Biggest Undrafted Names from the Inaugural X Games League Winter Draft

Last night, the Moonpay X Games League held its inaugural Winter Draft at Cosm Los Angeles in California. Each of the four X Clubs — XC New York, XC Park City, XC Whistler, and XC Golden State — selected 10 athletes from a pool of 180 to build the best possible roster ahead of X Games League competition. Unsurprisingly, clubs quickly drafted big-time athletes like Eileen Gu, Mark McMorris, Scotty James, and Megan Oldham. But as the night went on, there were certainly some surprises.

While clubs chose many of the biggest names in snow sports, many elite skiers and snowboarders never had their names called. Each club was limited to just 10 players, leaving many Olympic and X Games gold medalists having to compete as free agents in competition. Undrafted athletes are eligible to be picked up by clubs in case of injury or waiver, but that did not happen very often during the inaugural X Games League summer season. So for now, it looks like undrafted athletes will be competing for their own glory when competition kicks off in late January 2027.

With 140 names still on the board at the conclusion of the draft, these are some of the top undrafted athletes who will be competing as free agents this season. 

• Related: Eileen Gu No. 1 Pick at Inaugural X Games League Winter Draft

Eli Bouchard

Canadian snowboarder Eli Bouchard going undrafted was one of the draft’s bigger surprises. While he does not yet have an X Games medal, the 18-year-old has been making waves in snowboarding competitions with his jaw-dropping trick selection and inventive skill set. He has invented multiple tricks, including the Bouch Bomb (named after Bouchard), the triple moose flip, and the wild dog flip, each including unique rotation axes and physics-defying spin pullbacks. Bouchard made both his X Games and Olympic debuts in 2026, and at just 18 years old, he has plenty of time to grow into a staple in slopestyle and big air snowboarding.

Dusty Henricksen

Dusty Henricksen’s name being left on the board was another shock for snowboard fans around the country. The American slopestyle and big air snowboarder has made a name for himself in X Games competitions, winning two gold medals and three bronze medals. He won his first X Games gold in slopestyle as an X Games rookie in 2021. He was just 17 at the time. Henricksen also competed at the 2020 Winter Youth Olympics in Lausanne, Switzerland, where he took gold in slopestyle. As a proven competitor in X Games competition, the 23-year-old going undrafted comes as a surprise.

Nick Goepper

Five-time X Games gold medalist and three-time Olympic gold medalist skier Nick Goepper also did not hear his name get called. Typically, freestyle skiers compete in either superpipe or slopestyle/big air. But Goepper can do both. The 32-year-old won four X Games gold medals in slopestyle before briefly stepping away from competition during the 2022-23 season. When he returned, he began competing in superpipe and won gold in the category in 2025. As an athlete who can compete at the highest level in all three disciplines of freestyle, it is surprising that he will have to compete as a free agent this season.

Anna Gasser

Despite being widely considered one of the greatest slopestyle snowboarders of all time, Anna Gasser was not selected by an X Games club at the draft. She holds eight total X Games medals; five of them gold. She also holds two Olympic big air gold medals to go along. At 35, Gasser is thought to be in the latter parts of her competitive career. But last season, she had solid results at the 2026 Winter Olympics, and even ended the season with a World Cup podium in Flachau, Austria. Given her X Games history and years of success at the highest level, many thought she would have been selected in the late rounds of the draft. But unfortunately, that was not the case.

Jake Canter

While he may be fresh off the best season of his career, American snowboarder Jake Canter did not find himself selected by an X Games club. The 23-year-old just won bronze in slopestyle at the 2026 Winter Olympics, as well as his first World Cup first-place finish. To go along with recent success in competition, the Colorado native has been showcasing his tricks on social media, making backside 1980s look like child’s play. Despite carrying more momentum into the 2026-27 competition season than many other slopestyle/big air snowboarders, Canter will look to continue his success as a free agent.

• Related: [OLYMPICS] China’s Su Yiming Takes Gold and USA’S Jake Canter Secures Bronze in Men’s Snowboard Slopestyle

Tess Ledeux

Five-time X Games gold medalist slopestyle/big air skier Tess Ledeux has been a steady presence in X Games competition for nearly a decade. She won her first X Games medal back in 2017, and most recently took gold in slopestyle in 2024 — a testament to her longevity in competing at the highest level of freestyle skiing. The French skier has also been successful in Olympic and World Championship competition, holding Olympic bronze and three World Championship golds. Despite her impressive resume across X Games, Olympics, and World Championships, the 24-year-old freestyle skier will be competing on her own this season.

These six athletes are just a few of the top athletes who did not get selected at the X Games League winter draft. While they will not be competing for clubs, these skiers and snowboarders will likely get shots this season to compete as free agents. Some of the greatest athletes of all time compete at their best when they have a chip on their shoulder. And if these undrafted athletes come out during X Games competition this season and snatch medals away from drafted athletes, they can certainly leave managers thinking hard about their draft picks for next season.