TEAM HEBERT READY TO REPRESENT THE UNITED STATES AT WORLD JUNIOR-B CHAMPIONSHIP
Photo by: Michael Woolheater
[EDEN PRAIRIE, MN, December 13, 2025] —The United States, represented by Team Hebert (Caden Hebert, Jackson Bestland, Benji Paral, Jack Wendtland, Daniel Laufer, Coaches Ann Swisshelm and Mike Peplinski) is set to take the ice at the World Junior-B Men’s Championship at the Kisakallio Sports Institute in Lohja, Finland.
The event brings together 20 teams from around the globe, all competing to earn one of three berths in the 2026 World Junior Curling Championships, slated for Taarnby, Denmark, from February 24 through March 3rd.
Team Hebert USA Curling Junior Men’s National Championship last spring in Bowling Green, OH, earning the right to represent the country on the international stage this season.
At the World Junior-B event, teams will be split into three groups, and play a round-robin schedule within each one. The top two teams in each group, along with the two third-ranked teams with the best Draw Shot Challenge results will qualify for the quarter-finals. Matchups in teh quarter-finals will be determined based on rankings from group play.
The United States will play in Group C, competing against Australia, Austria, England, Hungary, and Switzerland. The first games are on Monday, December 15th at 9 AM local time. The semi-finals will take place on Saturday morning at 10 AM to determine who will compete in the medal games that afternoon.
USA Curling CEO Dean Gemmell noted, “Team Hebert has been on the rise in junior curling circles for the past few years. After earning a silver medal in 2024, they captured gold at our Junior Nationals in 2025. They also earned a berth in our Olympic Team Trials by winning the Pre-Trials event in September, and that experience against the country’s top Men’s teams will serve them well in Finland.
Fans can follow the team on the World Curling website and see scores, statistics, and standings here.
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.
