Nichols back in the buffalo hunt

It was an announcement that everyone who keeps tabs on curling saw coming.

Early Monday, Matt Dunstone officially revealed that Mark Nichols will join him, Colton Lott and Ryan Harnden to play second ​next season.

The 2026 Brier champion ​and world silver medallist had a hole to fill at the position ​with E.J. Harnden​’s recent retirement.

Nichols, 46, was available for hire after his longtime skip and friend Brad Gushue retired after this year’s Brier.

“Obviously, we’re sad that E.J. is leaving because he’s as good as it gets,” Dunstone told the Free Press.

“But at the end of the day, what better guy to fill that role than Mark? He’s a guy who’s a six-time Brier champ, a world champ, an Olympic champ, you name it — the resume is enormous. With him coming in to fill second position and be another sharpshooter, I think the team is going to be in a good spot moving forward.”

​The move marks a return to Manitoba for Nichols. He spent the past 12 years playing third in his home province of Newfoundland and Labrador under Gushue, but he was on the front-end for Jeff Stoughton​ for three seasons prior to that.

Outside of his stint with Stoughton, Nichols has held down the fort a​t third for the vast majority of his career. Despite that, Dunstone wasn’t going to ask third Colton Lott ​to switch positions to accommodate their new teammate.

“Colton was always going to be the third. You see the chemistry that me and him have had over the last 16 months and the success that came with it. That was never a discussion or a consideration,” said Dunstone.

“But you know, when discussing that with Mark, he was more than open to trying something new. And I mean, this is something Mark’s done before as well with another Winnipeg team when he came and played with Jeff, right? He played lead, and then moved up to second when he switched with Reid (Carruthers). And at the end of the day, we all just want to win and put results up on the board, and the chemistry that me and Colt have at the back end is something we don’t want to ruffle feathers with.

“And you know, to add someone with a third position skill set at the second position is a great thing for our team. I have no doubts in my mind that Mark will be awesome in that spot and he’s excited for the opportunity.”

E.J. Harnden ​gave his stamp of approval. He was teammates with Nichols from 2022-24.

“E.J. was involved in conversations that we were having. We definitely asked for his opinion and advice and he was in full support of this,” said Dunstone. “He thought it was an awesome move for us and it’s nice to have that validation, absolutely.”

Nichols is one of the most decorated curlers in the game with gold and bronze medals at the Olympic Winter Games, one gold and four silver medals at the World Men’s Curling Championship and 16 Grand Slam titles to go with his six national crowns.

“After a very rewarding journey with Team Gushue, starting this new chapter with Team Dunstone feels like the perfect next step,” said Nichols in a release.

“The opportunity to join forces with Matt, Colton and Ryan was one I couldn’t pass up. I’m energized by the opportunity to bring my experience to an already elite lineup, and I look forward to building on the foundation they’ve established as we pursue our goals on the world stage.”

winnipegfreepress.com/taylorallen