Back at the Brier after a 20-year hiatus, Bob Smallwood said he is relaxed and ready to go.

The 41-year-old Yukon skip will open play at the 2015 Tim Hortons Brier tonight when he faces Prince Edward Island skipper Adam Casey at 7 p.m. (all times Mountain).

All games will be held in Calgary’s Saddledome.

Win or lose, the Yukon rink will be right back at it tomorrow, taking on Nova Scotia’s Glen MacLeod rink at 8 a.m.

The top two teams in the pre-qualification round robin will battle one last time Saturday afternoon during the first draw of the Brier, with a berth in the main event on the line.

“The Yukon hasn’t been to the Brier in a while, so there’s not a lot of pressure on us as opposed to the other two provinces,” Smallwood told the Star from Calgary yesterday.

The veteran skip, who is enjoying a stellar season on the Yukon circuit, said he hopes the lack of pressure plays into his team’s favour.

The Yukon’s entry also includes third Wade Scoffin, second Steve Fecteau, lead Clint Ireland and fifth Scott Odian.

Fecteau is the lone rookie, as each of Smallwood, Scoffin, Ireland and Odian have previous Brier experience.

B.C. curling instructor Bill Tschirhart will join the team as a coach, as he did for Sarah Koltun’s Yukon rink at the Scotties.

Smallwood said he hopes that one day, the Canadian Curling Association will allow every jurisdiction to field a team in the main draw.

“It would be nice to say we weren’t in this situation,” he said. “On the other hand, we are at the Brier.”

Smallwood previously curled at the Brier in 1994 and 1995 as Robert Andrews, finishing with 2-9 records at both events.

He has since changed his last name to honour his grandmother, Ellen Smallwood, whom he regarded as his No. 1 fan.

Smallwood, who said he’s “grown up a bit” since his last Brier appearances, said he can’t wait to get going.

“Mentally we’re all there,” he said.

In previous years, the Yukon and Northwest Territories squared off to determine which jurisdiction would represent the north at the national championship.

Yellowknife skip Jamie Koe won eight of the last nine playdowns, however, keeping the Yukon away from the Brier for the majority of the last decade.

Meanwhile, P.E.I.’s Casey is playing in his fourth straight national championships, as he was part of Newfoundlander Brad Gushue’s team the past three seasons.

Nova Scotia’s MacLeod has also played in the Brier as a third in 1998.