TORONTO, Ont. – For a third consecutive year, a student-athlete from the Guelph Gryphons varsity men's soccer program has been selected in the
Canadian Premier League Draft.
Colin Gander, an economics major at the University of Guelph, was selected in the 2nd round of the 2022 CPL-U SPORTS Draft, which took place on Thursday evening (Jan. 20).
The Kitchener native was selected by the
Halifax Wanderers FC with the 11th overall pick. Gander was one of 16 U SPORTS men's soccer players from across the country who were selected, with each of the players earning an invite to their respective CPL Clubs' 2022 preseason camp. 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, providing the opportunity for a student-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.
Colin Gander becomes the third Gryphon to be selected in the CPL-U SPORTS Draft, following in the footsteps of All-Canadians Jace Kotsopoulos (2018) and Alex Zis (2019).
The 2021 season marked
Colin Gander's first season of on-field action as a member of the Guelph Gryphons men's soccer team. After spending one season south of the border with the NCAA's Missouri State Bears, Gander returned to Canada to join the Gryphons for the 2020 season (which was cancelled due to the pandemic). In the fall of 2021, the Kitchener native finally made his long-awaited U of G debut and was a fixture in the starting 11 for the Gryphons, anchoring the left back position and providing the Gryphons with excellent service with his left-footed crosses and playmaking ability. In Gander's first season at U of G, the Gryphons men's soccer team captured the OUA title on home soil,
defeating York 3-2 for the program's third conference title in school history.
For more information on the 2022 CPL-U SPORTS Draft, visit usports.ca.
1st Round CPL-U SPORTS Draft Selection*:
1. Atlético Ottawa – José Cunha – Cape Breton University
2. FC Edmonton – Kairo Coore – Cape Breton University
3. HFX Wanderers FC – Christopher Campoli – Ontario Tech University
4. Valour FC – Raine Lyn – Cape Breton University
5. York United FC – Christian Rossi – Trinity Western University
6. Cavalry FC – Caden Rogozinski – Mount Royal University
7. Forge FC – Guillaume Pianelli - Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières
8. Pacific FC – Luca Ricci - Université de Montréal
2nd Round CPL-U SPORTS Draft Selection*:
9. Atlético Ottawa – Julien Bruce - Université de Montréal
10. FC Edmonton – Quentin Paumier - Université de Montréal
11. HFX Wanderers FC – Colin Gander – University of Guelph
12. Valour FC – Jacob Carlos – Ryerson University
13. York United FC – Soji Olatoye – York University
14. Cavalry FC – Markus Kaiser – University of British Columbia
15. Forge FC – Mohamed Alshakman – McMaster University
16. Pacific FC – Rees Goertzen – University of Victoria
Related articles:
(2019):
Alex Zis selected 8th overall in Canadian Premier League Draft
(2018):
Jace Kotsopoulos selected 3rd overall in Canadian Premier League Draft
About the Canadian Premier League
Canadian Premier League (CPL) is Canada's professional men's soccer league set to debut in April 2019. Playing in world-class and unique venues, and partnering with strong community-led ownership groups, CPL is a league for Canadians by Canadians that will bring professional soccer to communities coast-to-coast.
For updates and more information, please go to
CanPL.ca.
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Media Contact:
Micki Benedetti
Communications Director
Canadian Premier League
micki.benedetti@canpl.ca
About U SPORTS
U SPORTS is the national brand for university sports in Canada. Every year, close to 20,000 student-athletes and 700 coaches from 56 universities vie for 21 national championships in 12 different sports. U SPORTS also provide higher performance international opportunities for Canadian student-athletes at Winter and Summer Universiades, as well as numerous World University Championships. For further information, visit USPORTS.ca or follow us on:
Twitter/Instagram/YouTube: @USPORTSca
Facebook: @USPORTSCanada
