Kindersley’s Dakota Buttar already has his name firmly cemented in the bull riding record books, and this weekend, he will attempt to enter even rarer air.
When the 2023 PBR Canada National Finals take over Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta, on Nov. 17-18, Buttar will look to become just the fourth rider in history to win the PBR Canada Championship multiple times. Currently No. 3 in the nation, Buttar trails top-ranked Cody Coverchuk by 95.66 points.
Inside Rogers Place, Buttar will compete for the first time since breaking his collarbone in early October during his dismount from his event-winning ride in Grande Prairie, Alberta.
And the 2023 PBR Canada National Finals will be historic, marking the richest iteration of the event, set to award a historic $225,000, including a landmark $100,000 bonus to the 2023 Champion.
2023 PBR Canada National Finals Qualifiers Announced for Nov. 17-18 in Edmonton, Alberta
Top 5-ranked Cody Coverchuk, Nick Tetz, Dakota Buttar and Aaron Roy to chase history at the landmark two-day event, set to pay out a historic $225,000, including a $100,000 bonus to the 2023 Champion
EDMONTON, Alta. – Ahead of the 2023 PBR (Professional Bull Riders) Canada National Finals, presented by Command Tubular Products, in Edmonton, Alberta, on Nov. 17-18, the organization has announced the 21 riders who will compete for the historic $225,000 prize purse and 2023 PBR Canada Championship inside the state-of-the-art Rogers Place.
The contingent of riders anticipated to compete is led by current No. 1 and two-time Canadian Champion Cody Coverchuk, who will be chasing history at the third iteration of the PBR Canada National Finals in Edmonton.
Should Coverchuk conclude the season atop the standings, he would tie Aaron Roy for most national titles won by one rider in Canada with three. After earning his first title in 2018, Coverchuk became the first rider to be crowned PBR Canada Champion inside Rogers Place in 2021.
Coverchuk has gone an impressive 44-for-78 (56.41%) on Canadian soil in 2023, riding to three Touring Pro Division event wins, and five round wins on the organization’s developmental series.
The Saskatchewan man will begin his quest for his third PBR Canada Championship with a 68.5-point lead over No. 2 Nick Tetz.
Tetz is seeking history of his own, attempting to become the first back-to-back Canadian Champion, after making a come-from-behind surge inside Rogers Place to win the title in 2022.
The 2018 PBR Canada Rookie of the Year has delivered one of the top riding percentages in Canada his season, going 31-for-46 (67.39%). Along with winning the Cup Series event in Lethbridge, Alberta, Tetz earned three Touring Pro Division victories.
The young 23-year-old leads PBR Canada in Touring Pro Division round wins with nine and was responsible for the top score of the regular season, having ridden Time Marches On (Thompson Rodeo Livestock) for a monstrous 92 points en route to his victory in his hometown of Calgary, Alberta.
Dakota Buttar will look to become just the fourth multi-time PBR Canada Champion in history at the 2023 PBR Canada National Finals. The 2020 Champion is presently No. 3 in the nation, 95.66 points behind No. 1 Coverchuk.
Inside Rogers Place, Buttar will compete for the first time since breaking his collarbone in early October during his dismount from his event-winning ride in Grande Prairie, Alberta.
While Roy already has his name firmly etched in the PBR record books, he will look to enter even more rarified air as he chases his unprecedented fourth PBR Canada Championship.
The veteran won a PBR Canada best five Touring Pro Division events this season, and is presently No. 4 in the national standings, 146.16 points behind the top spot.
The year-end event will also again be headlined by two PBR World Champions. 2022 World Champion and 2019 PBR Canada Champion Daylon Swearingen will return to Canadian soil seeking his unprecedented third PBR Canada National Finals event win. Swearingen won the year-end event en route to his title in 2019, and then collected the victory at the first PBR Canada National Finals held inside Rogers Place in 2021.
Swearingen will be joined by three-time PBR World Champion and 2022 PBR Teams Champion Silvano Alves, who made history earlier this season by becoming just the fourth rider to record more than 500 qualified rides in premier level PBR competition.
The 21 riders who will compete in Edmonton are:
Cody Coverchuk (Meadow Lake, Saskatchewan)
Nick Tetz (Calgary, Alberta)
Dakota Buttar (Eatonia, Saskatchewan)
Aaron Roy (Yellow Grass, Saskatchewan)
Coy Robbins (Camrose, Alberta)
Wyatt Gleeson (Sundre, Alberta)
Garrett Green (Meeting Creek, Alberta)
Jordan Hansen (Amisk, Alberta)
Chad Hartman (Lancer, Saskatchewan)
Tyler Craig (Crossfield, Alberta)
Jared Parsonage (Maple Creek, Saskatchewan)
Jake Gardner (Fort St. John, British Columbia)
Ashton Sahli (Red Deer, Alberta)
Stefan Tonita (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan)
Cody Fraser (Wilmington, South Australia, Australia)
Blake Smith (Abbey, Saskatchewan)
Conner Halverson (Gordon, Nebraska)
Macaulie Leather (Calliope, Queensland, Australia)
Lachlan Richardson (Gresford, New South Wales, Australia)
Silvano Alves (Pilar do Sul, Brazil)
Daylon Swearingen (Piffard, New York)
The 2023 PBR Canada National Finals will mark the richest iteration of the year-end event ever held. The two-day event inside the home of the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers will pay out an unprecedented $225,000, including a historic $100,000 bonus to the 2023 PBR Canada Champion, and a minimum of $30,000 guaranteed to the event winner.
A maximum of 360 points are available to one rider via the rounds and aggregate, with an additional 36 maximum ride-score points up for grabs. As a result, the Top 12-ranked riders in the nation are all in contention for the 2023 PBR Canada Championship.
The 2023 PBR Canada National Finals, presented by Command Tubular Products, will feature four rounds of bull riding. Each rider will get on one bull in Round 1 and Round 2 on Friday and Round 3 on Saturday.
The 12 bull riders with the top combined ride scores will then advance to the championship round on Saturday where they will attempt one final bull in an effort to win the PBR Canada National Finals event and earn crucial points to be crowned the 2023 PBR Canada Champion. During the event Round 2, Round 3 and the championship round will feature a rider drafted draw, while Round 1 will be pre-determined.
PBR also announced the Canadian National Finals bullfighters who will take to the dirt to protect the 21 competing bull riders.
Tanner Byrne, Ty Prescott and Brett Monea will be vigilant throughout each 8-second ride or wreck throughout the week. Of note, in 2019, Byrne earned his first selection to work the PBR Canada National Finals, becoming the first individual to both ride and cowboy protect at the year-end event.
The bull riding action for 2023 PBR Canada National Finals, presented by Command Tubular Products, begins at 7:00 p.m. MDT on Friday, November 17 and Saturday, November 18 at Rogers Place.
Tickets are still available, and start at $40, standard fees may apply. They can be purchased online at Ticketmaster.ca.
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