Jean-François Trépanier
Canadian curler From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jean-François "J-F"[1] Trépanier (born February 20, 1987) is a Canadian curler from Saint-Étienne-de-Beauharnois, Quebec.[2] He currently plays lead on Team Félix Asselin.
| Jean-François Trépanier | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 20, 1987 |
| Team | |
| Curling club | CC Valleyfield, Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, QC[1] |
| Skip | Félix Asselin |
| Third | Jean-Michel Ménard |
| Second | Martin Crête |
| Lead | Jean-François Trépanier |
Curling career  | |
| Member Association |  Quebec |
| Brier appearances | 4 (2018, 2021, 2022, 2023) |
| Top CTRS ranking | 14th (2022–23) |
Trépanier began playing with the Mike Fournier rink with Félix Asselin at third and William Dion at second for the 2017–18 season. He previously played for Denis Robichaud, Simon Hebert and Guy Hemmings. In their first season together, Team Fournier won the 2018 WFG Tankard.[3] The team qualified for the playoffs as the fourth seed and won three straight games to claim the provincial title. At the 2018 Tim Hortons Brier, they finished 3–5 record, finishing in tenth place. They could not defend their provincial title the following year, losing to Martin Crête in the final of the 2019 WFG Tankard.
Trépanier qualified for his first Grand Slam of Curling event during the 2019–20 season at the 2019 Tour Challenge Tier 2. His team qualified for the playoffs with a perfect 4–0 record. They then defeated Jamie Murphy in the quarterfinals before losing to eventual winners Korey Dropkin in the semifinal.[4] Also during the 2019–20 season, Team Fournier finished third at the 2020 Quebec Tankard.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Quebec, the 2021 provincial championship was cancelled.[5] Curling Québec then decided to appoint Team Fournier to represent Quebec at the 2021 Tim Hortons Brier in Calgary, Alberta.[6] The event was played in a bio-secure bubble to prevent the spread of the virus. At the Brier, they finished with a 4–4 record, failing to qualify for the championship round.[7]
In their first event of the 2021–22 season, Team Fournier reached the final of the Capital Curling Fall Open. Because of their previous successes on tour, the team had enough points to qualify for the 2021 Canadian Olympic Curling Pre-Trials.[8] At the Pre-Trials, the team finished the round robin with a 3–3 record, missing the playoff round.[9] Later in the season, they won the Challenge Casino de Charlevoix and reached the final of both the Stu Sells 1824 Halifax Classic and the Finale du Circuit.[10] The Quebec Tankard was once again cancelled due to the pandemic and Team Fournier were named as the provinces representatives for the 2022 Tim Hortons Brier.[11] At the Brier, the team finished once again with a 4–4, placing sixth in their pool. Following the season, skip Mike Fournier moved to Ontario and Félix Asselin took over as skip of the team with Émile Asselin coming in to play second.[12]
Trépanier is employed as an electrician at Quebec Hydro.[2] He is married to Melissa Gilbert Paquette, and has three children.
Prior to his curling career, Trépanier played ice hockey. He spent four seasons in the Quebec Junior Hockey League playing for the Valleyfield Braves from 2004 to 2008 and played for the Botany Swarm in the New Zealand Ice Hockey League from 2008 to 2009.[13]
| Season | Skip | Third | Second | Lead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013–14[14] | Denis Robichaud | Jean-François Trépanier | Simon Benoit | Jean-Marc Legault |
| 2014–15 | Simon Hebert | Jean-François Trépanier | Martin Trépanier | Pier-Luc Trépanier |
| 2015–16 | Guy Hemmings | Simon Benoit | Jean-François Trépanier | Martin Trépanier |
| 2016–17 | Guy Hemmings | Simon Benoit | Jean-François Trépanier | Martin Trépanier |
| 2017–18 | Mike Fournier | Félix Asselin | William Dion | Jean-François Trépanier |
| 2018–19 | Mike Fournier | Félix Asselin | William Dion | Jean-François Trépanier |
| 2019–20 | Mike Fournier | Félix Asselin | William Dion | Jean-François Trépanier |
| 2020–21 | Mike Fournier | Martin Crête | Félix Asselin | Jean-François Trépanier |
| 2021–22 | Félix Asselin (Fourth) | Martin Crête | Mike Fournier (Skip) | Jean-François Trépanier |
| 2022–23 | Félix Asselin | Martin Crête | Émile Asselin | Jean-François Trépanier |
| 2023–24 | Félix Asselin | Martin Crête | Émile Asselin | Jean-François Trépanier |
| 2024–25[15] | Félix Asselin | Jean-Michel Ménard | Martin Crête | Jean-François Trépanier |
