Njegovan forms new Manitoba rink

There’s a new contender based out of Manitoba.

Selena Njegovan — who previously played third for Kaitlyn Lawes — announced Friday that she has formed a team with third Erin Pincott, second Margot Flemming and lead Krysten Karwacki.

Njegovan and Karwacki played together over a decade ago at the University of Manitoba where they won a CIS (now U Sports) national title in 2013 under Breanne Meakin. With Team Lawes going their separate ways and Karwacki on the hunt for a full-time role after several years as an alternate with Kerri Einarson, the two Winnipeggers started chatting about a reunion.

“We were just kind of looking to build something new. Selena sounded like she was really interested in stepping into the skip role, which was awesome to hear,” said Karwacki.

“We picked our brains about who we could approach, and Erin came to mind as her team (B.C.’s Corryn Brown) had announced their split already, and then we thought of Margot because her team (Alberta’s Kayla Skrlik) had also disbanded. Everybody kind of came together pretty quickly.”

Pincott, who was born in Richmond, B.C., is dating Winnipeg’s Matt Dunstone and they currently reside in Kamloops. They’ll be packing up their things soon as the plan is to move to the Manitoba capital for the upcoming curling season.

Pincott was the fifth for Lawes at this year’s Scotties.

Flemming will be the squad’s import out of Yellowknife, NT.

“It’ll be really nice to have (Pincott) in Winnipeg. It’s nice to have as many people in Winnipeg as possible for training, so, it’s really nice that her and Matt decided to move here so I’m excited to play with her,” said Njegovan, a two-time Scotties finalist (2018 and 2026).

“And (Flemming) is going to be the import but it’s not going to feel as much like an import as she’s going to be here quite a bit. Her life is quite flexible so she’s actually going to spend quite a bit of time here in Winnipeg.”

Njegovan isn’t done recruiting yet as there’s a good chance they’ll need some additional assistance. The 34-year-old is currently pregnant with twins and is expected to give birth in mid-August.

“One thing about these girls is they’re really supportive of me expanding my family and they understand that I’m going to need a little bit of time to recover, which I appreciate so much,” said Njegovan.

“Obviously, I’m hoping I won’t be gone too long, but you never know what that’s gonna look ike. We’re working with doctors and physios to make sure I’m able to come back as soon as possible and hopefully, not miss too much.”

Njegovan spent the past few years calling the game for Lawes so she’s confident it’ll be a smooth transition to skip.

Karwacki has full confidence in her as well.

“I think she’s a strong shooter in general. She just makes a lot of shots. Even this past Scotties, she got first-team all-star third so that kind of speaks for itself, too,” said Karwacki, also 34.

“But in terms of skipping, I think she’s a great leader and calls a great game. She’s always willing to learn and she approaches the game with curiosity. She’s open to trying to new things, and I think she’s going to make a great leader.”

Karwacki was a first-team Scotties all-star in 2024 when she was thrust into action after Briane Harris was suspended on the eve of the tournament. In 2025, Karwacki had another strong performance at nationals that earned her a second-team all-star nod.

With Einarson opting to keep Karlee Burgess in a full-time role and with Shannon Birchard back from a knee injury, Karwacki was demoted to the bench in 2026. Two weeks ago, Team Einarson announced they were parting ways with Karwacki, as well as third Val Sweeting and coach Reid Carruthers.

“A lot happened (this past quadrennial). There were lots of ups and downs in different ways, but a lot of really great opportunities came out of the last four years, too. And I’m just super grateful for those experiences,” said Karwacki.

“I’ve been dreaming of getting to the Scotties and seeing what I could do there and it didn’t happen the way I’d envision it would happen, but it still happened. I’ve learned so much over the last few years so I’m just excited to bring that to the team and see what everyone else can bring.”

With New Bothwell’s Kate Cameron taking her talents to Quebec to link up with Laurie St-Georges, that leaves Njegovan and reigning Manitoba champ Beth Peterson as the two favourites in the Keystone Province.

The 2027 edition of women’s provincials will take place in Gimli in late January.

“I’m just excited to get back to playing at Manitoba provincials, to be honest,” said Karwacki, who played out of Saskatchewan under Nancy Martin before getting the call from Einarson.

“I’ve been thinking a lot about it, and it really excites me and it’s kind of lighting a fire underneath me.”

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