Curling news: Next generation of curlers making mark [Video]

When veteran curlers Brad Gushue and Mark Nichols entered the locker room at the Stu Sells Oakville Tankard for their season-opening bonspiel, they were expecting to see many of their usual opponents.

Instead they got a first-hand look at the new generation that’s set to make a mark on the Roaring Game.

“We looked around and we didn’t recognize a lot of the faces,” Gushue said. “A lot of new younger teams are on the scene, especially the international teams.”

The September bonspiel wasn’t just a one-off for up-and-coming international talent. Many of the men’s and women’s teams in the field in Oakville are regulars on the top-flight Grand Slam of Curling circuit.

A wave of under-30 talent from abroad — anchored by skips like Switzerland’s Marco Hoesli, Scotland’s Ross Whyte, Italy’s Stefania Constantini and Sweden’s Isabella Wrana, to name a few — has the sport’s future looking bright, but …