Record Number of CAPERS taken in CPL Draft
CBU had 4 players taken in the annual CPL Draft On Monday.
(Montreal, QC) - The Canadian Premier League is pleased to announce the 14 draft picks from the CPL-U SPORTS draft held following the 2019 U SPORTS Men's Soccer Championship Presented by La Cage – Brasserie sportive in Montreal November 7-10. Fourteen players will be invited to CPL Clubs' preseason camp in early 2020. The Cape Breton University CAPERS had the most players selected of any university. A record number of 4 players were chosen. Cory Bent (1st overall), Marcus Campanile (2nd overall), Isaiah Johnston (10th overall), and Charlie Waters (14th overall) were selected in the 2nd annual draft. CBU is fresh of a Bronze medal finish at the U Sports National Championships, their 3rd national medal in 3 years (2017-Gold, 2018-Silver).
CAPERS are no strangers to the CPL. CBU's captain Peter Schaale was chosen by the Halifax Wanderers FC last season and became a fan favorite and wore the captains' armband for the Halifax based club.
CBU's Head Coach Deano Morley was extremely proud to hear of the draft results. "Obviously our coaching staff is beaming with pride, having four players drafted including the first two draft picks, is extremely rewarding. We are delighted for these young men, they have put in the work and dedication required to reach these levels. The CPL clubs are not just getting good players they are getting great people and I am proud of our staff, our university, and our CAPERS community for the way we develop people."
Since 2018, at the conclusion of the U SPORTS Men's Soccer Championship, the Canadian Premier League holds a draft for eligible U SPORTS men's soccer players who have registered and declared themselves 'available' to be selected through the League's annual draft. This draft is open to any eligible U SPORTS underclassman that register for the draft. The CPL-U SPORTS Draft consisted of two rounds, seven picks in each round.
This truly unique partnership between the Canadian Premier League and U SPORTS provides student-athletes with an opportunity to be signed to a CPL-U SPORTS Developmental Contract that allows a student-athlete with one to four years of U SPORTS eligibility remaining to sign with a CPL Club, while preserving their eligibility before returning to U SPORTS competition.
| 1ST ROUND CPL-U SPORTS DRAFT SELECTION | |
| 1 | HFX Wanderers - Cory Bent, Cape Breton University |
| 2 | Valour FC - Marcus Campanile, Cape Breton University |
| 3 | Pacific FC - Jan Pirretas Glasmacher, Thompson Rivers University |
| 4 | FC Edmonton - David Chung, University of Alberta |
| 5 | York9 FC - Stefan Karajovanovic, Carleton University |
| 6 | Cavalry FC - Gabriel Bitar, Carleton University |
| 7 | Forge FC - Gabriel Balbinotti, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières |
| 2ND ROUND CPL-U SPORTS DRAFT SELECTION | |
| 8 | Forge FC - Alex Zis, University of Guelph |
| 9 | Cavalry FC - Moe El Gandour, Mount Royal University |
| 10 | York 9 FC - Isaiah Johnston, Cape Breton University |
| 11 | FC Edmonton - Jacob Bosch, University of Alberta |
| 12 | Pacific FC - Tommy Gardner, University of British Columbia |
| 13 | Valour FC - Charlie Waters, Cape Breton University |
| 14 | HFX Wanderers - Jake Ruby, Trinity Western University |
*The draft order was based on the Club's regular-season record over the course of both the Spring and Fall Competition and was formatted in a "snake draft" order with HFX Wanderers receiving the first-round selection.
This truly unique partnership between the CPL and U SPORTS provides student-athletes with an opportunity to be signed to a CPL-U SPORTS Developmental Contract. This will allow an athlete with one to four years of eligibility remaining to play with a CPL club in the spring and summer before returning to U SPORTS competition.
To read more about the CPL-U SPORTS Draft and draft selections. Click here
