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
edit| Pick # | 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
edit| Pick # | 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
edit| Rank | Country | Selections |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Canada |
15 |
| 2 | England |
1 |
Draftees by university
edit| Rank | 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. Archived from the original on December 26, 2023. 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.