Halifax Wanderers FC unveiled perhaps the club’s biggest signing yet on Thursday, announcing that the Nova Scotia side have agreed to terms with Canadian international defender Doneil Henry for the rest of the 2023 season, with an option for 2024.

Henry, a 30-year-old native of Brampton, Ontario, is a longtime veteran of the Canadian men’s national team, with 44 senior caps to his name. He was a key member of Canada’s squad throughout its qualification process for the 2022 FIFA World Cup – playing eight times in qualifying, including five matches of the Octagonal final stage. Henry captained Canada in their match in Jamaica and started the game at BMO Field where Canada qualified for Qatar. He’s also fondly remembered for moments like his 38-minute shift against Mexico in Edmonton, where he took an early yellow card for a heavy challenge on Chucky Lozano.

Although an injury before a pre-tournament friendly ultimately kept Henry out of the final World Cup squad, the beloved defender was still invited to join John Herdman’s group in Qatar as part of the staff.

“We’re thrilled to welcome a player of Doneil’s pedigree to Halifax and feel he will be a great addition to our locker room and the club as a whole,” Wanderers sporting director Matt Fegan said. “His playing career and his contribution to elevate Canadian soccer to the next level speaks for itself. He is a player renowned for establishing strong connections with his clubs and their supporters, and we have no doubt he will enjoy his time playing for the best fans in the CPL.”

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Henry made his international debut for Canada in 2012 at age 19 against Trinidad and Tobago, and he would go on to be named Canada Soccer’s U-20 Player of the Year several months later. He has since played for Canada at three Concacaf Gold Cups, as well as in both of the last two World Cup qualifying campaigns.

Over more than a decade in the professional game, Henry has represented multiple clubs at various levels around the world. He began his career at Toronto FC, where he was the club’s first ever player to sign for the first team out of the academy. He would go on to play 101 games for the MLS side, including a return stint last season after first departing in 2015, winning the Canadian Championship three times – in consecutive years 2010, 2011 and 2012.

After departing Toronto, Henry signed for English Premier League side West Ham United, though he only played once for them in a UEFA Europa League match before loan stints at Blackburn Rovers and AC Horsens. Henry later spent two seasons back in Canada with the Vancouver Whitecaps, as well as two pandemic-affected seasons in South Korea with Suwon Samsung Bluewings, where he made a tremendous impact in 45 appearances across 2020 and 2021 (and still returned frequently to Canada, enduring lengthy quarantines to play for his country).

Most recently, Henry has been in search of a club after brief MLS stints in 2022 with Los Angeles FC and Toronto FC. Now, he’s decided the next chapter of his career will take him to the Canadian Premier League.

“I watched a few games and the style of football they play in Halifax, it doesn’t show in the standings,” Henry told CanPL.ca. “I’m looking to help as much as I can; it’s a very young team, I’m sure I can drop gems and help the group come together.

Henry explained that he was particularly drawn to Halifax by head coach Patrice Gheisar, who had been in contact with him recently to check in. Gheisar received rave reviews from some of Henry’s Canada teammates — Kamal Miller, Alistair Johnston and Dayne St. Clair — who all played under him for Vaughan Azzurri.

“To know that those are the boys that he had, the level they play at now and continuing to flourish at the national team level, it’s a testament to his craft and his desire to be a coach to help these players,” Henry said. “Definitely when I think about Patrice and what he’s done in football, it’s not something that came overnight.”

Henry’s only experience to date with the CPL level was in 2019, when he played for the Whitecaps in both legs of their Canadian Championship tie against Cavalry FC – which the Cavs won in memorable fashion.

“As every Canadian soccer fan knows, it’s going to be a pleasure to have Doneil part of our team and add his experience to our group,” Gheisar said. “I think this is huge for the league overall, but also a statement that he believes in Halifax as he would have had many options. I’m excited that he wants to come here as part of his journey.”

The experienced centre-back is only the second signing in Wanderers history to have senior Canadian national team caps – following Jérémy Gagnon-Laparé (five) – and he’s the first to have played for Canada under current head coach John Herdman.

In fact, Henry has the most Canada caps of any current CPL player, and the third-most of any player ever to play in the league, following Marcel de Jong (56) and Nik Ledgerwood (50).

Henry will provide immense experience and leadership to a young, talented Wanderers defensive core that currently includes the likes of Cristian Campagna (21 years old), Dan Nimick (22), and Cale Loughrey (21).

I think in Halifax we have the opportunity to definitely turn the second part of the season around,” Henry said. “They have unbelievable players on the team, and now it just comes down to how do we finish, win games; how can we be more ruthless, how can we be organized, because in those transition moments is when we usually are vulnerable.”

The Wanderers, currently sitting fifth in the Canadian Premier League table, return to the pitch at home this weekend on Saturday, when they host Atlético Ottawa (4 p.m. AT/3 p.m. ET, on OneSoccer).