The 2024 CPL–U Sports Draft was the sixth annual CPL–U Sports Draft. Canadian Premier League (CPL) teams selected 16 eligible U Sports soccer players to be invited to their respective preseason camps with the opportunity to earn development contracts for the 2024 Canadian Premier League season.
2024 CPL–U Sports Draft | |
---|---|
General information | |
Sport | Soccer |
Date(s) | December 14, 2023 |
Time | 1:00 PM ET |
Network(s) | YouTube |
Overview | |
16 total selections in 2 rounds | |
League | Canadian Premier League |
Teams | 8 |
First selection | Owen Sheppard, Valour FC |
Format
editPlayers could be selected if they had one to four years of U Sports eligibility remaining, were in good academic standing, were planning to return to school the following year, and completed the CPL's draft declaration form by December 5, 2023.[1] On December 6, the CPL released the list of 203 athletes who declared for the draft.[2] Players who were selected can sign a full professional contract or a U Sports development contract, which allows them to return to university for the following season, without losing their eligibility.[3]
Teams were able to retain the rights to previously drafted players who had signed U Sports contracts. In total, seven players were retained by their CPL clubs.[2]
Each CPL team made two selections in the draft with selections made in the reverse order of the previous season's standings, including playoffs and final standings. Teams may trade selections; on draft day, Vancouver FC traded the 10th overall selection to Cavalry FC in exchange for the 15th overall selection and future considerations.[4] These future considerations eventually became Canadian winger Ben Fisk who transferred from Cavalry to Vancouver on January 9, 2024.[5]
Player selection
edit* | Denotes player who has signed a professional contract for the 2024 season |
^ | Denotes player who has signed a developmental contract for the 2024 season |
The following players were selected:[6][7]
Round 1
editPick # | CPL team | Player | Position | Nationality | University | Last team/academy |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Valour FC | Owen Sheppard | FW | Canada | Cape Breton | |
2 | Vancouver FC | Luke Norman | MF | Canada | British Columbia | Whitecaps FC Academy (L1BC) |
3 | Atlético Ottawa | Luca Piccioli^ | MF | Canada | Carleton | Montreal Impact Academy (U19) |
4 | York United FC | Christian Zeppieri^ | MF | Canada | York | Vaughan Azzurri (L1O) |
5 | HFX Wanderers FC | Daniel Clarke^ | GK | England | Cape Breton | Woodbridge Strikers (L1O) |
6 | Pacific FC | Michael Maslanka | FW | Canada | Toronto | |
7 | Cavalry FC | Caden Rogozinski^ | DF | Canada | Mount Royal | Calgary Foothills FC (L1AB) |
8 | Forge FC | Mouhamed Ndiaye | MF | Canada | UQTR |
Round 2
editPick # | CPL team | Player | Position | Nationality | University | Last team/academy |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
9 | Valour FC | Gianfranco Facchineri^ | DF | Canada | Windsor | Windsor City FC (L1O) |
10 | Cavalry FC (from Vancouver FC)[a] | Rodane Cato | MF | Canada | Alberta | |
11 | Atlético Ottawa | Samuel LaPlante | DF | Canada | UQTR | CS Saint-Hubert (L1QC) |
12 | York United FC | Jason Hartill^ | MF | Canada | Cape Breton | Toronto FC Academy (MLS Next) |
13 | HFX Wanderers FC | Max Bodurtha | MF | Canada | St. Francis Xavier | Whitecaps FC Academy (L1BC) |
14 | Pacific FC | Ibrahem Saadi | DF | Canada | Western | |
15 | Vancouver FC (from Cavalry FC)[a] | Thomas Powell^ | MF | Canada | Trinity Western | Unity FC (L1BC) |
16 | Forge FC | Amadou Kone^ | FW | Canada | Carleton | Ottawa South United (L1QC) |
Notes
editSelection statistics
editDraftees by nationality
editRank | Country | Selections |
---|---|---|
1 | Canada | 15 |
2 | England | 1 |
Draftees by university
editRank | University | Selections |
---|---|---|
1 | Cape Breton University | 3 |
2 | Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières | 2 |
Carleton University | 2 | |
4 | 9 universities | 1 |
References
edit- ^ "U SPORTS Draft FAQ". Canadian Premier League. Retrieved December 8, 2023.
- ^ a b "2024 CPL-U SPORTS Draft: Full Prospect List". Canadian Premier League. December 6, 2023. Retrieved December 8, 2023.
- ^ McNulty, Paul (August 4, 2022). "Four Seasons In, the CPL Talent Pipeline Is in Full Swing". 13th Man Sports.
- ^ a b "Cavalry FC, Vancouver FC trade second round picks in 2024 CPL-U SPORTS Draft". Canadian Premier League. December 14, 2023. Archived from the original on December 14, 2023. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
- ^ a b "Vancouver FC acquire Ben Fisk from Cavalry FC". Canadian Premier League. January 9, 2024. Archived from the original on January 9, 2024. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
- ^ "2024 CPL-U SPORTS Draft: Team-by-team breakdown of all 16 picks". Canadian Premier League. December 14, 2023. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
- ^ Jacques, John (December 14, 2023). "2024 CPL-U SPORTS Draft Roundup". Northern Tribune. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
Further reading
edit- "U Sports Draft FAQ". Canadian Premier League. Archived from the original on December 9, 2022. Retrieved December 9, 2022.