Aaron Sluchinski

{{Infobox curler

| name = Aaron Sluchinski

| image =

| image_size =

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1987|3|24}}

| Curling club = Airdrie CC,
Airdrie, AB{{Cite web|url=https://www.curling.ca/files/2021/03/Home-Hardware-Canadian-Mixed-Doubles-media-guide-web2.pdf|title=2021 Home Hardware Canadian Mixed Doubles Curling Championship Media Guide|website=Curling Canada|access-date=March 18, 2021}}

| Skip = Kevin Koe

| Third = Aaron Sluchinski

| Second = Tyler Tardi

| Lead = Karrick Martin

| Alternate =

| Mixed doubles partner = Amanda Sluchinski

| Member Association = {{AB}}

| Brier appearances = 3 ({{Brier|2022}}, {{Brier|2024}}, {{Brier|2025}})

| Top CCA ranking = 7th (2022–23; 2023–24)

| medaltemplates =

{{MedalCountry|{{CAN}} }}

{{MedalCountry|{{AB}} }}

}}

Aaron Sluchinski (born March 24, 1987) is a Canadian curler from Airdrie, Alberta. He currently plays third on Team Kevin Koe.

Career

=Juniors=

Sluchinski made his first national appearance at the 2008 Canadian Junior Curling Championships skipping his Alberta rink of Justin Sluchinski, Colin Hodgson and Tylor Bennet. The team finished with a 7–5 record, missing the playoffs and settling for fifth place. He would play in his first Boston Pizza Cup, Alberta's men's provincial championship, in 2012 as second for Kevin Park. The team finished with a 3–3 record in the triple knockout format, failing to advance to the playoff round.{{Cite web|url=https://www.curlingzone.com/event.php?view=Team&eventid=2661&teamid=58440&profileid=|title=2012 Boston Pizza Cup|website=CurlingZone|access-date=March 18, 2021}}

=Men's=

Sluchinski and his team had a great run at the 2013 Boston Pizza Cup, qualifying for the playoffs through the B Event.{{Cite news|url=https://www.airdrieecho.com/2013/02/08/sluchinski-set-to-skip-at-provincials/wcm/0b5d586a-5c4f-1b85-779f-31de10914303|title=Sluchinski set to skip at provincials|publisher=Airdrie Echo|author=Chris Simnett|date=February 8, 2013|access-date=March 18, 2021}} They then lost both of their playoffs games to Kevin Martin and Kevin Koe, settling for third place.{{Cite news|url=https://www.airdrieecho.com/2013/02/14/giant-killer|title=Giant Killer|publisher=Airdrie Echo|author=Chris Simnett|date=February 14, 2013|access-date=March 18, 2021}} The following season, he won his first World Curling Tour event at the Black Diamond / High River Cash. At provincials, they lost to Team Koe in the C Event Final.

Team Sluchinski won two more tour events during the 2014–15 season at The Good Times Bonspiel and the McKee Homes Fall Curling Classic. At the 2015 Boston Pizza Cup, they qualified for the playoffs through the C Side before losing to the Mick Lizmore rink in the 3 vs. 4 page playoff game.{{Cite news|url=https://edmontonjournal.com/sports/bottcher-lizmore-make-boston-pizza-cup-playoffs/|title=Bottcher, Lizmore make Boston Pizza Cup playoffs|publisher=Edmonton Journal|author=Norm Cowley|date=February 8, 2015|access-date=March 18, 2021}} He joined Darren Moulding's rink the following season and defended his title at the McKee Homes Fall Curling Classic. The team failed to qualify for the provincial championship after losing the Southern Alberta qualifier. He would win two more tour events at the 2017 Avonair Cash Spiel and the 2017 Black Diamond / High River Cash during the 2017–18 season.{{Cite news|url=https://www.tsn.ca/wct-cct-recap-world-champions-gushue-homan-victorious-1.872587|title=WCT/CCT Recap: World champions Gushue, Homan victorious|work=TSN|date=October 1, 2017|access-date=March 18, 2021}}

Team Sluchinski began the 2023–24 curling season at the 2023 PointsBet Invitational tournament, organized by Curling Canada. There, the team was eliminated in the "Sweep 16"{{Cite web|url=https://www.curling.ca/files/2024/03/2024-Montanas-Brier-media-guide-Ver3.pdf|title=2024 Montana's Brier Media Guide|website=Curling Canada|access-date=March 9, 2024}} round against Mike McEwen. The team played in three Grand Slam of Curling events during the season, the 2023 Tour Challenge, the 2023 National and the 2023 Masters, failing to make the playoffs in all three.{{Cite web|url=https://thegrandslamofcurling.com/teams/team-sluchinski/|title=Team Sluchinski|website=Grand Slam of Curling|access-date=March 9, 2024}} Later in the season, the team won the 2024 Boston Pizza Cup when they defeated Kevin Koe in the final in an upset.{{cite news|title=New Alberta curling team slides into deep men's national championship field|date=February 29, 2024|publisher=CBC|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/curling-alberta-sluchinski-brier-airdrie-1.7129568|accessdate=March 9, 2024}} The team represented one of the Alberta teams at the 2024 Montana's Brier. There, they finished pool play with a 4–4 record.

At the beginning of the 2024–25 curling season, Sluchinski announced that he would be leaving his team and joining the Kevin Koe rink team at third.{{Cite news|url=https://www.sportsnet.ca/curling/article/aaron-sluchinski-parts-ways-with-team-to-join-kevin-koe/|title=Aaron Sluchinski parts ways with team to join Kevin Koe|publisher=Sportsnet|date=October 8, 2024|access-date=October 10, 2024}} The team qualified for two Grand slam events, the 2024 Tour Challenge and 2024 Canadian Open where they went 2–3 and 1–3 respectively, failing to make the playoffs. The team however won the Alberta provincial men's championship, the 2025 Boston Pizza Cup, qualifying them to represent Alberta at the 2025 Montana's Brier. At the Brier, the team finished with a 4–4 record, missing the playoffs.

=Mixed doubles=

In 2020, Sluchinski and his mixed doubles partner Brittany Tran won the 2020 Alberta Mixed Doubles Curling Championship,{{Cite news|url=https://lethbridgeherald.com/sports/lethbridge-sports/2020/02/25/tran-sluchinski-rink-wins-mixed-title/|title=Tran/Sluchinski rink wins mixed title|publisher=Lethbridge Herald|author=Dale Woohard|date=February 25, 2020|access-date=March 28, 2021}} however did not get to compete in the 2020 Canadian Mixed Doubles Curling Championship as it was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada. As the 2021 Alberta provincial playdowns were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Alberta, Sluchinski and Tran were selected to represent Alberta at the 2021 Canadian Mixed Doubles Curling Championship in Calgary. At the championship, the pair finished the round robin with a 4–2 record, qualifying for the championship round as the eleventh seed. They then faced eventual champions Kerri Einarson and Brad Gushue in the round of 12 where they lost 9–8, eliminating them from contention.{{Cite news|url=https://www.sportingnews.com/ca/other-sports/news/canadian-mixed-doubles-curling-championship-2021-results-standings-schedule-tv-channel/148uf4sgh7v5h1k3c4vzpm00b8|title=Canadian Mixed Doubles Curling Championship 2021: Results, standings, schedule and TV channel|publisher=Sporting News|author=Jackie Spiegel|date=March 26, 2021|access-date=March 28, 2021}} In 2023, Sluchinski and Tran qualified for the 2023 Canadian Mixed Doubles Curling Championship through ranking points. The team had a strong showing again at the event, going 5–2 in the round robin to qualify for the playoffs again as the eleventh seeds.{{Cite news|url=https://www.curling.ca/blog/2023/03/24/pressure-packed-playoff-picture/|title=Pressure Packed Playoff Picture!|publisher=Curling Canada|date=March 24, 2023|access-date=December 24, 2023}} There, they knocked off Laurie St-Georges and Félix Asselin in a qualification game and then beat Laura Walker and Kirk Muyres in the quarterfinals.{{Cite news|url=https://www.curling.ca/2023mixeddoubles/blog/2023/03/25/final-four/|title=Final four!|publisher=Curling Canada|date=March 25, 2023|access-date=December 24, 2023}} They could not continue their run in the semifinals, however, losing in an extra end to Jocelyn Peterman and Brett Gallant.

After Tran stopped curling mixed doubles to fix on her women's team, Sluchinski teamed up with his wife Amanda, and won the 2024 Alberta Mixed Doubles Championship, earning the pair a trip to the 2024 Canadian Mixed Doubles Curling Championship.{{cite news|title=Sluchinskis 'able to make it work' as spouses chasing Canada's mixed doubles title|date=March 15, 2024|publisher=Calgary Herald|url=https://calgaryherald.com/sports/sluchinskis-able-to-make-it-work-as-spouses-chasing-canadas-mixed-doubles-title|accessdate=March 22, 2024}} At the national mixed doubles, the pair finished pool play with a 4–3 record. In the playoffs, they won their first match against Andrea Kelly and Tyler Tardi.{{cite news|title=Alberta's Sluchinskis win play-in draw at mixed doubles curling nationals|date=March 20, 2024|publisher=Calgary Herald|url=https://calgaryherald.com/sports/albertas-sluchinskis-qualify-for-playoff-round-at-mixed-doubles-curling-nationals|accessdate=March 22, 2024}} They lost in the quarterfinals to Laura Walker and Kirk Muyres.

Personal life

Sluchinski works as an accounting manager for The Strike Group. He and wife Amanda have two children.

Grand Slam record

class="wikitable" border="1"
Event ! 2022–23 ! 2023–24 ! 2024–25
Tour Challenge \|style="background:#afeeee;"\| T2 \|style="background:#afeeee;"\| Q \|style="background:#afeeee;"\| T2
Canadian Open \|style="background:#EFEFEF;"\| DNP \|style="background:#EFEFEF;"\| DNP \|style="background:#afeeee;"\| Q
The National \|style="background:#EFEFEF;"\| DNP \|style="background:#afeeee;"\| Q \|style="background:#EFEFEF;"\| DNP
Masters \|style="background:#EFEFEF;"\| DNP \|style="background:#afeeee;"\| Q \|style="background:#EFEFEF;"\| DNP

class="wikitable" border="1"

Event

|style="background:#afeeee;"| T2

|style="background:#afeeee;"| Q

|style="background:#afeeee;"| T2

Canadian Open