SHUSTER LOOKS FOR SUCCESS ON HOME ICE AS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BRINGS ELITE CURLERS TO UTAH
Photo by: World Curling
[EDEN PRAIRIE, MN, March 27, 2026] — The world’s top curling nations will be in Ogden, UT, this week as the LGT World Men's Curling Championship gets underway, with Team Shuster (John Shuster, Chris Plys, Colin Hufman, Matt Hamilton, Aidan Oldenburg) representing the United States on home ice.
Led by 2018 Olympic gold medalist John Shuster, the Americans are among the veteran lineups in Utah. In addition to their experience at international events, the team has had a successful season, and enter this championship ranked #8 in the world. Shuster and his teammates were edged by Team Casper in the best two-of-three final at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in November, but have delivered consistent results in Tour events this year and captured the U.S. Men’s National Championship this past February.
Oldenburg usually plays lead on Team Casper, the Olympic representatives for the United States in the Cortina. He was the top-ranked lead at the Games, and has been added to the team in Utah as the Alternate.
“This is a special opportunity for our team,” said Shuster. “To compete for a world title in the United States—and in a community that has embraced curling—is something we don’t take for granted. We’re excited to get started.”
The championship features 13 teams teams from across the globe. Following round-robin play, six teams will advance to the playoff round. The top two teams will earn spots in the semi-finals, while four more will compete in a qualification round to advance. The playoffs are single-elimination.
The Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation is the Local Organizing Committee for the event, as they look to bring high-level international competition to the area in advance of hosting the 2034 Winter Olympic Games. In addition, the Salt Lake City area has a collection of robust USA Curling Member Clubs who currently play on skating ice—all are hoping to move towards a curling-specific facility in the area and will use this event as another catalyst for those efforts.
For schedules, statistics, standings, and live scores, fans can visit the World Curling website. All games in the event are available to viewers through The Curling Channel.
About USA Curling
Founded in 1958 and headquartered in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, USA Curling is the National Governing body for the Olympic sport of curling and the Paralympic sport of wheelchair curling in the United States. The mission of USA Curling is to grow, strengthen, and advocate for the Olympic and Paralympic sport of curling in the United States by prioritizing accessibility and programmatic development from grassroots to podium. USA Curling is sponsored by Columbia Sportswear, the Dale’s family of beers, Twin Cities Orthopedics, Training HAUS, Ice, Sports & Solar (ISS), Rock Solid Productions, Jet Ice, and Laurie Artiss. USA Curling is a proud member of World Curling and the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee. To learn more, visit usacurling.org.
