Football Canada programs of excellence yields number of CFL draft selections

Football Canada is proud to announce that nine former Canadian National Team and nine Football Canada Cup alumni were selected in the most recent (2012) CFL draft.

Opening the 2012 draft, Ben Heenan was selected with the Saskatchewan Roughriders first overall pick. The Grand Coulee native represented Saskatchewan at the 2008 Football Canada Cup in the under-18 (U18) division while also playing for Team World in the inaugural Team USA vs. the World game in 2010 (rebranded the International Bowl in 2012).

Team Canada alumni were selected in quick succession late in the first round as Vanier College product, Ameet Pall was picked 5^th overall by the Calgary Stampeders. Pall played with Team Canada at the 2007 NFL Global Juniors, a precursor to tournaments hosted by the International Federation of American Football (IFAF) which officially formed in 2008.

With the following pick, the Edmonton Eskimos selected Shamawd Chambers who helped Canada to a silver medal at the 2011 IFAF Senior World Championship in Austria. Chambers earned a first-team all-tournament selection after registering 20 receptions for 248 yards and 2 TDs.

To end the first round, Kirby Fabian was selected, 7^th overall by the BC Lions. Fabian represented Southern Alberta in the under-17 division of the 2007 Football Canada Cup. In 2009, he also participated in the inaugural IFAF Junior World Championship, helping Canada win a silver medal, earning a first-team tournament all-star selection in the process.

Quebec’s under-19 Football Canada Cup and Team Canada’s NFL Global Junior entry yielded a number of CFL draft picks in 2012. Four players from Team Quebec’s U19 entry at the 2006 Football Canada Cup — Frederic Plesius, Patrick Lavoie, Arnaud Gascon-Nadon and Matt Norman were all selected in this year’s draft. Joining Pall, Gascon-Nadon, Plesius, and Norman on the 2007 NFL Global Juniors list of CFL draftees this year was Sherbrooke receiver, Ismael Bamba.

Matt Norman, an IFAF Senior World Championship first-team tournament all-star in 2011, is one of the few players to have played for Team Canada in the NFL Global Juniors, in IFAF competition as well as participating in the Football Canada Cup.

Douglas, New Brunswick’s Jake Thomas is one of two (the other being Lirim Hajrullahu) to have played for Canada at both the IFAF Junior and Senior World Championships. Thomas was selected by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (29^th overall). He earned a second-team all-tournament selected in 2009 and registered 6 unassisted and 2 assisted tackles for Team Canada in 2011.

Congratulations to all those selected and best of luck at training camp! See the list below for a complete list of Football Canada alumni selected in the 2012 CFL draft.

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