HFX Wanderers FC announced Wednesday that it has signed Canadian men’s national team midfielder Jérémy Gagnon-Laparé to a two-year contract for the 2021 and 2022 Canadian Premier League seasons, and an option for 2023.

The former Montreal Impact and Ottawa Fury player, who can also play as an attacker and in defence, arrives in Halifax after spending the 2020 season with now-defunct USL Championship side Saint Louis FC where he made nine appearances.

Before that, Gagnon-Laparé, 25, was an important piece in the Ottawa Fury’s defence, making 43 appearances across the 2018 and 2019 seasons, including two matches against the Wanderers in the Canadian Championship.

“Having the chance to play against the Wanderers in Halifax, I liked the atmosphere so much that it left a pretty positive impact on me after that game. They were a team that wanted to play and they had great energy but also were being pushed by the fans. That’s something I wanted to experience myself so that was another important piece for me,” Gagnon-Laparé said in a media release.

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The Sherbrooke, Que., native began his career with Montreal Impact – now Club de Foot Montreal – and their youth system. After graduating to their USL side in 2015, Gagnon-Laparé made 29 appearances alongside current CPLers Masta Kacher (Valour FC) and Johnny Grant (Forge FC) before joining the club’s MLS side, where he made seven appearances in two seasons. Gagnon-Laparé went on loan to Ottawa Fury in 2015 before signing with French club Vitré in 2017.

Gagnon-Laparé has earned five caps for the Canadian men’s national team and 18 across various Canadian youth levels. He played a pivotal role in Canada’s previous Olympic Qualifying campaign, playing all but 19 minutes in five matches and ending with a third-place defeat to the United States.

His last senior team cap came in 2014 in a friendly against Colombia.

“Adding a player of Jeremy’s quality really strengthens our squad as he brings valuable experience from his time in MLS and USL which will be vital in our push to build a title-winning team,” stated Matt Fegan, HFX Wanderers VP of Football Operations.

Gagnon-Laparé is the 15th HFX Wanderers player signed for the 2021 season.