The 2025 Major League Pickleball Premier Level free-agency draft was held Sunday afternoon and we're here to break down all the selections.

A reminder about a couple things: Both the Premier Level and Challenger Level drafts are operated by a dynamic bidding process -- using draft points -- for each selection spot. This gives teams the chance to utilize whatever bidding strategy they see fit in order to build the best full roster, in a process similar to the 2024 Premier Level draft.

The Challenger Level draft is scheduled for Monday at noon.

With rosters expanding to six players at the Premier Level, all teams were required to have four players rostered before any team could bid on a spot to draft their fifth player.

Premier Level draft order

1. St. Louis Shock: Kate Fahey, 130K draft points. Orlando, Dallas and New Jersey were also bidding for this spot.
2. Dallas Flash: Augie Ge, 100K. Dallas gets the band back together to try to go back-to-back. 
3. Columbus Sliders: Lea Jansen, 110K. New Jersey had a bid in for 100K before Columbus slid in to grab it.
4. D.C. Pickleball Team: Riley Newman, 110K. LA Mad Drops, Chicago Slice and New Jersey 5s were also in the mix.
5. Chicago Slice: James Ignatowich, 90K. Mad Drops and Chicago were in a bidding war for this spot.
6. Phoenix Flames: Jack Sock, 100K. 
7. LA Mad Drops, Quang Duong, 80K. Utah and new New Jersey were active in bidding. New Jersey at this point had now been outbid for nearly ever draft spot.
8. New Jersey 5s, Genie Bouchard, 90K. Texas, Chicago and Utah were also in the mix.
9. Chicago Slice: Vivienne David, 80K. Atlanta popped up in the bidding for the first time here.
10. Chicago Slice: Max Freeman, 80K. Chicago had no players on their roster heading into the draft and now they get Ignatowich, Freeman and Vivienne David in the first 10 picks. Hard to argue with that given their position coming in.
11. Atlanta Bouncers: Victoria Di Muzio, 70K. Bouncers betting on a relatively unknown here.
12. Chicago Slice: Callie Smith, 70K. Utah has been bidding 50-60K almost every pick, but hasn't gotten anything yet.
13. Utah Black Diamonds: Mehvish Safdar, 50K.
14. Texas Ranchers: Noe Khlif, 50K. The SoCal Hard Eights made an appearance in the bidding for the first time here.
15. New York Hustlers: Zane Ford, 30K.
16. New York Hustlers: Donald Young, 40K.
17. Miami Pickleball Club: Mya Bui, 20K.
18. Orlando Squeeze: Samantha Parker, 30K.
19. New York Hustlers: Helena Spiridis, 20K.
20. Miami Pickleball Club: Jay Devilliers, 30K. Very surprising that Devilliers fell this far.
21. New York Hustlers: Dominique Schaefer, 20K.
22. Carolina Pickleball Club: Tamaryn Emmrich, 10K.
23. SoCal Hard Eights: Ivan Jakovljevic, 10K.
24. SoCal Hard Eights: Ryan Fu, 10K.
25. St. Louis Shock: Felicity Di Laura, 10.1K.
26. Texas Ranchers: Michael Loyd, 10K.
27. Texas Ranchers: Helena Jansen, 10K.
28. St. Louis Shock: Erik Lange, 10K.
29. D.C. Pickleball Team: Hannah Blatt, 9.5K.
30. SoCal Hard Eights: Blaine Hovenier, 10K.
31. New York Hustlers: Juan Benitez, 10K.
32. Columbus Sliders: Roscoe Bellamy, 10K.
33. New Jersey 5s: Christa Gecheva, 10K.
34. New York Hustlers: Danna Funaro, 10.5K.
35. Orlando Squeeze: Tom Evans, 7.5K.
36. Orlando Squeeze: Alli Phillips, 7K.
37. Atlanta Bouncers: Sam Querrey, 5K.
38. Utah Black Diamonds: Genie Erokhina, 4.5K.
39. Miami Pickleball Club: Yuta Funemizu, 4.5K.
40. D.C. Pickleball Team: Pat Smith, 3K.
41. Phoenix Flames: Alex Walker, 3.5K.
42. Dallas Flash: D.J. Young, 4K. Surprised to see him fall this far considering some of the other men's players picked in front of him.
43. Atlanta Bouncers: Rachel Rettger, 5K.
44. Columbus Sliders: Marcela Hones, 4K.
45. Utah Black Diamonds: Yates Johnson, 3.5K. Has been injured lately but is a good pickup assuming he can get healthy soon.
46. LA Mad Drops: Thomas Wilson, 4K. Taking a chance that he can get back on the court later in the season.
47. New Jersey 5s: Craig Johnson, 3K.
48. Phoenix Flames: Pesa Teoni, 3K.
49. LA Mad Drops: Angie Walker, 2K.
50. Miami Pickleball Club: Ava Ignatowich, 2K.
51. Chicago Slice: Pierina Imparato, 1.5K.
52. Carolina Pickleball Club: Liz Truluck, 1K.
53. Dallas Flash: Tatiana Ruhl, 1K.
54. Carolina Pickleball Club: Brandon French, 1K.
55. SoCal Hard Eights: Lauren Hidalgo-Smith, 1K.
56. Chicago Slice: Carlos Di Laura, 1K.

2025 Major League Pickleball Premier Level rosters

Atlanta Bouncers

Existing roster: Todd Fought, Vivian Glozman, Jaume Martinez Vich
Added: Victoria Di Muzio (#11), Sam Querrey (#37), Rachel Rettger (#43)

Grade: C

They passed up Calllie Smith to get Di Muzio, who is a wild card without proven results at this point. Querrey seems like more of a marketing play -- he'll certainly get you local headlines in Atlanta and bring people out to team events, but is not likely to get the team many wins, if he ever sees the court. No issues with the Rettger pick at that point in the draft -- the women's player pool was very thin and they certainly could have done worse in that spot.

Carolina Pickleball Club

Existing roster: Kaitlyn Christian, Ben Johns, Collin Johns
Added: Tamaryn Emmrich (#22), Liz Truluck (#52), Brandon French (#54)

Grade: B-

Emmrich wasn't necessarily a bad pick at No. 22, but Carolina could have done a lot more to bolster their playoff chances by spending a little more. That said, Truluck and French are decent pickups for the fifth and sixth spots on the roster.

Chicago Slice

Existing roster: None
Added: James Ignatowich (#5), Vivienne David (#9), Max Freeman (#10), Callie Smith (#12), Pierina Imparato (#51), Carlos Di Laura (#56)

Grade: A

Given their predicament heading into the draft with zero players on the roster, Chicago made out like bandits here. They get David and Smith -- two of the top 4 women in the player pool -- at lower spots than they should have been, and they get a men's team that will be competitive with a lot of MLP teams. The only concern is that Ignatowich has been dealing with a back injury lately and they're going to need him to be 100% in order to make a playoff push.

Columbus Sliders

Existing roster: Andrei Daescu, Carson “CJ” Klinger, Parris Todd
Added: Lea Jansen (#3), Roscoe Bellamy (#32), Marcela Hones (#44)

Grade: A

They get Jansen, who I had as the No. 1 women's player available in the draft, and Bellamy was also a great pickup where he ended up falling to. I expected him to go in the 15-20 range. Hones hasn't shown much yet but they're betting on her developing throughout the season.

D.C. Pickleball Team

Existing roster: Dekel Bar, Jackie Kawamoto, Rachel Rohrabacher
Added: Riley Newman (#4), Hanna Blatt (#29), Pat Smith (#40)

Grade: A+

This is looking like a very strong team with the addition of Newman, who already led D.C. to a title once in 2023. Their fifth and sixth pickups also make a lot of sense -- Blatt brings great social media exposure to the team, and Smith and Newman are good friends. The vibes should be good on this squad.

Dallas Flash

Existing roster: Hurricane Tyra Black, Jorja Johnson, JW Johnson
Added: Augie Ge (#2), DJ Young (#42), Tatiana Ruhl (#53)

Grade: A-

Hard to argue too much with Dallas for wanting to put together the same top 4 that just won a championship in 2024, but I'm not convinced Ge was the best men's player available in the draft pool. Better than Newman? Better than Quang Duong? Better than Ignatowich? Duong probably wouldn't have been a good fit, but if they were sold on getting Ge back, they probably could have waited a few spots and he still would have been there. Understandable that they didn't want to risk it, though. I do like the Young pick -- he fell farther than I thought he should have, and Ruhl fits with a lot of the other women's players who were available late in the draft.

Los Angeles Mad Drops

Existing roster: Hunter Johnson, Jade Kawamoto, Catherine Parenteau
Added: Quang Duong (#7), Thomas Wilson (#46), Angie Walker (#49)

Grade: A+

Duong surprisingly fell to No. 7 overall, behind Ge, Newman, Ignatowich and Sock on the men's side. I'm not sure why, but it worked out to the benefit of LA, because they now have a very strong squad, and its hard to imagine them ever losing a Dreambreaker with two of the top 5 men's singles players in Johnson and Duong and a strong women's singles player in Parenteau. They also get Wilson, who hasn't played since the middle of 2024 as he's been dealing with health issues. He and Johnson are good friends, though, so if anybody would know the chances of him being available later in the season, it would be this team. Walker was a good pickup late.

Miami Pickleball Club

Existing roster: Eric Oncins, Milan Rane
Added: Mya Bui (#17), Jay Devilliers (#20), Yuta Funemizu (#39), Ava Ignatowich (#50)

Grade: B+

They didn't hit a home run, but getting Devilliers at No. 20 overall was a steal, and we've heard good things about Bui, although she is unproven at this point. Funemizu is apparently a world champion at something called soft tennis, which I admittedly know nothing about. But it sure sounds like a racquet sport and it's probably worth taking a flyer later in the draft on a guy like that. Ava Ignatowich is definitely more proven than Bui, so if that pick is a bust they at least have another women's player with good experience.

New Jersey 5s

Existing roster: Will Howells, Zane Navratil, Anna Leigh Waters
Added: Genie Bouchard (#8), Christa Gecheva (#33), Craig Johnson (#47)

Grade: Incomplete

The 5s picking Bouchard at No. 8 overall for 90,000 draft points was certainly a surprise, but I'd be even more surprised if her and Waters step onto the court together for the team's opening match on April 24 in Orlando. The 5s were active in the bidding from the jump, which showed that they were willing to spend more for the right player. I'm guessing that player was Fahey, and once they didn't get her, they were looking for a women's player who would offer good trade value. Bouchard has a huge social media following and is very marketable, which some MLP teams clearly value. But the 5s seemingly haven't made that a priority -- they are interested in winning -- which makes this an odd fit. I'm thinking they dangle Bouchard and cash and go shopping for a different No. 2 women's player. Hell, Gecheva -- who they selected 25 spots later for 10,000 draft points -- might get you more wins than Bouchard. Johnson, however, was a great pickup late in the draft. He's a solid player and should fit in with the rest of the group.

New York Hustlers

Existing roster: None

Added: Zane Ford (#15), Donald Young (#16), Helena Spiridis (#19), Dominique Schaefer (#21), Juan Benitez (#31), Danna Funaro (#34)

Grade: D

New York took a disappointing approach, electing to drop every player on what was a competitive roster last year, then didn't spend much in the draft to get top talent. It's the opposite of how Chicago approached the draft, and the number of wins will likely be quite different. They have, however, managed to put together a very strong Dreambreaker team. I just don't think they'll get there very often.

Orlando Squeeze

Existing roster: Dylan Frazier, Lacy Schneemann, Federico Staksrud
Added: Samantha Parker (#18), Tom Evans (#35), Alli Phillips (#36)

Grade: C+

Outside of the top 4 women in the player pool, the options weren't great. But if Orlando had spent to pick up Jansen, Fahey, David or Smith, they would have had a fairly strong roster. Maybe Parker will prove me wrong, or maybe their men's duo is strong enough to overcome a weaker women's team. Evans and Phillips were decent picks to fill out the roster.

Phoenix Flames

Existing roster: Meghan Dizon, Jessie Irvine, Tyson McGuffin
Added: Jack Sock (#6), Alex Walker (#41), Pesa Teoni (#48)

Grade: B

I like the Sock pick more than others -- I think he's primed for a better season in 2025 --  but I wonder if they could have waited a few spots if that's who they really wanted. They also passed up Duong, who I thought was the best guy available in the player pool. Walker and Teoni are both Proton players, so it's no surprise that the Phoenix ownership group went after them with their later picks.

SoCal Hard Eights

Previous roster: Judit Castillo, Irina Tereschenko
Added: Ivan Jakovljevic (#23), Ryan Fu (#24), Blaine Hovenier (#30), Lauren Hidalgo-Smith (#55)

Grade: C

For a team with no men's players coming in, they weren't aggressive in the bidding to try to get a top men's player. They also passed up some arguably stronger men's players when they finally did get active -- such as Roscoe Bellamy, Yates Johnson and D.J. Young, who are all more established than who they ended up with.

St. Louis Shock

Previous roster: Anna Bright, Hayden Patriquin, Gabriel Tardio
Added: Kate Fahey (#1), Felicity Di Laura (#25), Erik Lange (#28)

Grade: A

They get the band back together with the Fahey pick at No. 1 overall. Can't argue with that, as St. Louis was a top 3 team last year, and Fahey has only gotten better since then. Di Laura has good potential and Lange brings experience and can serve as a mentor for their younger men's players. 

Texas Ranchers

Previous roster: Christian Alshon, Tina Pisnik, Etta Wright
Added: Noe Khlif (#14), Michael Loyd (#26), Helena Jansen (#27)

Grade: A

Khlif is a super steady player who should complement Alshon's more aggressive style in men's doubles. Loyd is also a good pickup, as he's a strong singles player and his doubles game is coming along, and Jansen is getting better by the week. This is a strong all-around team.

Utah Black Diamonds

Previous roster: Connor Garnett, Tyler Loong, Alix Truong
Added: Mehvish Safdar (#13), Genie Erokhina (#38), Yates Johnson (#45)

Grade: B+

Utah owner and GM Connor Pardoe is very high on Safdar, who was a very good college tennis player and is now all-in on pickleball. Erokhina and Johnson were both good pickups late in the draft -- I wouldn't be surprised if Utah looks to trade Johnson for cash if he's able to come back from an injury soon. I think other teams forgot about him since he's been injured lately.