CPL–U Sports Draft

{{short description|Canadian soccer draft of university athletes}}

The CPL–U Sports Draft ({{langx|fr|Repêchage de la PLC–U Sports}}) is an annual event in which Canadian Premier League clubs select players from U Sports, Canada's governing body for university sports. The draft allows student-athletes to play professional soccer that year without affecting their university eligibility.{{Cite news|url=https://www.timescolonist.com/sports/new-canadian-premier-league-to-hold-draft-for-university-soccer-players-1.23467775|title=New Canadian Premier League to hold draft for university soccer players |last=Dheenshaw |first=Cleve |date=October 17, 2018 |work=Times Colonist |access-date=November 12, 2018}}

Rules and procedure

Players are eligible to be drafted if they have one or more years of U Sports eligibility remaining and have declared for the draft.{{cite web |title=2021 CPL-U SPORTS Draft: The full prospect list |url=https://canpl.ca/article/2021-cpl-u-sports-draft-the-full-prospect-list |website=Canadian Premier League |access-date=January 27, 2021 |date=January 26, 2021}} Players who signed development contracts the previous year can be retained by their CPL clubs as long as they have U Sports eligibility remaining. Previously drafted players who do not sign and remain draft-eligible can re-enter the draft in subsequent years.{{cite web |title=2021 CPL-U Sports Draft to take place on January 29 |url=https://canpl.ca/video/2021-cpl-u-sports-draft-to-take-place-on-january-29 |website=Canadian Premier League |access-date=22 January 2021 |date=22 January 2021}}

The previous season's league standings, including playoffs and final standings, determine the draft order. The draft previously employed a "snake draft" format with the selection order reversing after each round, however this was discontinued after the 2021 draft.{{cite web |title=Canadian Premier League announces date for 2022 CPL-U SPORTS Draft |url=https://canpl.ca/article/canadian-premier-league-announces-date-for-2022-cpl-u-sports-draft |website=canpl.ca |access-date=January 12, 2022 |date=January 12, 2022}} Clubs have a window of time in which they must submit their pick, and failure to do so results in a pass. There is a break between each round, as well as one timeout per club.{{Cite web|url=https://canpl.ca/article/cpl-u-sports-draft-101-detailing-the-process-of-the-cpls-inaugural-university-draft|title=CPL-U SPORTS Draft 101: Detailing the process of the CPL’s inaugural university draft|date=November 2, 2018|website=canpl.ca|access-date=November 12, 2018}}

U Sports contract

Drafted players will get an invitation to the team's preseason camp, with the opportunity to earn a U Sports contract. The U Sports contract allows players to be paid to play in the CPL in the spring and summer, before returning to their university team before August 15 for the U Sports men's soccer season.{{Cite news|url=https://www.sportsnet.ca/soccer/cpl-partner-u-sports-sharing-talent/|title=CPL to partner with U Sports on sharing talent|date=October 17, 2018|work=Sportsnet|access-date=November 12, 2018|publisher=The Canadian Press}} Players on U Sports contracts do not count toward their team's 23-man roster limit.{{cite web |last1=Jacques |first1=John |title=Canadian Premier League Updates Roster Rules For 2024 |url=https://northerntribune.ca/canadian-premier-league-2024-roster-rules/ |website=Northern Tribune |access-date=13 March 2024 |date=13 March 2024}} Players can also sign fully professional CPL standard contracts and forego their remaining university eligibility.{{cite web|url=https://canpl.ca/article/there-was-no-doubt-vancouver-fc-sign-cpl-u-sports-draft-first-overall-pick-anthony-white|title=‘There was no doubt’: Vancouver FC sign CPL-U SPORTS Draft first overall pick Anthony White|date=March 22, 2023|work=Canadian Premier League|first=Mitchell|last=Tierney}}

Signed players can remain with their CPL club until the end of the season in early November by extending their U Sports contract. These players would be ineligible to participate in U Sports the same season as their contract but would regain eligibility the following year.{{cite web |title=2019 CPL-U Sports Draft announced, rules released |url=https://canpl.ca/article/2019-cpl-u-sports-draft-announced-rules-released |website=Canadian Premier League |accessdate=October 30, 2019 |date=October 30, 2019}}

List of drafts

class="wikitable"
scope="col" \| Draft ! scope="col" \| Season ! scope="col" \| Date ! scope="col" \| {{Tooltip\|Rds\|Number of rounds}} ! scope="col" \| {{Tooltip\|Picks\|Total number of selections}} ! scope="col" \| City ! scope="col" \| {{Tooltip\|First selection\|Player selected with first pick}} ! scope="col" \| {{Tooltip\|School\|University attended by the player}} ! scope="col" \| {{Tooltip\|Team\|Team with first pick}} ! scope="col" \| Ref
style="text-align: center;"\|2018 \|style="text-align: center;"\|2019 \|November 12, 2018 \|style="text-align: right;"\|3 \|style="text-align: right;"\|21 \|Vancouver, British Columbia \|{{flagdeco\|CAN}} Gabriel Bitar \|Carleton \|Cavalry FC \|{{Cite web\|url=https://canpl.ca/article/draft-order-revealed-cavalry-fc-gets-1st-pick-in-inaugural-cpl-u-sports-draft\|title=Draft order revealed: Cavalry FC gets 1st pick in inaugural CPL-U SPORTS Draft\|last=Bedakian\|first=Armen\|date=November 12, 2018\|website=canpl.ca\|access-date=November 12, 2018}}
style="text-align: center;"\|2019 \|style="text-align: center;"\|2020 \|November 11, 2019 \|style="text-align: right;"\|2 \|style="text-align: right;"\|14 \|Montreal, Quebec \|{{flagdeco\|ENG}} Cory Bent \|Cape Breton \|HFX Wanderers \|{{cite web \|title=HFX selects Cape Breton's Cory Bent 1st overall in CPL-U SPORTS Draft \|url=https://canpl.ca/article/hfx-selects-cape-bretons-cory-bent-1st-overall-in-cpl-u-sports-draft \|website=Canadian Premier League \|accessdate=November 11, 2019 \|date=November 11, 2019}}
style="text-align: center;"\|2021 \|style="text-align: center;"\|2021 \|January 29, 2021 \|style="text-align: right;"\|2 \|style="text-align: right;"\|16 \|Held virtually \|{{flagdeco\|CAN}} Thomas Gardner \|British Columbia \|FC Edmonton \|{{cite web\|date=January 29, 2021\|title=FC Edmonton take UBC’s Thomas Gardner 1st overall in CPL-U SPORTS Draft\|url=https://canpl.ca/article/fc-edmonton-take-ubcs-thomas-gardner-1st-overall-in-cpl-u-sports-draft\|accessdate=January 29, 2021\|website=Canadian Premier League}}
style="text-align: center;"\|2022 \|style="text-align: center;"\|2022 \|January 20, 2022 \|style="text-align: right;"\|2 \|style="text-align: right;"\|16 \|Held virtually \|{{flagdeco\|POR}} José Cunha \|Cape Breton \|Atlético Ottawa \|{{cite web\|title=2022 CPL-U SPORTS Draft: View all 16 picks here\|url=https://canpl.ca/article/2022-cpl-u-sports-draft-view-all-16-picks-here\|date=January 20, 2022\|access-date=January 21, 2022\|website=Canadian Premier League}}
style="text-align: center;"\|2023 \|style="text-align: center;"\|2023 \|December 15, 2022 \|style="text-align: right;"\|2 \|style="text-align: right;"\|16 \|Held virtually \|{{flagdeco\|CAN}} Anthony White \|Toronto \|Vancouver FC \|{{Cite news \|url=https://www.cbc.ca/sports/soccer/cpl/cpl-usports-draft-1.6687756 \|title=Canadian Premier League teams add young talent to rosters via U Sports draft \|website=CBC Sports \|agency=The Canadian Press \|date=December 15, 2022 \|access-date=December 15, 2022}}
style="text-align: center;"\|2024 \|style="text-align: center;"\|2024 \|December 14, 2023 \|style="text-align: right;"\|2 \|style="text-align: right;"\|16 \|Held virtually \|{{flagicon\|CAN}} Owen Sheppard \|Cape Breton \|Valour FC \|{{Cite web \|date=December 14, 2023 \|title=2024 CPL-U SPORTS Draft: Team-by-team breakdown of all 16 picks \|url=https://canpl.ca/article/2024-cpl-u-sports-draft-team-by-team-breakdown-of-all-16-picks \|access-date=December 14, 2023 \|website=Canadian Premier League}}
style="text-align: center;"\|2025 \|style="text-align: center;"\|2025 \|December 5, 2024 \|style="text-align: right;"\|2 \|style="text-align: right;"\|16 \|Held virtually \|{{flagicon\|CAN}} Jevontae Layne \|Toronto Metropolitan University \|Valour FC	{{Cite web \|date=December 5, 2024 \|title=2025 CPL-U SPORTS Draft: Team-by-team breakdown of all 16 picks \|url=https://canpl.ca/article/2025-cpl-u-sports-draft-team-by-team-breakdown-of-all-16-picks \|access-date=December 5, 2024 \|website=Canadian Premier League}}

class="wikitable"

scope="col" | Draft

! scope="col" | Season

! scope="col" | Date

! scope="col" | {{Tooltip|Rds|Number of rounds}}

! scope="col" | {{Tooltip|Picks|Total number of selections}}

! scope="col" | City

! scope="col" | {{Tooltip|First selection|Player selected with first pick}}

! scope="col" | {{Tooltip|School|University attended by the player}}

! scope="col" | {{Tooltip|Team|Team with first pick}}

! scope="col" | Ref

style="text-align: center;"|2018

|style="text-align: center;"|2019

|November 12, 2018

|style="text-align: right;"|3

|style="text-align: right;"|21

|Vancouver, British Columbia

|{{flagdeco|CAN}} Gabriel Bitar

|Carleton

|Cavalry FC

|{{Cite web|url=https://canpl.ca/article/draft-order-revealed-cavalry-fc-gets-1st-pick-in-inaugural-cpl-u-sports-draft|title=Draft order revealed: Cavalry FC gets 1st pick in inaugural CPL-U SPORTS Draft|last=Bedakian|first=Armen|date=November 12, 2018|website=canpl.ca|access-date=November 12, 2018}}

style="text-align: center;"|2019

|style="text-align: center;"|2020

|November 11, 2019

|style="text-align: right;"|2

|style="text-align: right;"|14

|Montreal, Quebec

|{{flagdeco|ENG}} Cory Bent

|Cape Breton

|HFX Wanderers

|{{cite web |title=HFX selects Cape Breton's Cory Bent 1st overall in CPL-U SPORTS Draft |url=https://canpl.ca/article/hfx-selects-cape-bretons-cory-bent-1st-overall-in-cpl-u-sports-draft |website=Canadian Premier League |accessdate=November 11, 2019 |date=November 11, 2019}}

style="text-align: center;"|2021

|style="text-align: center;"|2021

|January 29, 2021

|style="text-align: right;"|2

|style="text-align: right;"|16

|Held virtually

|{{flagdeco|CAN}} Thomas Gardner

|British Columbia

|FC Edmonton

|{{cite web|date=January 29, 2021|title=FC Edmonton take UBC’s Thomas Gardner 1st overall in CPL-U SPORTS Draft|url=https://canpl.ca/article/fc-edmonton-take-ubcs-thomas-gardner-1st-overall-in-cpl-u-sports-draft|accessdate=January 29, 2021|website=Canadian Premier League}}

style="text-align: center;"|2022

|style="text-align: center;"|2022

|January 20, 2022

|style="text-align: right;"|2

|style="text-align: right;"|16

|Held virtually

|{{flagdeco|POR}} José Cunha

|Cape Breton

|Atlético Ottawa

|{{cite web|title=2022 CPL-U SPORTS Draft: View all 16 picks here|url=https://canpl.ca/article/2022-cpl-u-sports-draft-view-all-16-picks-here|date=January 20, 2022|access-date=January 21, 2022|website=Canadian Premier League}}

style="text-align: center;"|2023

|style="text-align: center;"|2023

|December 15, 2022

|style="text-align: right;"|2

|style="text-align: right;"|16

|Held virtually

|{{flagdeco|CAN}} Anthony White

|Toronto

|Vancouver FC

|{{Cite news |url=https://www.cbc.ca/sports/soccer/cpl/cpl-usports-draft-1.6687756 |title=Canadian Premier League teams add young talent to rosters via U Sports draft |website=CBC Sports |agency=The Canadian Press |date=December 15, 2022 |access-date=December 15, 2022}}

style="text-align: center;"|2024

|style="text-align: center;"|2024

|December 14, 2023

|style="text-align: right;"|2

|style="text-align: right;"|16

|Held virtually

|{{flagicon|CAN}} Owen Sheppard

|Cape Breton

|Valour FC

|{{Cite web |date=December 14, 2023 |title=2024 CPL-U SPORTS Draft: Team-by-team breakdown of all 16 picks |url=https://canpl.ca/article/2024-cpl-u-sports-draft-team-by-team-breakdown-of-all-16-picks |access-date=December 14, 2023 |website=Canadian Premier League}}

style="text-align: center;"|2025

|style="text-align: center;"|2025

|December 5, 2024

|style="text-align: right;"|2

|style="text-align: right;"|16

|Held virtually

|{{flagicon|CAN}} Jevontae Layne

|Toronto Metropolitan University

|Valour FC

{{Cite web |date=December 5, 2024 |title=2025 CPL-U SPORTS Draft: Team-by-team breakdown of all 16 picks |url=https://canpl.ca/article/2025-cpl-u-sports-draft-team-by-team-breakdown-of-all-16-picks |access-date=December 5, 2024 |website=Canadian Premier League}}

References

Category:U Sports soccer

Category:Association football drafts

Category:Annual sporting events in Canada

Category:Recurring sporting events established in 2018

Category:2018 establishments in Canada