| 2021 CPL–U Sports Draft | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Sport | Soccer |
| Date | January 29, 2021 |
| Time | 3:00 PM ET |
| Networks | OneSoccer, Twitter, YouTube |
| Overview | |
| 16 total selections in 2 rounds | |
| League | Canadian Premier League |
| Teams | 8 |
| First selection | Thomas Gardner, FC Edmonton |
The 2021 CPL–U Sports Draft was the third annual CPL–U Sports Draft. Eight Canadian Premier League (CPL) teams selected 16 eligible U Sports athletes in total when the draft was held on January 29, 2021.[1][2]
Each CPL team made two selection in the U Sports Draft. Players could be selected if they had years of U Sports eligibility remaining and had declared for the draft.[1] In 2021, a total of 48 athletes declared for the draft.[3]
The draft used a snake format with the order reversing directions between the two rounds. The selection order in the first round is the reverse of the previous season's standings.[4]
| * | Denotes player who has signed a professional contract for the 2021 season |
| ^ | Denotes player who has signed a developmental contract for the 2021 season |
| Pick # | CPL team | Player | Position | Nationality | University | Last team/academy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | FC Edmonton | Thomas Gardner^ | MF |  Canada |
British Columbia | TSS Rovers (USL2) |
| 2 | Atlético Ottawa | Cristopher Malekos | DF | Canada |
Carleton | Ottawa South United (PLSQ) |
| 3 | Valour FC | Yuba-Rayane Yesli | GK |  Algeria[a] |
Montréal | CS Fabrose (PLSQ) |
| 4 | York United | Christopher Campoli | MF | Canada |
Ontario Tech | Woodbridge Strikers (L1O) |
| 5 | Pacific FC | Chris Lee^ | DF | Canada |
British Columbia | Vancouver Whitecaps FC Academy |
| 6 | Cavalry FC | Victor Loturi^ | MF | Canada |
Mount Royal | Cavalry FC (CPL) |
| 7 | HFX Wanderers | Stefan Karajovanovic* | FW | Canada |
Carleton | Ottawa South United (PLSQ) |
| 8 | Forge FC | Garven-Michée Metusala* | DF | Canada |
Concordia | AS Blainville (PLSQ) |
| Pick # | CPL team | Player | Position | Nationality | University | Last team/academy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | Forge FC | José da Cunha | DF |  Portugal |
Cape Breton | G.D. Estoril Praia B
|
| 10 | HFX Wanderers | Kareem Sow^ | DF | Canada |
Montréal | Montreal Impact Academy |
| 11 | Cavalry FC | Ethan Keen | DF | Canada |
Mount Royal | Calgary Foothills (USL2) |
| 12 | Pacific FC | Victory Shumbusho | FW |  DR Congo[a] |
British Columbia | Victoria Highlanders (USL2) |
| 13 | York United | Danial Rafisamii | MF | Canada |
Ontario Tech | Toronto Skillz FC (L1O) |
| 14 | Valour FC | Tony Mikhael^ | DF |  Lebanon[a] |
Carleton | Ottawa South United (L1O) |
| 15 | Atlético Ottawa | Reggie Laryea | DF | Canada |
York | Sigma FC (L1O) |
| 16 | FC Edmonton | Jackson Farmer | DF | Canada |
British Columbia | Calgary Foothills (USL2) |
The following players signed development contracts with their respective CPL teams in 2020 and had U Sports eligibility remaining. Their CPL clubs chose to retain their rights for another year, exempting them from the draft.[4]
| Drafted | CPL team | Player | Position | Nationality | University |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 (7th) | Forge FC | Gabriel Balbinotti | FW | Canada |
UQTR |
| 2019 (14th) | HFX Wanderers | Jake Ruby | RB | Canada |
Trinity Western |
| Rank | Country | Selections |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Canada |
12 |
| 2 | Algeria |
1 |
| DR Congo |
1 | |
| Lebanon |
1 | |
| Portugal |
1 |
| Rank | Province | Selections |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Ontario |
5[a] |
| 2 |  Quebec |
4[b] |
| 3 |  Alberta |
3 |
 British Columbia |
3[c] |
| Rank | University | Selections |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | British Columbia | 4 |
| 2 | Carleton | 3 |
| 3 | Montréal | 2 |
| Ontario Tech | ||
| Mount Royal | ||
| 6 | Concordia | 1 |
| Cape Breton | ||
| York |
