 2023–24 | Brad Jacobs | Reid Carruthers | Derek Samagalski | Connor Njegovan |
Jason Gunnlaugson is a Canadian curler currently living in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
Michael McEwen is a Canadian curler from Winnipeg, Manitoba, who grew up in Brandon, Manitoba. McEwen won six Grand Slams in his career before his team qualified for their first Brier, Canada's national championship in 2016. He is noted as one of the top curlers using the Manitoba tuck delivery today.
Brendan Michael Bottcher is a Canadian curler from Spruce Grove, Alberta. Bottcher is a three-time provincial men's champion, and was the skip of the 2021 Canadian men's championship team, having led Alberta to victory at the 2021 Tim Hortons Brier.
Brendan "B. J." Neufeld is a Canadian curler from Winnipeg, Manitoba. Neufeld plays third for the Matt Dunstone rink. He started curling around the age of ten and, like older brother Denni Neufeld, cites the achievements of his father as leading his interest into the game of curling. His father is Chris Neufeld who was a three-time Manitoba curling champion and one time Labatt Brier champion in 1992 as part of the Vic Peters team.
Matt Wozniak is a Canadian curler from Winnipeg, Manitoba. Wozniak is the former second for the Mike McEwen team which curled out of the Assiniboine Memorial Curling Club in Winnipeg.
Reid Carruthers is a Canadian curler from Winnipeg, Manitoba. Carruthers was the 2011 world champion—winning gold as a second on Jeff Stoughton's team—as well as an eight-time provincial champion, the 2003 junior provincial champion, and the 2008 Manitoba provincial mixed champion. He coaches the Kerri Einarson women's team.
Braeden Moskowy is a Canadian curler from Regina, Saskatchewan. He is a former Canadian junior curling champion and a six-time Brier competitor.
Matthew Dunstone, nicknamed "the Sheriff" is a Canadian curler from Kamloops, British Columbia.
Braden Calvert is a Canadian curler from Carberry, Manitoba. He currently skips his own team out of Winnipeg. He is a former World Junior curling champion and two-time Canadian junior champion.
Ian McMillan is a Canadian curler from Winnipeg, Manitoba. He currently plays lead on Team John Epping.
Colton Lott is a Canadian curler from Winnipeg Beach, Manitoba. He currently plays second on Team Matt Dunstone, and also curls with Kadriana Lott in mixed doubles.
The 2020 Viterra Championship, Manitoba's provincial men's curling championship, was held from February 5 to 9 at the Eric Coy Arena in Winnipeg. The winning Jason Gunnlaugson rink represented Manitoba at the 2020 Tim Hortons Brier and finished with a 5–6 record.
Alex Forrest is a Canadian curler from Winnipeg, Manitoba. Until 2020, he played third for the Jason Gunnlaugson rink.
Robbie "Rob" Gordon is a Canadian curler from Winnipeg, Manitoba. He currently plays lead on Team Braden Calvert.
The 2022 Tim Hortons Brier, Canada's national men's curling championship, was held from March 4 to 13 at the ENMAX Centre in Lethbridge, Alberta. In the final, the defending Olympic bronze medallist Brad Gushue Wild Card #1 team, which also include Mark Nichols, Brett Gallant and Geoff Walker from Newfoundland and Labrador defeated Alberta, skipped by Kevin Koe. It was Gushue's fourth career Brier title, and the team did it shorthanded, as Nichols missed the playoffs due to testing positive for COVID-19. According to Curling Canada, it was the first time a three-player team won a Brier final. Gushue's four Brier wins ties the record with Ernie Richardson, Randy Ferbey, Kevin Martin and Koe for most Brier championships as a skip, and his rink tied the "Ferbey Four" for most Brier championships as a foursome with four titles. Gushue played as a Wild Card team as they missed the Newfoundland and Labrador provincials due to their participation in the Olympics, and were the first team to ever play at the Brier and the Olympics in the same year. They were also the first Wild Card team to win the Brier. The Gushue rink represented Canada at the 2022 World Men's Curling Championship at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, United States, where they won the silver medal.
Kevin Marsh is a Canadian curler from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. He currently plays second on Team Mike McEwen.
Daniel Marsh is a Canadian curler from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. He currently plays lead on Team Mike McEwen.
Kyle Kurz is a Canadian curler from Winnipeg, Manitoba. He currently plays second on Team Braden Calvert.
The 2023 Tim Hortons Brier, Canada's national men's curling championship, was held from March 3 to 12 at the Budweiser Gardens in London, Ontario. The defending champion Team Canada rink, skipped by Brad Gushue won the event, and would go on to represent Canada at the 2023 World Men's Curling Championship on home soil at TD Place Arena in Ottawa, Ontario, where they won a silver medal. It was a record fifth Brier title as a skip for Gushue.
Kyle Doering is a Canadian curler from Winnipeg, Manitoba. He currently the second on Team Aaron Sluchinski. He is a former Canadian junior champion and World junior bronze medallist.
