2021 CPL–U Sports Draft
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The 2021 CPL–U Sports Draft was the third annual CPL–U Sports Draft. Eight Canadian Premier League (CPL) teams selected 16 eligible U Sports athletes in total when the draft was held on January 29, 2021.[1][2]
| 2021 CPL–U Sports Draft | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Sport | Soccer |
| Date | January 29, 2021 |
| Time | 3:00 PM ET |
| Networks | OneSoccer, Twitter, YouTube |
| Overview | |
| 16 total selections in 2 rounds | |
| League | Canadian Premier League |
| Teams | 8 |
| First selection | Thomas Gardner, FC Edmonton |
Format
Each CPL team made two selection in the U Sports Draft. Players could be selected if they had years of U Sports eligibility remaining and had declared for the draft.[1] In 2021, a total of 48 athletes declared for the draft.[3]
The draft used a snake format with the order reversing directions between the two rounds. The selection order in the first round is the reverse of the previous season's standings.[4]
Player selection
| * | Denotes player who has signed a professional contract for the 2021 season |
| ^ | Denotes player who has signed a developmental contract for the 2021 season |
Round 1
| Pick # | CPL team | Player | Position | Nationality | University | Last team/academy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | FC Edmonton | Thomas Gardner^ | MF |  Canada | British Columbia | TSS Rovers (USL2) |
| 2 | Atlético Ottawa | Cristopher Malekos | DF | Canada | Carleton | Ottawa South United (PLSQ) |
| 3 | Valour FC | Yuba-Rayane Yesli | GK |  Algeria[a] | Montréal | CS Fabrose (PLSQ) |
| 4 | York United | Christopher Campoli | MF | Canada | Ontario Tech | Woodbridge Strikers (L1O) |
| 5 | Pacific FC | Chris Lee^ | DF | Canada | British Columbia | Vancouver Whitecaps FC Academy |
| 6 | Cavalry FC | Victor Loturi^ | MF | Canada | Mount Royal | Cavalry FC (CPL) |
| 7 | HFX Wanderers | Stefan Karajovanovic* | FW | Canada | Carleton | Ottawa South United (PLSQ) |
| 8 | Forge FC | Garven-Michée Metusala* | DF | Canada | Concordia | AS Blainville (PLSQ) |
- Qualifies as a domestic player
Round 2
| Pick # | CPL team | Player | Position | Nationality | University | Last team/academy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | Forge FC | José da Cunha | DF |  Portugal | Cape Breton | G.D. Estoril Praia B |
| 10 | HFX Wanderers | Kareem Sow^ | DF | Canada | Montréal | Montreal Impact Academy |
| 11 | Cavalry FC | Ethan Keen | DF | Canada | Mount Royal | Calgary Foothills (USL2) |
| 12 | Pacific FC | Victory Shumbusho | FW |  DR Congo[a] | British Columbia | Victoria Highlanders (USL2) |
| 13 | York United | Danial Rafisamii | MF | Canada | Ontario Tech | Toronto Skillz FC (L1O) |
| 14 | Valour FC | Tony Mikhael^ | DF |  Lebanon[a] | Carleton | Ottawa South United (L1O) |
| 15 | Atlético Ottawa | Reggie Laryea | DF | Canada | York | Sigma FC (L1O) |
| 16 | FC Edmonton | Jackson Farmer | DF | Canada | British Columbia | Calgary Foothills (USL2) |
- Qualifies as a domestic player
Retained
The following players signed development contracts with their respective CPL teams in 2020 and had U Sports eligibility remaining. Their CPL clubs chose to retain their rights for another year, exempting them from the draft.[4]
| Drafted | CPL team | Player | Position | Nationality | University |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 (7th) | Forge FC | Gabriel Balbinotti | FW | Canada | UQTR |
| 2019 (14th) | HFX Wanderers | Jake Ruby | RB | Canada | Trinity Western |
Selection statistics
Draftees by nationality
Canadian draftees by province
Draftees by university
| Rank | University | Selections |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | British Columbia | 4 |
| 2 | Carleton | 3 |
| 3 | Montréal | 2 |
| Ontario Tech | ||
| Mount Royal | ||
| 6 | Concordia | 1 |
| Cape Breton | ||
| York |