TORONTO– 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:
ROUND 1
| PICK # | CLUB | PLAYER | SCHOOL | LEAGUE1 CLUB | POSITION | BIRTHPLACE |
| 1 | Valour FC | Jevontae Layne | Toronto Metropolitan University | Simcoe County Rovers | Forward | Brampton, Ont. |
| 2 | Vancouver FC | Henri Godbout | University of British Columbia | Altitude FC | Midfielder | Seattle, WA, U.S.A. |
| 3 | Halifax Wanderers FC | Matthew Paiva | McMaster University | Scrosoppi FC | Defender | Georgetown, Ont. |
| 4 | Pacific FC | Niklas Hallam | University of Toronto | N/A | Midfielder | Victoria, B.C. |
| 5 | York United FC | Luca Accettola | York University | N/A | Midfielder | Woodbridge, Ont. |
| 6 | Atlético Ottawa | Jason Hartill | Cape Breton University | N/A | Midfielder | Carleton Place, Ont. |
| 7 | Forge FC | Paul Ekwueme | McMaster University | Alliance United FC | Midfielder | Ajax, Ont. |
| 8 | Cavalry FC | Harvey Hughes | Cape Breton University | N/A | Midfielder | Southampton, England |
ROUND 2
| PICK # | CLUB | PLAYER | SCHOOL | LEAGUE1 CLUB | POSITION | BIRTHPLACE |
| 1 | Valour FC | Ibrahim Chami | McGill University | A.S. Blainville | Defender | Montréal, Qué. |
| 2 | Vancouver FC | Mehdi Essoussi | University of Toronto | Alliance United FC | Midfielder | Ottawa, Ont. |
| 3 | Halifax Wanderers FC | Joven Mann | University of British Columbia | Burnaby FC | Midfielder | Surrey, B.C. |
| 4 | Pacific FC | Fin Tugwell | University of Victoria | N/A | Defender | North Vancouver, B.C. |
| 5 | York United FC | Matthew Fischer | York University | N/A | Midfielder | Toronto, Ont. |
| 6 | Atlético Ottawa | Adam N’Goran | Carleton University | Ottawa South United | Defender | Toronto, Ont. |
About Canadian Premier League
The Canadian Premier League (CPL), Canada’s Tier 1 domestic men’s soccer league, is committed to its mission of providing opportunities for Canadian players to showcase their abilities on home soil and to gain prominence on the global soccer scene. A link between the amateur and professional games in the country, the CPL develops homegrown talent in support of the growth of Canadian soccer domestically and internationally. The CPL is proud to bring high-quality, professional soccer to communities from coast to coast, partnering with strong ownership groups, world-class corporate partners and passionate supporters to build a league Canadians can proudly support on and off the field. The CPL, which contested its milestone fifth season in 2023, plays in Concacaf and FIFA sanctioned competitions. For more updates and information, please visit CanPL.ca
About U SPORTS
U SPORTS is the national brand for university sports in Canada. Every year, over 15,500 student-athletes and 700 coaches vie for 23 national championships in 13 different sports. U SPORTS also provides high performance international opportunities at FISU Winter and Summer World University Games, World University Championships, University World Cups and various educational initiatives.
U SPORTS works in collaboration with 58 members and four conferences as well as the Canadian sport system and Corporate Canada on the growth and delivery of university sport to student-athletes across the country.
For further information, please contact:
John Bower
Director, Marketing and Communications
U SPORTS
780-667-5646
jbower@usports.ca
Laura Armstrong
Senior Director, Communications
Canadian Premier League
laura.armstrong@canpl.ca