TEAM PROFILE · MLP

Chicago Slice

Chicago · Major League Pickleball

The Chicago Slice finished the 2026 Major League Pickleball standings at No. 12 with an 11–16 record and 33 points, reached the playoffs after an in-season rebuild, and exited in the first round against the Palm Beach Royals.

Updated September 15, 2026Major League Pickleball

2026 SEASON12FINAL STANDING11–16 FINAL RECORD33 STANDINGS POINTS

LeagueMajor League Pickleball

2026 record11–16

Final standingNo. 12

Standings points33

2026 postseasonFirst round

Documented September 15, 2026

Final 2026 Chicago Slice roster

The Slice finished the season with AJ Koller, Elsie Hendershot, Emma Nelson, Jamie Wei, John Lucian Goins and Zane Navratil. Jamie Wei is also identified in competition records as Ting Chieh Wei. Earlier 2026 roster members are documented in the transaction timeline below rather than presented as current players.

AJ Koller

Waiver claim

June 2, 2026

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Elsie Hendershot

Trade

June 24, 2026

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Emma Nelson

Trade

July 13, 2026

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Jamie Wei

Draft pick No. 5

February 27, 2026

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John Lucian Goins

Trade

June 24, 2026

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Zane Navratil

Trade · retained for draft

January 31, 2026

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Roster construction

How Chicago’s 2026 roster changed

2026 · JAN 30

Hunter Johnson acquired from Los Angeles

Chicago received Hunter Johnson and cash considerations from the Los Angeles Mad Drops in exchange for Max Freeman.

2026 · JAN 31

Zane Navratil joins the Slice

Chicago acquired Zane Navratil from the New Jersey 5s for cash considerations, then retained him as one of its two keepers entering the draft.

2026 · FEB 27

Draft roster completed

With Hunter Johnson and Zane Navratil retained, Chicago selected Jamie Wei at No. 5, Mariana Humberg at No. 6, Jalina Ingram at No. 32 and Tom Protzek at No. 41.

2026 · JUN 02

AJ Koller claimed through waivers

The Slice claimed AJ Koller during the waiver period and released Tom Protzek.

2026 · JUN 24

Goins and Hendershot arrive

Chicago acquired John Lucian Goins from St. Louis for Hunter Johnson plus cash, then added Elsie Hendershot in a four-team deal that sent Mari Humberg to Atlanta.

2026 · JUL 13

Emma Nelson completes the final six

Chicago acquired Emma Nelson from the California Black Bears for Jalina Ingram plus cash considerations.

Two titles and a Premier return

Chicago Slice franchise history

2023 · S1

Challenger champion

Chicago defeated the Bay Area Breakers in a DreamBreaker to win the 2023 Season 1 Challenger final.

2023 · S2

Premier champion

The Slice came back from a 0–2 deficit against Orlando to win the 2023 Season 2 Premier final.

2024

Challenger leader and promotion

Chicago finished No. 1 in the Challenger regular-season standings and earned promotion to the Premier level.

2025–26

Two rebuilds and a playoff return

The Slice entered the 2025 Premier season with no returning players, rebuilt again during 2026 and reached the 2026 playoffs before Palm Beach won both first-round matches 3–1.

2026 MLP season

A midseason rebuild reaches the playoffs

FINAL STANDING1233 STANDINGS POINTS

MLP’s final table placed Chicago at No. 12 with an 11–16 record and 33 standings points. Because that published record includes more matches than a 23-match group-play schedule, this page reports it as the final standings record rather than labeling it regular-season-only.

As the No. 12 seed, Chicago met the No. 7 Palm Beach Royals in the Dallas first round. Palm Beach won the best-of-three series 2–0, taking both matches 3–1.

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Franchise ownership

The group behind the Slice

Ron Saslow

Majority owner · General manager

Thirty-5 Capital

Lead ownership group

CHICAGO OWNERSHIP

Ron Saslow leads the franchise through Thirty-5 Capital and is identified in dated reporting as the majority owner and general manager. The current Chicago Slice owners page lists a broader investor group across business, sports and entertainment.

Full-match 2026 footage