CPL, U SPORTS unveil 2025 draft class
Sixteen student athletes from 11 Canadian universities are one step closer to playing professional soccer on Thursday, after they were selected by the Canadian Premier League’s eight member clubs during the 2025 CPL-U SPORTS Draft, presented by Degree.
The annual draft was this year headlined by Jevontae Layne, a forward from Brampton, Ont. who was selected by Valour FC out of Toronto Metropolitan University with the first overall pick. It marked a significant moment in CPL-U SPORTS Draft history, as the 100th all-time pick since the inaugural draft in 2018.
All eight CPL clubs each selected two players during a live broadcast of the two-round draft on Thursday evening. This year’s proceedings were hosted by OneSoccer’s Adam Jenkins and aired for free to all viewers via the Canadian Premier League and OneSoccer’s YouTube channels, as well as via CBC Sports digital platforms, including CBC Gem, cbcsports.ca and CBC Sports’ YouTube channels.
Now selected, players may be invited to preseason training with their prospective club, where they can compete for a roster spot for the 2025 CPL season.
The complete 2025 CPL-U SPORTS Draft results are as follows:
ROUND 1
|
PICK # |
CLUB |
PLAYER |
SCHOOL |
LEAGUE1 CLUB |
POSITION |
BIRTHPLACE |
|
1 |
Valour FC |
Jevontae Layne |
Toronto Metropolitan University |
Simcoe County Rovers |
Forward |
Brampton, Ont. |
|
2 |
Vancouver FC |
Henri Godbout |
University of British Columbia |
Altitude FC |
Midfielder |
Seattle, WA, U.S.A. |
|
3 |
Halifax Wanderers FC |
Matthew Paiva |
McMaster University |
Scrosoppi FC |
Defender |
Georgetown, Ont. |
|
4 |
Pacific FC |
Niklas Hallam |
University of Toronto |
N/A |
Midfielder |
Victoria, B.C. |
|
5 |
York United FC |
Luca Accettola |
York University |
N/A |
Midfielder |
Woodbridge, Ont. |
|
6 |
Atlético Ottawa |
Jason Hartill |
Cape Breton University |
N/A |
Midfielder |
Carleton Place, Ont. |
|
7 |
Forge FC |
Paul Ekwueme |
McMaster University |
Alliance United FC |
Midfielder |
Ajax, Ont. |
|
8 |
Cavalry FC |
Harvey Hughes |
Cape Breton University |
N/A |
Midfielder |
Southampton, England |
ROUND 2
|
PICK # |
CLUB |
PLAYER |
SCHOOL |
LEAGUE1 CLUB |
POSITION |
BIRTHPLACE |
|
1 |
Valour FC |
Ibrahim Chami |
McGill University |
A.S. Blainville |
Defender |
Montréal, Qué. |
|
2 |
Vancouver FC |
Mehdi Essoussi |
University of Toronto |
Alliance United FC |
Midfielder |
Ottawa, Ont. |
|
3 |
Halifax Wanderers FC |
Joven Mann |
University of British Columbia |
Burnaby FC |
Midfielder |
Surrey, B.C. |
|
4 |
Pacific FC |
Fin Tugwell |
University of Victoria |
N/A |
Defender |
North Vancouver, B.C. |
|
5 |
York United FC |
Matthew Fischer |
York University |
N/A |
Midfielder |
Toronto, Ont. |
|
6 |
Atlético Ottawa |
Adam N’Goran |
Carleton University |
Ottawa South United |
Defender |
Toronto, Ont. |
|
7 |
Forge FC |
Maxime Filion |
University de Montréal |
Ottawa South United |
Forward |
Ottawa, Ont. |
|
8 |
Cavalry FC |
Owen Antoniuk |
University of Calgary |
Windsor City FC |
Midfielder |
Calgary, Alta. |