The seventh edition of the CPL-U SPORTS Draft took place on Thursday, with 16 players selected.
This year’s draft saw players selected from 11 different programs, with McMaster, York, the University of British Columbia, Cape Breton, and the University of Toronto each having two players chosen.
Below is a look at how each CPL club drafted, and what the players they chose could bring to their respective teams in 2025.
VALOUR FC
1st Round Pick (1st overall): Jevontae Layne
HOMETOWN: Brampton, Ont.
SCHOOL: Toronto Metropolitan University
POSITION: Forward
AGE: 22
2nd Round Pick (9th overall): Ibrahim Chami
HOMETOWN: Montréal, Que.
SCHOOL: McGill University
POSITION: Fullback
AGE: 20
For the second consecutive year, Valour FC took one of the top attackers in U SPORTS with their first overall selection, and then an experienced defender with the first pick of the second round.
They will be hoping to add instant offence with the selection of Jevontae Layne first overall out of Toronto Metropolitan University. Layne finished tied for second in scoring in all of U SPORTS this season with 10 goals in nine matches for the Bold. He finished fifth in scoring in League1 Ontario this year with Simcoe County Rovers, and played the full 90 against Toronto FC in the Canadian Championship. A natural goalscorer, Layne’s speed and attacking movement make him a constant threat around the box, and he could be an instant injection of offence for Valour.
The Winnipeg club add another player with a good pedigree in their ninth overall selection, Ibrahim Chami. The 20-year-old fullback brings defensive solidity and quality in building out from the back, and is the first-ever player to be picked from McGill in the CPL-U SPORTS Draft. He played 16 matches in all competitions for McGill this season, recording an assist in the RSEQ Championship – a 2-1 loss to Montréal Carabins. Chami has represented Lebanon at the youth level, including 2024 Olympic qualifiers and has good experience in Ligue1 Québec, playing 19 matches for AS Blainville this past season. He was previously part of the FC Laval team that lost 3-0 to Forge in the preliminary round of the 2023 Canadian Championship.
Valour has been an excellent developer of young players under Phil Dos Santos, and last year’s ninth overall selection, Frank Facchineri, played a key role for them this past season.
VANCOUVER FC
1st Round Pick (2nd overall): Henri Godbout
HOMETOWN: Seattle, Wash.
SCHOOL: University of British Columbia
POSITION: Winger
AGE: 19
2nd Round Pick (10th overall): Mehdi Essoussi
HOMETOWN: Ottawa, Ont.
SCHOOL: University of Toronto
POSITION: Midfielder
AGE: 23
In their first two seasons as a club, Vancouver FC and head coach Afshin Ghotbi have shown a clear commitment to giving U SPORTS players plenty of opportunity with the first team, with the likes of Anthony White, Ameer Kinani and Thomas Powell all featuring after being drafted by the club. This season is unlikely to be any different as the club selected two exciting players who could add depth and quality to their squad.
After his outstanding national championship performance and 2024 campaign as a whole, Vancouver FC wasted no time in picking up local talent Henri Godbout with the second overall pick. He finished the regular season with a very solid seven goals and five assists. But it was in UBC’s run to winning the U SPORTS national championship this year where he truly made headlines, scoring a brace against UNB in the quarters, and adding a pair of assists against McGill in the semi-final. Godbout’s two-footed ability gives him the versatility to play down both sides, with the speed and strength to get into good positions in attack.
Vancouver went out of province for their next pick, taking experienced midfielder Mehdi Essoussi with the 10th overall selection. The captain of the University of Toronto, Essoussi is an experienced and versatile midfielder, playing 13 matches for them this season with two goals and three assists and was named an OUA East First Team All-Star. Essoussi came through the Toronto FC system having played multiple seasons with Toronto FC II in USL League One, and well as for Alliance United in League1 Ontario.
HALIFAX WANDERERS
1st Round Pick (3rd overall): Matthew Paiva
HOMETOWN: Georgetown, Ont.
SCHOOL: McMaster University
POSITION: Defender
AGE: 20
2nd Round Pick (11th overall): Joven Mann
HOMETOWN: Surrey, B.C.
SCHOOL: University of British Columbia
POSITION: Central Midfielder
AGE: 20
After selecting two players from local universities in 2024, Halifax went out of province in 2025, bringing in talented young players from both coasts.
With the third overall pick, they selected Matthew Paiva out of McMaster University. A central defender with good technical ability, his ball movement and progressing ability are at an elite level. After starting 12 of 13 matches for McMaster this past year, scoring twice, Paiva was named a member of the U SPORTS All-Rookie team. A former Sigma FC player, he won a League1 Ontario championship this past summer with Scrosoppi FC, playing 20 matches and scoring once. He was nominated for League1 Ontario’s Young Player of the Year.
In Joven Mann, they selected the player who scored the U SPORTS championship-winning goal in second-half stoppage time to beat the Montréal Carabins 1-0. He had an excellent national championship overall, scoring a pair of goals against UNB in the quarter-final as well. The 20-year-old midfielder finished the year with six goals and three assists in all competitions. A former Vancouver Whitecaps academy player, he will bring experience in a professional environment to the east coast.
PACIFIC FC
1st Round Pick (4th overall): Niklas Hallam
HOMETOWN: Victoria, B.C.
SCHOOL: University of Toronto
POSITION: Winger
AGE: 19
2nd Round Pick (12th overall): Fin Tugwell
HOMETOWN: North Vancouver, B.C.
SCHOOL: University of Victoria
POSITION: Defender
AGE: 20
The Tridents continued to dive into the local talent pool with their two selections in the 2025 draft.
With the fourth overall pick, they selected Niklas Hallam, a 19-year-old winger from Victoria who had an outstanding first season with the University of Toronto. In 13 matches, he scored 10 goals, including two hat tricks, and added a pair of assists. That tally was tied for the second most by any player in U SPORTS during the regular season. The lethal wide attacker is the youngest player selected in the 2025 CPL-U SPORTS Draft. His excellent campaign with U of T earned him a spot in the U SPORTS All-Rookie team.
They also added University of Victoria defender Fin Tugwell with their 12th overall selection. Tugwell played a key role on a defensively outstanding UVic team, which kept an impressive 11 clean sheets in 15 games this season. For his efforts, he was named the Canada West Defensive Player of the Year, and was a U SPORTS First Team All-Canadian. He also contributed a goal and an assist this season, with the goal coming in a victory over eventual national champions UBC.
YORK UNITED
1st Round Pick (5th overall): Luca Accettola
HOMETOWN: Vaughan, Ont.
SCHOOL: York University
POSITION: Attacking midfielder
AGE: 20
2nd Round Pick (13th overall): Matthew Fischer
HOMETOWN: Toronto, Ont.
SCHOOL: York University
POSITION: Winger
AGE: 19
York United continue to take advantage of the fact they share a campus with one of the top U SPORTS programs in the country by selecting a pair of players from York University.
With the fifth overall selection, they drafted attacking midfielder Luca Accettola. In his first year with the York Lions, Accettola scored seven goals and added six assists in all competitions for the OUA silver medallists. His outstanding first season in U SPORTS earned him the Lou Bilek Award as U SPORTS rookie of the year. The creative central midfielder is an excellent chance creator, be that for himself or his teammates with quality passing in the final third. A former Toronto FC II player, Accettola also represented Canada at the Concacaf Boys U-15 Championship in 2019.
With the 13th pick, York United selected Accettola’s teammate Matthew Fischer. A wide attacker, he finished the year with three goals and two assists in all competitions for York University this season, scoring the extra-time winner in the OUA semi-final against the TMU Bold. Fischer joined York University from Canisius University in the NCAA.
The Nine Stripes also retained the rights of York University’s Christian Zeppieri, who made eight appearances for them in 2024, furthering their connection with the university. He returned to the York Lions in August, where he had a fantastic season winning the Joe Johnson Memorial Trophy as the most outstanding player in U SPORTS.
ATLÉTICO OTTAWA
1st Round Pick (6th overall): Jason Hartill
HOMETOWN: Carleton Place, Ont.
SCHOOL: Cape Breton University
POSITION: Midfielder
AGE: 20
2nd Round Pick (14th overall): Adam N’Goran
HOMETOWN: Toronto, Ont.
SCHOOL: Carleton University
POSITION: Fullback
AGE: 20
Atlético Ottawa were another team that kept things fairly local with their selections, continuing their long-running relationship with Carleton University as well.
With the 6th overall pick, they grabbed Jason Hartill, a local midfielder who plays for Cape Breton University. Hartill was selected 12th overall by York United in last year’s CPL-U SPORTS Draft and made two appearances for the Nine Stripes. In his second year with the Cape Breton Capers, Hartill started all 12 matches, scoring once. This pick is especially meaningful as Hartill’s father, Bruce, is the Lead Equipment Manager for Atlético Ottawa.
Atleti also selected Adam N’Goran, a fullback from Carleton University. Also able to play at the base of midfield, N’Goran was named a Second-Team All-Star in the OUA East Division. He is a player who will certainly be familiar with the Atlético Ottawa system having played for Ottawa South United. N’Goran was also a member of the 2022 Québec team that took home Gold at the 2022 Canada Summer Games.
FORGE FC
1st Round Pick (7th overall): Paul Ekwueme
HOMETOWN: Ajax, Ont.
SCHOOL: McMaster University
POSITION: Midfielder
AGE: 20
2nd Round Pick (15th overall): Maxime Filion
HOMETOWN: Ottawa, Ont.
SCHOOL: Université de Montréal
POSITION: Forward
AGE: 21
The Canadian Premier League regular season winners took McMaster midfielder Paul Ekwueme with the seventh overall pick. A dependable holding midfielder, Ekwueme has been a regular starter for the Marauders the past two seasons. He played for Alliance United this past year in League1 Ontario and is a player that Forge have had an eye on for a while now, having come through the Hamilton United system.
With the 14th overall pick, Forge add an intriguing player in forward Maxime Filion. With Université de Montréal this season, Filion scored six goals and added an assist in eight matches. At the national championship, he scored the winner in the U SPORTS quarter-final against Mount Royal. A big striker who uses his frame well, he is lethal around the penalty area. For a club that could use more depth at the number nine position, perhaps Filion is part of the answer.
Forge have had good success drafting players out of RSEQ in the past, with Garven Metusala a prime example.
CAVALRY FC
1st Round Pick (8th overall): Harvey Hughes
HOMETOWN: Southampton, UK
SCHOOL: Cape Breton University
POSITION: Winger
AGE: 20
2nd Round Pick (16th overall): Owen Antoniuk
HOMETOWN: Calgary, Alta.
SCHOOL: University of Calgary
POSITION: Winger
AGE: 22
With their two selections, Cavalry add a pair of players with very solid resumés and experience in professional environments.
With the final pick of the first round, they took Harvey Hughes, a 20-year-old winger out of Cape Breton University. Hughes has a lot of experience in the English non-league system, having come through the Portsmouth and Blackpool youth system. In his first year with the Capers, Hughes, who had previously played as a defender, moved more into the attack with great effect. He scored three goals and added seven assists during the regular season for Cape Breton, before scoring in a 2-0 AUS quarter-final victory over Dalhousie.
With their second pick, Cavalry kept things local selecting Calgary-born attacker Owen Antoniuk. The 22-year-old already has CPL experience under his belt, having joined Atlético Ottawa on loan from Vancouver Whitecaps 2 during the 2022 season. Antoniuk has since been prolific in the League1 system, scoring 13 goals for Windsor City FC in League1 Ontario in 2023, before winning the Golden Boot in League1 Alberta this season for Calgary Foothills with 10 goals in 10 matches. He carried that momentum over to his performance with the Dinos this season, with whom he scored eight goals and added five assists.
Arguably no team has found more value in the CPL-U SPORTS Draft than Cavalry over the years, with Joel Waterman, Eryk Kobza and Victor Loturi all playing big roles with the club.