Who is the next Joel Waterman, Victor Loturi, Eryk Kobza, Rayane Yesli, Garven Metusala or Isaiah Johnston? On Thursday, the 2024 edition of the CPL-U SPORTS Draft, presented by Degree, will get underway, revealing the next set of student-athletes who could join that illustrious group at 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT. The pool of top talent continues to grow deeper by the year as a total of 203 players declared for this year’s draft. That will be narrowed down to the 16 who will hear their name called on draft day as each club selects two players, one per round. Here are seven top prospects ahead of the 2024 CPL-U SPORTS Draft:
Daniel Clarke
**School: Cape Breton University
** **Position: Goalkeeper
** Year: 4th
The goalkeeper from Milton Keynes, UK backstopped the Cape Breton Capers to the national championship this year, which was played on home turf in Cape Breton. He was exceptional during the competition, helping CBU to win the quarter-finals in a penalty shootout, and then kept clean sheets in both the semifinals and final — including six saves in the final. Clarke has spent time playing in the Halifax Wanderers’ U-23 setup. He has also previously played for Scrosoppi FC in League1 Ontario.
Omar Darwish
**School: Carleton University
** **Position: Central Midfielder
** Year: 1st
The 18-year-old midfielder already has strong connections to the Canadian Premier League, having been signed by Atlético Ottawa to a development contract the past two seasons. He joined the Carleton Ravens this past season, and in his first year made ten appearances, scoring once and adding an assist. He also played 11 matches this past year for Atlético OSU in Ligue1 Québec, scoring once.
Sebastian Dzikowski
**School: University of British Columbia
** **Position: Forward
** Year: 4th
The most lethal attacker in U SPORTS this past season, Dzikowski scored 15 goals (a program record) and added four assists for UBC, picking up a Player of the Year award to go with his Golden Boot. He scored a brace in the Canada West semifinals against Alberta, before his side lost narrowly to Mount Royal in the final. UBC also picked up a bronze medal at nationals, with Dzikowski scoring in a quarter-final victory against StFX. Dzikowski has experience playing in League1 BC, appearing in the inaugural final with Varsity FC back in 2022.
Nic Gagan
**School: Université Laval
** **Position: Central Defender
** Year: 2nd
The 19-year-old central defender scored three goals and added an assist for the Rouge et Or this season. Laval had a difficult year, finishing fifth in RSEQ and missing the playoffs. However, they did allow just 13 goals against in 12 matches. Gagan has previously spent time on a development contract with the Halifax Wanderers in 2022, and playing for Ottawa South United in Ligue1 Québec.
Mouhamed Ndiaye
**School: Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières
** **Position: Central Midfielder
** Year: 2nd
The composed midfielder brought quality in possession and technical ability to UQTR, whom he helped to win the RSEQ title this past season. He scored two unbelievable goals in the RSEQ final as UQTR defeated the Montréal Carabins 2-1, first hitting a ridiculous volley to equalize the match, before scoring the winner late in stoppage time with a silky individual effort. He finished the RSEQ regular season with one goal and three assists.
Owen Sheppard
**School: Cape Breton University
** **Position: Attacker
** Year: 2nd
A traditional winger with a lot of attacking upside, Sheppard scored nine goals in 11 matches this season for U SPORTS champions Cape Breton. That included three goals at the national championships, where he scored a brace, and scored in the penalty shootout in the quarter-finals before scoring the lone goal against top-seed Mount Royal in the semifinals. He was named the tournament MVP. The native of St. John’s, Newfoundland was also named a First Team All-Canadian.
Christian Zeppieri
**School: York University
** **Position: Central Midfielder
** Year: 2nd
After spending four years playing in the Toronto FC academy, Zeppieri joined York ahead of the 2023 season and instantly made an impact as a freshman. The box-to-box midfielder was named a First-Team All-Canadian, scoring four times this season for the Lions, and he also scored in an OUA semifinal win against Ontario Tech. He also came off the bench for 33 minutes against CF Montréal this year in the Canadian Championship while he was playing for Vaughan Azzurri in League1 Ontario.