Sports
CPL, U SPORTS unveil 2025 Draft class
Toronto Metropolitan University forward Jevontae Layne selected first overall by Valour FC, becoming 100th all-time pick in CPL-U SPORTS Draft history
Sixteen student athletes from 11 Canadian universities are one step closer to playing professional soccer on Thursday, after they were selected by the Canadian Premier League’s eight member clubs during the 2025 CPL-U SPORTS Draft, presented by Degree.
The annual draft was this year headlined by Jevontae Layne, a forward from Brampton, Ont. who was selected by Valour FC out of Toronto Metropolitan University with the first overall pick. It marked a significant moment in CPL-U SPORTS Draft history, as the 100th all-time pick since the inaugural draft in 2018.
All eight CPL clubs each selected two players during a live broadcast of the two-round draft on Thursday evening. This year’s proceedings were hosted by OneSoccer’s Adam Jenkins and aired for free to all viewers via the Canadian Premier League and OneSoccer’s YouTube channels, as well as via CBC Sports digital platforms, including CBC Gem, cbcsports.ca and CBC Sports’ YouTube channels.
Now selected, players may be invited to preseason training with their prospective club, where they can compete for a roster spot for the 2025 CPL season.
The complete 2025 CPL-U SPORTS Draft results are as follows.
Round 1:
# | CLUB | PLAYER | SCHOOL | LEAGUE1 CLUB | POSITION | HOMETOWN |
1 | Valour FC | Jevonate Layne | Toronto Metropolitan | Simcoe County Rovers | Forward | Brampton, Ont. |
2 | Vancouver FC | Henri Godbout | British Columbia | Altitude FC | Midfielder | Seattle, Wash. |
3 | Halifax Wanderers FC | Matthew Paiva | McMaster | Scrosoppi FC | Defender | Georgetown, Ont. |
4 | Pacific FC | Niklas Hallam | Toronto | N/A | Midfielder | Victoria, B.C. |
5 | York United FC | Luca Accettola | York | N/A | Midfielder | Woodbridge, Ont. |
6 | Atlético Ottawa | Jason Hartill | Cape Breton | N/A | Midfielder | Carleton Place, Ont. |
7 | Forge FC | Paul Ekwueme | McMaster | Alliance United FC | Midfielder | Ajax, Ont. |
8 | Cavalry FC | Harvey Hughes | Cape Breton | N/A | Midfielder | Southampton, England |
Round 2:
# | CLUB | PLAYER | SCHOOL | LEAGUE1 CLUB | POSITION | HOMETOWN |
9 | Valour FC | Ibrahim Chami | McGill | AS Blainville | Defender | Montréal, Qué. |
10 | Vancouver FC | Mehdi Essoussi | Toronto | Alliance United | Midfielder | Ottawa, Ont. |
11 | Halifax Wanderers FC | Joven Mann | British Columbia | Burnaby FC | Midfielder | Surrey, B.C. |
12 | Pacific FC | Fin Tugwell | Victoria | N/A | Defender | North Vancouver, B.C. |
13 | York United FC | Matthew Fischer | York | N/A | Midfielder | Toronto, Ont. |
14 | Atlético Ottawa | Adam N’Goran | Carleton | Ottawa South United | Defender | Toronto, Ont. |
15 | Forge FC | Maxime Filion | Montréal | Ottawa South United | Forward | Ottawa, Ont. |
16 | Cavalry FC | Owen Antoniuk | Calgary | Windsor City FC | Midfielder | Calgary, Alta. |