The CNPL Welcomes Exciting Changes in Preparation for the 2025 Season
by Joe James
What’s the Story?
The Canadian National Pickleball League (CNPL) has announced some big changes ahead of the 2025 season.
For the first time, international players will be available in the draft, and each CNPL team will have the option to select one for their roster.
The CNPL draft is open for registration until March 31. Teams can finalise their lineups on April 2nd, the draft day.
Ahead of the league’s 2025 draft, an unlimited number of players under 18 are now welcome to enter, but any team that chooses an under-18 will need a SafeSport certification.
These developments are part of the league’s commitment to growth while expanding its player pool to showcase the highest level of professional pickleball in Canada.
Teams already established in the competition are also going through a period of change and development.
The Northern Rollers franchise is relocating to London, Ontario and rebranding as the London Smash Pickleball Club.
Ed Slater, owner of the Smash Pickleball brand in London and Don Ludlow, executive at RBC Bank Toronto, are behind the rebrand.
After a challenging 2024 season in which they finished fifth, the Toronto United Pickleball Club, who were the 2023 champions, are embarking on a significant rebuild by only retaining its team captain, Matthew Kawamoto.
The CNPL’s 2025 season is set to be fascinating due to the sheer amount of change taking place.
Going Deeper
The Canadian National Pickleball League (CNPL) was established on February 1, 2023, as Canada’s first professional pickleball league.
In its first season, eight teams comprised of 32 of the nation’s top players competed for a prize pool of $100,000, marking it the highest in Canadian pickleball history.
The league’s format is team-based, now with six players per team, who face off in a round-robin format against each other. Those sides who finish in the top four advance into the playoffs to crown a league champion.
In 2024, the Montreal Lions clinched the title with the team of Ernesto Fajardo, Louis-Charles Amyot, Mathieu Morneau, Jade Cassandra Laporte, Anne-Sophie Courteau and Ally Williams.
The eight teams competing were:
Montreal Lions
Northern Rollers (now London Smash Pickleball Club)
Southwestern Ontario Brewers
West Coast Wolverines
East Toronto Smash
Toronto United Pickleball Club
Prairie Pronghorns
Vancouver Rush
This time around, the teams look to stay the same, minus Northern Rollers’ relocation and rebrand, but plenty is surrounding the league that will be different.
International players will be eligible in the draft on April 2, marking a first for the league in a commitment to elevating the league’s competition.
Each side can draft one international player, but they must have a visa and have participated in a CNPL Showdown or MiLP event before the draft or hold a pro-level contract with a recognised league (MLP, PPA, APP, etc.).
Alongside the news of an unlimited amount of under-18 players eligible for the draft, there will be regular season events as part of the 2025 CNPL Amateur Showdown Series where players can face off against friends, family and colleagues under CNPL rules.
These are CNPL’s first-ever amateur events, and prizes include a chance to qualify for the CNPL or win prizes from sponsors. The events will take place in various spots, including Montreal, Ontario and Vernon.
The CNPL and DUPR have also officially signed a partnership, which will see DUPR become the official rating system for the league, adding high-level competition and the most accurate and transparent ratings possible.
After the completion of the draft, the schedule, as of now, is as follows:
· April 2: CNPL Draft (broadcast on CNPL YouTube)
· May 17-18: CNPL Central Split in Southwestern Ontario
· June 7-8: CNPL Eastern Split in Montreal
· June 27-29: GOOD Games midseason event in Guelph
· August 9-10: CNPL Western Split in Kamloops
· September 6-7: CNPL Metropolitan Split in Toronto
· October 4-5: CNPL Playoffs (location to be announced)
After the success of last season’s event, the CNPL is set to be bigger and better than ever this time around.
The World Pickleball Verdict
The new developments to expand the CNPL highlight pickleball’s growth across Canada. Only established in 2023, the league has already been highly successful and has attracted top Canadian talent but is now promising to broaden its draft internationally.
Introducing their amateur events makes the sport available for all and offers the opportunity for players of all levels a shot at achieving their dream of reaching the pro scene. Even if that is not a desire for all, just having the opportunity to play against or with friends and relatives under an event set up by an established league is an exciting opportunity.
Canada’s premier league is committed to futureproofing the league, as shown with the introduction of unlimited under-18s entries into the draft.
It is impossible to say how many will be drafted but having that open pathway will encourage young players to pursue their pickleball careers, knowing they could play for one of the eight franchise teams.
With 2025 being just the third instalment of the league, it is still in its early stages, but it is certainly interesting seeing the big changes that are anticipated for the 2025 instalment.
With the DUPR partnership, an infrastructure beyond the professional league, top players and a pathway for young talent, the CNPL is in a very healthy position, and opening the game up to international players doesn’t just offer an opportunity for big players but also more eyeballs on the league from across the world.
Creating stronger connections between professional and amateur team tournaments ahead of the season also shows how the league is willing to engage new players and teams, and in turn, this will enhance the player pipeline in the long term.
There is momentum with the CNPL, and these new additions and changes are putting the league on track to be a top-tier pickleball competition. It is already in Canada, and these expansions could make it a force internationally.