Kayla Russell

Kayla Russell (born May 5, 1998, in Miramichi) is a Canadian curler from Strathadam, New Brunswick. She is currently the alternate on Team Melissa Adams.

Career Russell played lead throughout her junior career as a member of the Samantha Crook rink. In 2017, her team with Crook, third Julia Hunter and second Danielle Hubbard won the New Brunswick junior provincial championship, going undefeated to claim the title. This included defeating the defending champions Team Justine Comeau in the final, who won bronze at the previous Canadian junior championship. At the 2017 Canadian Junior Curling Championships, the team finished tied for fourth place in their pool with a 3–3 record. This forced them to play a tiebreaker against Northern Ontario's Krysta Burns, which they lost 8–5. They finished the event in eleventh place with a 4–5 record. Russell later won a silver medal in the mixed doubles competition. In her last year of junior eligibility, Samantha Crook aged out and Julia Hunter took over skipping duties for the team. They finished with a 3–3 record at the provincial championship, losing out to Erica Cluff. Team Crook again competed in the 2019 New Brunswick Scotties Tournament of Hearts where they missed the playoffs, going 2–3.

After taking a few years off, Russell joined the Jaclyn Crandall rink at lead with third Kendra Lister and second Molli Ward for the 2022–23 season. The team reached the quarterfinals of the Jim Sullivan Curling Classic where they lost to the Jessica Daigle rink. Entering the 2023 New Brunswick Scotties Tournament of Hearts as the second seeds, the team finished 3–3 through the round robin, enough to earn them a spot in the tiebreaker. There, they were defeated 8–6 by Shaelyn Park.

Melissa Adams joined the team for the 2023–24 season as their new skip, shifting Crandall to third, Lister to lead and Russell to alternate. On tour, the team went undefeated to pick up victories at the New Scotland Brewing Co. Cashspiel and the Jim Sullivan Curling Classic, defeating the Heather Smith rink in both finals. At the 2024 New Brunswick Scotties Tournament of Hearts, Team Adams won the A qualifier event before losing both the B and C events to Mélodie Forsythe and Sylvie Quillian respectively. In the playoffs, they beat Team Forsythe 8–4 in the semifinal before defeating Team Quillian 7–4 in the provincial final. This earned the team the right to represent New Brunswick at the 2024 Scotties Tournament of Hearts, Russell's first appearance at the national women's championship. There, they finished eighth in Pool B with a 2–6 record, defeating the Northwest Territories' Kerry Galusha and Ontario's Danielle Inglis. Russell got to play in the team's final round robin game against the Yukon's Bayly Scoffin, replacing Lister at lead.

Personal life Russell is employed as a server at Mike's Bar & Grill. She has one daughter.

Teams Season Skip Third Second Lead Alternate 2013–14 Samantha Crook Julia Hunter Danielle Hubbard Kayla Russell 2014–15 Samantha Crook Julia Hunter Danielle Hubbard Kayla Russell 2015–16 Samantha Crook Julia Hunter Danielle Hubbard Kayla Russell 2016–17 Samantha Crook Julia Hunter Danielle Hubbard Kayla Russell Shelby Wilson 2017–18 Samantha Crook Julia Hunter Molli Ward Kayla Russell Shelby Wilson 2018–19 Samantha Crook Julia Hunter Molli Ward Kayla Russell 2022–23 Jaclyn Crandall Kendra Lister Molli Ward Kayla Russell Melissa Adams 2023–24 Melissa Adams Jaclyn Crandall Molli Ward Kendra Lister Kayla Russell 2024–25 Melissa Adams Jaclyn Crandall Kayla Russell Kendra Lister Molli Ward 2025–26 Melissa Adams Jaclyn Crandall Cayla Auld Kendra Lister Kayla Russell