CALGARY – Owen Antoniuk of the Calgary Dinos men's soccer team has been selected in the 2025 Canadian Premier League-U SPORTS Draft Thursday afternoon.

Antoniuk was selected by Calgary Cavalry FC – who just won their first CPL title last month.

"I'm thrilled," Antoniuk said immediately following Thursday's draft announcement. "This is something that I've wanted for a while now. To play with your local club is pretty special. Obviously there's a lot of work to do now getting invited into their camp. And it's pretty cool that they're the champs. This is a big step, but I'm super excited. 

"I have to say a big thank you to the teammates and coaching staff and everyone who's helped me at the university here, and the Windsor coaches, Foothills coaches. I'm just super excited."

The third-year midfielder had a breakout season under first-year Dinos head coach Ramon Mifflin this past year. Antoniuk tied for the conference lead with eight goals despite playing in only 11 games. He also dished out five assists for the high-powered Calgary attack this season and his 13 total points ranked second in the conference this year.

All his success on the field led to a host of awards off it, including being named a Second Team All-Canadian as well as a Canada West First Team All-Star.

Antoniuk is no stranger to the CPL, helping the Atlético Ottawa to the regular season title back in 2022. The local product also has been a part of the Vancouver Whitecaps academy, as well as Windsor City FC before joining the Dinos.

"He's a good lad," Cavalry FC coach Tommy Wheeldon Jr. said. "Obviously I've known him for years coming through the Calgary scene. He's a player that has played for my dad when he was at Calgary Blizzards and my brother when he was at Calgary Foothills, so we've known him, we've tracked him. He's scored at every single level. He's had a great season for the Dinos with eight goals, five assists. But he's also scored at the League 1 level prolifically in both Ontario and in Alberta. He's a very clever player. He can play on either wing; play in the 10 spot and he knows where the back of the net is."

A total of 16 student athletes from 11 Canadian universities were selected by the CPL's eight member clubs in Thursday's draft. All eight CPL clubs each selected two players during a live broadcast of the two-round draft on Thursday evening. 

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.

Calgary has plenty of history in the CPL Draft, with a pair of Dinos being selected two years ago. That year, William Omoreniye and Eryk Kobza were selected by Cavalry FC, with Kobza carving out a big role with the squad and ultimately helped lead them to a league title this past season.

"Will was obviously a rookie and he did so well that year and Eryk's been great in the CPL. He got his breakthrough season and he's made the most of it ever since then," Antoniuk said. "So, you see the pathway. Obviously I want to try to be playing first team minutes. It's just getting that opportunity, which I've been working toward for a while and I now have that. There's going to be patience involved, but I'm very thankful for this opportunity and hoping to make the most of it."

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 is contesting its sixth season in 2024, plays in Concacaf and FIFA sanctioned competitions. For more updates and information, please visit CanPL.ca.

-UC-