Sources - VALORANT: Kyu set to join Sentinels for VCT Americas 2026

According to sources close to Sheep Esports, Mirel “Kyu” Hrustemovic has signed with Sentinels for the 2026 VCT Americas season. It marks a promotion for the Canadian player, who spent the past several months competing with Cubert Academy, the North American organization’s secondary roster, where he served as the in-game leader. He now joins a partially rebuilt lineup, following the expected departures of Zachary “zekken” Patrone and Jordan “Zellsis” Montemurro, whose new teams for 2026 were recently revealed by Sheep Esports. arivalorantt and AkamaruVal were first on this information.

After a standout 2024 season, Sentinels struggled to find the same consistency in 2025, though they still managed to qualify for all three Masters events that year. Finishing second behind G2 at Kickoff, the North American squad advanced to Masters Bangkok, where they were eliminated after two losses and no wins. They once again finished second during Stage 1, again falling short against a dominant G2, but bounced back at Masters Toronto. There, the team made it out of groups with a clean 2-0 record and scored a win in playoffs before being eliminated after defeats to Paper Rex and Fnatic, ending their run in 5th–6th place.

Sentinels repeated that Top 5–6 finish a few weeks later at the Esports World Cup in Saudi Arabia before returning to Los Angeles for the final competitive split of the year. In Stage 2, the roster claimed a third-place finish, just behind a resurgent NRG, earning another international ticket to Champions in Paris. Once in France, however, Amine “johnqt” Ouarid and his teammates couldn’t find their rhythm, suffering early exits in the group stage after losses to GIANTX and XLG Esports.

Meanwhile, Kyu spent the 2025 season competing in Challengers North America, following several years in the collegiate scene with St. Clair College. He began the year with M80, where he helped the team reach the Stage 1 Finals before falling short against Shopify Rebellion Black. Despite the strong showing, the roster disbanded after M80 decided to withdraw from VALORANT, ending its investment in the game.

A trio from that lineup continued under the name Chet’s Pets for Stage 2, finishing in the Top 7–8. It was eventually Sentinels’ academy team, Cubert, that took notice of Kyu’s leadership profile, recruiting him to lead their lineup for the final segment of the season. With Cubert, Kyu guided the roster to a Top 4 finish, just behind regional favorites such as TSM, ENVY, and QoR.