Team USA delivered a historic performance at the 2026 World Junior Curling Championships, highlighted by Team Hebert (Caden Hebert, Jackson Bestland, Benji Paral, Jack Wendtland, Daniel Laufer) capturing the gold medal and earning the title of 2026 World Junior Men’s Champions, while Team Johnson (Allory Johnson, Gianna Johnson, Morgan Zacher, Bailey Vaydich, Ella Wendling) finished just off the podium in women’s play but had an impressive run against a first-rate field.
Hebert and his teammates, based out of the Eau Claire Curling Club, navigated round-robin play with just one loss, advancing to the semi-finals to face traditionally strong Canada. A 7-6 victory in that game sent them to the final, where they faced defending champion Italy. The Americans got out to an early 6-3 lead, and controlled the game on their way to an 8-6 victory.
In addition to winning the 2026 championship, skip Caden Hebert, after a vote by all competitors, also won the World Curling Junior Sportsmanship Award. This honor goes to the player who best exemplifies the values of skill, honesty, fair play, sportsmanship and friendship.
