TEAM HEBERT WINS GOLD AND QUALIFIES FOR 2026 WORLD JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIPS
Photo by: Michael Woolheater
[EDEN PRAIRIE, MN, December 20, 2025] — It was another great week for Team USA at the World Junior-B Championships in Finland, as Team Hebert (Caden Hebert, Jackson Bestland, Benji Paral, Jack Wendtland, Daniel Laufer, Coaches Mike Peplinski and Ann Swisshelm) went through the event without a loss, claimed gold, and earned a berth in the 2026 World Junior Men’s Championship in Denmark.
Just one week before, Team Johnson (Allory Johnson, Gianna Johnson, Morgan Zacher, Bailey Vaydich, Ella Wendling, Coach Chris Johnson) won silver and qualified for the 2026 World Junior Women’s Championship.
After finishing first in their group in the qualifying round, the young Hebert team, based out of the Eau Claire Curling Club in Wisconsin, powered through the playoff round. They defeated Australia 8-1, beat Poland 10-2, and closed out the championship by topping Switzerland 5-2 in the final.
The top three teams in this event advance to the 2026 World Junior Men’s Championship. The American men will be joined in Tarnby, Denmark, by silver medalists Switzerland and bronze medalists Poland.
USA Curling CEO Dean Gemmell said, “Team Hebert is a very impressive group, and they showed their commitment to excellence at this event. Before they played in the World Junior-Bs, they also qualified in Men’s play for our November Olympic Team Trials by winning the Pre-Trials against a tough field. Competing in Sioux Falls was an experience that sharpened their game even more, and served as great preparation for this competition.”
There were 20 teams competing for the berths in Finland, with the top eight advancing to the single-elimination playoff round. All the results from this event, including statistics, Draw Shot Challenge (DSC) scores, and final standings, can be found on the World Curling website.
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.
