The eighth annual CPL-U SPORTS Draft, presented by Degree, was conducted on Friday afternoon, and 16 players heard their names called by Canadian Premier League clubs.
Players from 14 different universities across the country were selected, with the University of British Columbia and Toronto Metropolitan University both having two draftees.
Kicking off the draft were new CPL club FC Supra du Québec, who had the first two selections of round one and thus made the first two picks in club history.
Here’s a look at how each CPL team drafted, and what the players they chose could bring to their teams in 2026.
FC Supra
1st Round Pick (1st overall): Calin Calaidjoglu
HOMETOWN: Montreal, Que.
SCHOOL: Université de Montréal
POSITION: Central Midfield
AGE: 24
1st Round Pick (2nd overall): Alexandre Marcoux
HOMETOWN: Victoriaville, Que.
SCHOOL: Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières
POSITION: Forward
AGE: 21
True to their stated ambition when the club was founded, FC Supra have stayed local, picking a couple of Quebecois players.
Calaidjoglu, born in Moldova but raised in the Montreal area, has quite the resume; he played in the CF Montréal academy as well as that of Italian side Bologna, and he impressed at the Ligue1 Québec level with FC Laval. He played two professional seasons in the Moldovan top flight before returning to Canada to play U SPORTS soccer with the Carabins.
The technically-gifted central midfielder is strong in possession and can dictate tempo from the middle, as well as hit a set-piece cleanly. This year, he helped the Université de Montréal to an RSEQ championship and national bronze medal, and was named a second-team All-Canadian.
Supra followed that up by taking Alex Marcoux from UQTR, giving them a prolific goalscorer to add to their attack. The striker was named RSEQ’s Most Outstanding Player this year in his first season for Montreal, scoring six goals and adding four assists in 10 games. He also scored twice at the U SPORTS national championship.
He’s also a familiar face to the Supra management, having played in Ligue1 Quebec for CS Saint-Laurent.
Marcoux is a physically imposing centre-forward, who can finish with both feet and link up play with his back to goal. He should fit in well to Supra’s project.
Vancouver FC
1st Round Pick (3rd overall): Joseph Green
HOMETOWN: Winnipeg, Man.
SCHOOL: Mount Royal University
POSITION: Full-back
AGE: 18
1st Round Pick (5th overall): Matheus De Souza
HOMETOWN: Surrey, B.C.
SCHOOL: University of the Fraser Valley
POSITION: Goalkeeper
AGE: 20
2nd Round Pick (10th overall): Nicolas Nadeau
HOMETOWN: Winnipeg, Man.
SCHOOL: University of British Columbia
POSITION: Left-back
AGE: 18
VFC got a trio of selections after acquiring Inter Toronto’s first-round pick via the Gabriel Bitar transfer earlier this year. They leaned young, picking a pair of 18-year-old and a 20-year-old keeper.
Joseph Green, a first-year starter at Mount Royal who played every single match for the Canada West champions and national silver medallists, is a well-rounded athletic full-back. He’s equally capable of lining up on either flank, and loves to get forward, although he’s reliable in defence as well.
Vancouver have added some support in goal with De Souza, who was a U SPORTS Second-Team All-Canadian in his first year. His six-foot-four frame covers the net well, and he’s a talented shot-stopper with great command of the air and excellent long-range distribution. His eight clean sheets in 17 matches this year put him on the radar. His connection to VFC is even more local, after playing for Langley United in L1BC.
Finally, Winnipeg native Nadeau has taken a step forward in his development this year after moving from central midfield to a wing-back role. He’s a threat in transition and covers a lot of ground with his high workrate. He played every game this year for UBC, and was named to the U SPORTS All-Rookie Team.
Pacific FC
1st Round Pick (4th overall): Archie Tugwell
HOMETOWN: Victoria, B.C.
SCHOOL: University of Victoria
POSITION: Centre-back
AGE: 21
2nd Round Pick (11th overall): Luke Norman
HOMETOWN: Vancouver, B.C.
SCHOOL: University of British Columbia
POSITION: Central Midfield
AGE: 21
After drafting his brother Fin last year, Pacific added 21-year-old defender Archie Tugwell this time around. He is a defence-first centre-back who can win balls in the air and stay composed under pressure, which should be a serious asset to a Tridents side who leaked goals in 2025.
Tugwell played 14 games for the UVic Vikes this season, helping them to the Canada West semifinals where they fell on penalties to eventual champions Mount Royal.
Norman, meanwhile, has been through this process before after going second overall to Vancouver FC in 2024. This time, he goes to a Pacific side that can use his skillset in a box-to-box role. He was a key piece of the UBC team that played at nationals this year, and he also made a good impact for Burnaby FC in League1 BC.
The 21-year-old is good with his feet and can create in tight spaces, which would be an asset to the Tridents' possession game.
Inter Toronto
2nd Round Pick (12th overall): Michael Williams
HOMETOWN: Kingston, Ont.
SCHOOL: York University
POSITION: Goalkeeper
AGE: 19
With their lone pick of this year’s draft, Inter Toronto have gone for a familiar face. Williams has been associated with the club since 2022, when he was the backup goalkeeper for one match as a 16-year-old. He spent a while with the first team in 2025, playing the backup role for 13 matches in all competitions. Williams has also played with the club’s academy in the League1 Ontario Championship.
Halifax Wanderers FC
1st Round Pick (6th overall): Harvey Hughes
HOMETOWN: Southampton, England
SCHOOL: Cape Breton University
POSITION: Left-back
AGE: 22
2nd Round Pick (13th overall): Kautchy Andji-Yapi
HOMETOWN: Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire
SCHOOL: Université de Moncton
POSITION: Winger
AGE: 18
Hughes was picked by Cavalry last year but didn’t manage to crack the roster, which means the Wanderers were able to draft him this year. The 22-year-old Englishman was one of the top players in AUS this year, thanks to his two-way skillset that allows him to get up and down the flanks and deliver in decisive moments. He can feed dangerous balls into the box, and is consistently an attacking threat.
He provided three assists and seven goals in 12 AUS matches for Cape Breton this season, and should give the Wanderers some excellent depth along the left side.
In the second round, Halifax took teenage winger Andji-Yapi, who was named to the U SPORTS All-Rookie team out of Moncton. He scored eight goals in 12 AUS matches for the Aigles, leading the Atlantic conference. Andji-Yapi is a direct, aggressive attacker who loves to run at defenders and stretch backlines out wide.
Cavalry FC
1st Round Pick (7th overall): Emmanuel Dan-Adokiene
HOMETOWN: Calgary, Alta.
SCHOOL: Trinity Western University
POSITION: Forward
AGE: 21
2nd Round Pick (14th overall): Luc Ihama
HOMETOWN: Barrie, Ont.
SCHOOL: Toronto Metropolitan University
POSITION: Right-back
AGE: 22
The Cavs went local with their first-round pick, taking Calgary native Dan-Adokiene. The 21-year-old forward, who is also a product of the Calgary Foothills system in League1 Alberta, is an intelligent striker with the confidence to take on opposing players. He can bully a backline with his physicality, or find pockets of space off the shoulder of defenders.
Ihama, meanwhile, is a quick full-back who loves to get all the way to the by-line. He’s an excellent defensive presence, especially in the air. He has good experience, both at the university level with TMU as well as in League1 Ontario, where he was part of Simcoe County Rovers’ 2023 championship-winning team.
Forge FC
1st Round Pick (8th overall): Noah Bickford
HOMETOWN: Milton, Ont.
SCHOOL: Toronto Metropolitan University
POSITION: Centre-back
AGE: 21
2nd Round Pick (15th overall): Maxime Bourgeois
HOMETOWN: Granby, Que.
SCHOOL: Université de Sherbrooke
POSITION: Central Midfield
AGE: 23
Forge also went with a Simcoe County Rovers alumnus, in captain Noah Bickford. The composed centre-back could provide some good additional depth to an already-loaded Hamilton defensive group.
Bickford played 12 games for TMU this year and scored twice, helping steer them to the joint-second best defensive record in the OUA. He has significant experience in League1 Ontario, and also spent two years playing NCAA Div. I soccer for Oakland University.
In round two, Forge went to Quebec to select Sherbrooke midfielder Maxime Bourgeois. The CF Montréal academy product, who also recently played in L1QC with Celtix Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, was a U SPORTS Second Team All-Canadian this season. He is an intelligent midfielder who can hold onto possession, and did a lot of the creative work in the middle for Sherbrooke.
Bourgeois also has three caps for the Canadian U-17 team, and might provide some healthy experience to Forge’s competitive midfield group.
Atlético Ottawa
1st Round Pick (9th overall): Gabriel Tardif
HOMETOWN: Ottawa, Ont.
SCHOOL: Brock University
POSITION: Central Midfield
AGE: 19
2nd Round Pick (16th overall): Joseph Daher
HOMETOWN: Ottawa, Ont.
SCHOOL: Carleton University
POSITION: Central Midfield
AGE: 21
The CPL champions went with a pair of Ottawa natives to round out the draft.
Tardif, an explosive attacking midfielder, excels in combination play and can operate close to a striker, or further back in a double-pivot. He's a creative player, with dynamism off the ball making him a well-rounded option to fit a variety of Atleti's potential needs. He'd fit the mould in Ottawa, too, as a U-21-eligible player.
The 19-year-old also impressed with Ottawa South United in Ligue1 Québec in addition to his 11 games played for Brock.
Daher was a Carleton standout this year as the Ravens went to the OUA semifinals, losing on penalties to eventual national champions York.
A former Toronto FC Academy player, Daher is an ambidextrous full-back who has good technical skills on the ball and can deliver crosses well. He links up well with teammates and has a high football IQ.
Daher would fit well in Atleti's wing-back-focused attacking style of play.