Pacific FC today selected two players raised in British Columbia during the 2025 Canadian Premier League – U SPORTS Draft presented by Degree on Thursday.
Pacific selected forward Niklas Hallam, 19, with the fourth overall pick. Hallam played in 13 games and scored 10 goals as a first-year student-athlete at the University of Toronto in 2024. Three of those goals came in one match, against Royal Military College, where Hallam’s hat trick led to an 8-0 victory for the U of T Blues. He was named the Ontario University Athletics (OAU) Rookie of the Year.
Hallam was raised in Victoria and attended Reynolds High School. He helped the Reynold Roadrunners win its third consecutive B.C. boys’ Triple-A high school soccer championship in 2023, scoring five goals against Colwood’s Royal Bay.
Hallam spent four years with the Vancouver Island Wave program, Pacific FC’s youth training program, prior to his move to Toronto. Hallam joins Sean Young, Sami Keshavarz, Matias Vales & Will Edgson as a player who has developed through the Vancouver Island Wave and was identified as a high-potential player by Pacific FC. His youth career also included time with Prospect Lake Soccer Club, and he represented Vic West in the VISL.
“Niklas is a player we know very well developed in our youth system. He joined part of our pre-season last year and was showing his potential,” said James Merriman, Head Coach, Pacific FC. “Niklas had a very strong first season at Toronto and we are excited to see his progression in our environment.”
Pacific subsequently selected defender Fin Tugwell, 21, with the twelfth overall pick in the draft. Tugwell, a fourth-year student at the University of Victoria, is a two-time Canada West All-Star and won U SPORTS Defensive Player of the Year honours in 2024. He started in 14 games, tallying one goal and adding one assist for the Vikes this season.
Tugwell was raised in North Vancouver and played for Mountain United FC while attending Handsworth Secondary School. The six-foot-three centre-back has played for the University of Victoria since 2021.
“Fin is a ball-playing central defender with good size and composure,” said Merriman. “He is a captain at UVIC growing in his leadership and was recognized this year for his consistency in performance.”
Hallam and Tugwell can be invited to Pacific’s preseason training, where they will be eligible to compete for a roster spot for the 2025 Canadian Premier League (CPL) season.
Pacific FC has a history of finding first-team players through the CPL-U Sports Draft, signing midfielder Zach Verhoven (2018 Draft), defender Chris Lee (2020 Draft), midfielder Luca Ricci (2022 Draft) and defender Eric Lajeunesse (2023 Draft) to playing contracts in previous years. Pacific retained Lajeunesse’s U SPORTS rights after he returned to the University of British Columbia in August 2024, meaning Pacific will be able to sign him to a CPL-U SPORTS contract next season without the player needing to enter the 2025 CPL-U SPORTS draft. CPL clubs may add up to three players on CPL-U SPORTS contracts to their developmental roster, which was created by the League to provide opportunities for the next generation of talent in Canada. Players signed to a CPL-U SPORTS contract do not count towards a club’s player compensation budget.
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