Team Saskatchewan skip Scott Manners calls a few shots during their pre-Brier practise on Friday. (CBC)

The draws begin Saturday, but Brier teams tested out the ice Friday during their first practise at Saskatoon's Credit Union Centre. For Team Saskatchewan, it was also chance to check out the setup of their first Brier competition.

"Well this is a dream come true for me and my team for sure, you know," said skip Scott Manners after the team's official photos were taken. "This has been an exciting morning."

Manners said he's staying calm as his North Battleford-based rink prepares to take on some of the best curlers in the world.

"I slept like a baby last night," he told CBC News. "I'm just happy to be here today, but more than that I'm happy to, you know, participate in everything that's going on this week… and we're just going to take it all in."

Key names missing from competition, but Brier field still strong

Some traditional Brier heavy-hitters won't be making an appearance at this event. The 2011 champion, Manitoba's Jeff Stoughton, didn't get out of provincial play downs this year, and neither did four-time winner Kevin Martin.

Former Saskatchewan skip Pat Simmons is now wearing Alberta colours, as he plays third on the Kevin Koe rink. (Britainy Robinson/CBC)

Competition is still expected to be strong, however. Kevin Koe, the 2010 world champion, will represent Alberta instead of Martin (with former Saskatchewan skip Pat Simmons throwing third rocks) and Glenn Howard's Ontario rink makes its seventh-straight appearance.

Another well-known team is Newfoundland and Labrador, skipped by Olympic gold medalist Brad Gushue. He says no one should be counted out — or in.

Team Newfoundland and Labrador (with skip Brad Gushue, third from left) looks on as other teams practise. (Britainy Robinson/CBC ) "You can't focus on one team," Gushue said while talking about their strategy. "I wouldn't put a whole lot of money on any one team playing in the final."

No one knows the ups and downs of the competition better than Glenn Howard, a long-time favourite at the Brier who has lost in the final game the past four years in a row.

"We don't want to do that again," he said. "We're always trying to look for an edge or advantage that's going to put us over the hump and you never know what that is. Usually it's just making a couple more shots, so that's the key this year."

Team Ontario skip Glenn Howard gets set in the hack. He's hoping the fifth time is the charm. (Britainy Robinson/CBC)

With teams like Howard, Koe, and Gushue in the running, not many people expect Team Saskatchewan to walk away with the gold medal. Besides being first-timers, the province hasn't won a national championship since Rick Folk's rink in 1980. But Manners is asking people to not count them out.

"We've been up [against] a lot of adversity this year," he said. "We've played against a lot of power teams and our own province is full of them."

Team Saskatchewan plays its first game Saturday at 1:30 CST against Prince Edward Island's Mike Gaudet.