OTTAWA (Courtesy: Jeff Krever, CFL) – The draft is in the books but for Canadian Football League teams there’s no time to rest.

OFFICIAL WEBSITE (including ticket info): http://english.cis-sic.ca/eastwestbowl

A new draft year has kicked off in Montreal with a week of events culminating in the 14^th annual CIS East-West Bowl on Saturday, May 14 at 1 p.m. ET at Percival Molson Memorial Stadium.

The prospects game will be hosted by McGill University for the second straight season, highlighting many of the country’s top draft-eligible players for the 2017 CFL Draft.

The contest will be streamed live on CIS-SIC.tv.

The 2016 edition included three days of practices which started on Wednesday, a combine for participating players and a CFL free-agent camp, as well as the traditional banquet.

The East squad is comprised – for the most part – of players from the AUS and RSEQ conferences, in addition to Carleton, Ottawa and Queen’s. The West contingent is made up of student-athletes from the Canada West conference and the remaining OUA universities.

For fans looking to get a sneak peek at the top prospects for next year’s CFL Draft, there’s no better place than the East-West Bowl. All four CIS standout selected in the first round of Tuesday night’s Draft participated in last year’s showcase, including Laval offensive lineman Philippe Gagnon (second overall), Acadia wide receiver Brian Jones (fourth) as well as two more Laval O-linemen, Charles Vaillancourt (fifth) and Jason Lauzon-Seguin (seventh).

Queen’s receiver Doug Corby meanwhile was selected in the sixth round by the Edmonton Eskimos, after last year dominating in the East-West Bowl with a record-setting three touchdown receptions and 131 yards through the air.

In all, 29 of the 53 CIS players picked in the 2016 CFL Draft participated in last year’s East-West Bowl, including six chosen in the first two rounds, four from the third round and six in the fourth round.

For the players, this is the time to start turning heads.

“It’s the first time scouts focus on the top CIS prospects in the 2017 CFL Draft class,” said CFL.ca insider Justin Dunk. “First impressions are always important.”

St. Francis Xavier pivot Dante Djan and Guelph quarterback James Roberts will lead the East while Manitoba’s 6-foot-5 gunslinger Theo Deezar will take control of the West offence along with McMaster pivot Asher Hastings.

Hastings, a Regina native, will be one to watch this weekend after averaging 323.3 yards per game last fall (fifth in the CIS) and leading the country with a CIS single-season record 31 TD passes.

Carleton’s Nathaniel Behar, McMaster’s Danny Vandervoort and Saskatchewan’s Mitch Hillis will likely be common targets on Saturday, especially Hillis — the CIS leader in receptions with 66 in 2015 and ranked third in yards (1,052) and yards per game (131.5).

Also put Laval offensive lineman Jean-Simon Roy in the category of players to watch after a total of five Rouge et Or O-linemen were selected in the first round of the last two drafts, most recently Gagnon, Vaillancourt and Lauzon-Seguin. The 6-foot-3, 290-pounder, who tied for the lead in the bench press at Wednesday’s combine with 36 repetitions of 225 pounds, will be difficult to beat for anyone on the West side, including Laurier’s Kwaku Boateng, a 6-foot-2, 240-pound lineman who had four sacks and nine tackles for a loss in 2015, the latter good for ninth in the country.

Of all the players to watch, Dunk says don’t miss 6-foot-2, 300-pound Montreal defensive lineman Junior Luke. He didn’t dominate on the stat sheet by any means last fall with 7.5 tackles in eight league games but is an imposing figure on the D-line.

“He’s a big, athletic load on the defensive line,” said Dunk of the 2015 Mitchell Bowl MVP. “Agile for a 300-plus pounder. He can stuff the run and rush the passer at the CIS level.”

Returning to coach the East for a second straight season is Montreal Carabins bench boss and former Grey Cup-winning head coach Danny Maciocia, who led the East to a 29-21 win a year ago at Molson Stadium after guiding Montreal to the first CIS national championship in program history in 2014. Maciocia has coached the Carabins in back-to-back Vanier Cup appearances.

He’ll be opposed by Blake Nill, who will coach the West after directing the UBC Thunderbirds to their first Vanier Cup triumph since 1997, with a thrilling 26-23 win over Maciocia’s Carabins last fall in Quebec City.

The East has won the last two Bowl games and five of the past six. However, the West still leads the all-time series 7-6.

EAST-WEST BOWL RESULTS:

2015 (at McGill): East 29, West 21

2014 (at Western): East 19, West 12

2013 (at Western): West 18, East 17

2012 (at Western): East 24, West 16

2011 (at Western): East 34, West 27 (OT)

2010 (at Western): East 12, West 9

2009 (at Western): West 16, East 7

2008 (at McMaster): East 25, West 12

2007 (at Laval): West 22, East 19 (OT)

2006 (at Laval): West 34, East 26 (OT)

2005 (at Laurier): West 34, East 16

2004 (at Laurier): West 21, East 12

2003 (at Laurier): West 10, East 5

 

2016 EAST-WEST BOWL ROSTERS

EAST TEAM

 

Pos.     Name                                       University       HT       WT      Hometown

 

Offence

 

QB       Dante Djan                              StFX                6-4       230      Calgary, Alta.

QB       James Roberts                          Guelph             6-0       185      Cambridge, Ont.

RB       Antony Auclair                                    Laval               6-6       254      Notre-Dame-des-Pins, Que.

RB       Jamall Hyman-Hamilton          Bishop’s          6-0       205      Toronto, Ont.

RB       Jonah Pataki                            Queen’s           6-0       205      Wallaceburg, Ont.

RB       Sean Thomas-Erlington                        Montreal          5-9       210      Montreal, Que.

RB       Oumar Touré                           Sherbrooke      6-4       235      Montreal, Que.

REC     Nate Behar                               Carleton           6-0       200      London, Ont.

REC     Dakota Brush                           Mount Allison  6-4       230      Brantford, Ont.

REC     Ryan Dunaway                                    York                6-5       210      Burlington, Ont.

REC     Keon Hughes                           StFX                6-3       220      Mississauga, Ont.

REC     Félix Lechasseur                      Laval               6-3       190      Quebec City, Que.

REC     Matt McDougall                       Western           6-3       192      Belleville, Ont.

REC     Blair McKay                            Waterloo          5-10     190      Waterford, Ont.

REC     Jean-Raphaël Moisan               Sherbrooke      6-1       200      St-Raymond, Que.

OL       Kwabena Asare                       Carleton           6-8       270      Brampton, Ont.

OL       Antoine Demers                       Sherbrooke      6-3       290      Repentigny, Que.

OL       Marc Glaude                            Montreal          6-2       310      Beaconsfield, Que.

OL       Andre Goguen                                     Mount Allison  6-1       315      Moncton, N.B.

OL       Daniel Hayes                           Queen’s           6-4       335      Waterloo, Ont.

OL       Marcus MacIsaac                     Saint Mary’s    6-3       275      Elmsdale, N.S.

OL       Jean-Simon Roy                      Laval               6-3       290      Stoneham-et-Tewkesbury, Que.

OL       Qadr Spooner                          McGill             6-3       295      Brossard, Que.

 

Defence

 

DL       Émile Charron-Ligez                Montreal          6-2       265      Montreal, Que.

DL       Edward Godin                                     Laval               6-2       250      Quebec City, Que.

DL       Junior Luke                             Montreal          6-2       300      Montreal, Que.

DL       Adam Melanson                      Acadia             6-2       290      Kentville, N.S.

DL       Sam Narkaj                              Concordia        6-1       295      Toronto, Ont.

DL       Kay Okafor                             StFX                6-4       265      Enugu, Nigeria

DL       Zac Sauer                                 Queen’s           6-3       231      Ayr, Ont.

LB       Leon Cenerini                          Carleton           5-10     220      La Salle, Man.

LB       Alex Cromer-Émond               Montreal          5-8       205      Price, Que.

LB       Eric Gracioppo                                    McGill             6-2       234      Montreal, Que.

LB       Keith Graham                          Carleton           6-0       210      Halifax, N.S.

LB       Étienne Morin                          Bishop’s          5-9       200      Saint-Ludger, Que.

DB       Ty Cranston                             Ottawa             6-3       205      Winnipeg, Man.

DB       Nathaniel Hamlin                     Carleton           6-1       205      Ottawa, Ont.

DB       Harland Hastings                     Acadia             5-11     185      Calgary, Alta.

DB       Justin Holland                          StFX                6-1       190      Parksville, B.C.

DB       Kevin Myrthil                          Saint Mary’s    5-9       185      Montreal, Que.

DB       Andreas Robinson                   Saint Mary’s    6-0       175      Dartmouth, N.S.

DB       Devante Sampson                    Mount Allison  5-8       170      Mississauga, Ont.

DB       Anthony Tanguay                    Sherbrooke      5-11     180      Saint-Georges, Que.

DB       Charles-William Tremblay       McGill             5-9       206      Quebec City, Que.

 

Special Teams

 

K         Lewis Ward                             Ottawa             5-7       175      Kingston, Ont.

 

Originally selected but unable to participate:

 

REC     Moy Mc Donald                      McGill             5-11     178      Brossard, Que.           

LB        Frédéric Chagnon                   Montreal          6-4       240      Montreal, Que.           

DB       Alex Hovington                                    Laval               6-0       180      Montreal, Que.           

 

Coaching Staff

 

Head Coach: Danny Maciocia (Montreal)

Offensive Coordinator & Running Backs: Adamo Iadeluca (Montreal)

Defensive Coordinator & Defensive Backs: Fabrice Raymond (Montreal)

Special Teams Coordinator: Kevin Mackey (Bishop’s)

Quarterbacks: Alex Vertullo (Queen’s)

Receivers: Steve Snyder (St. Francis Xavier)

Offensive Line: Kyle Handy (Bishop’s)

Offensive Line: Alain Mainguy (McGill)

Defensive Line: Glen Constantin (Laval)

Linebackers: Mickey Donovan (Concordia)

 

WEST TEAM

 

Pos.     Name                                       University       HT       WT      Hometown

 

Offence

 

QB       Theo Deezar                            Manitoba         6-5       230      Winnipeg, Man.

QB       Asher Hastings                                     McMaster         6-4       218      Regina, Sask.

RB       Johnny Augustine                    Guelph             5-10     210      Welland, Ont.

RB       Alex Christie                            Manitoba         5-9       195      Thorold, Ont.

RB       Ed Ilnicki                                 Alberta             5-10     215      Spruce Grove, Alta.

RB       Stefano Napolitano                  Carleton           6-1       255      Stittsville, Ont.

REC     Tylor Henry                             Alberta             5-11     184      Camrose, Alta.

REC     Mitch Hillis                              Saskatchewan  6-0       185      Saskatoon, Sask.

REC     Jonathan Mack                                    McGill                         6-0       208      St-Lambert, Que.

REC     Alex Morrison                                     UBC                6-4       220      Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.

REC     Mitchell Picton                                     Regina             6-3       200      Regina, Sask.

REC     Adam Sinclair                          Western           5-11     197      London, Ont.

REC     Danny Vandervoort                 McMaster         6-2       200      Barrie, Ont.

REC     Aundrey Webster                     Alberta             5-10     185      Edmonton, Alta.

OL       Brett Boersma                          Windsor           6-5       310      Camlachie, Ont.

OL       Matt Degelman                                    Regina             6-3       265      Regina, Sask.

OL       Jordan Filippelli                       Calgary                        6-5       310      Sherwood Park, Alta.

OL       Geoff Gray                              Manitoba         6-6       310      Winnipeg, Man.

OL       Evan Johnson                          Saskatchewan  6-4       265      Regina, Sask.

OL       Jean-Christophe Labrecque     Montreal          6-0       290      Quebec City, Que.

OL       Braden Schram                                    Calgary                        6-5       290      Manning, Alta.

OL       Danny Sprukulis                      Toronto                        6-5       315      Oakville, Ont.

 

Defence

 

DL       Kwaku Boateng                       Laurier             6-2       240      Milton, Ont.

DL       Fabion Foote                            McMaster         6-2       290      North York, Ont.

DL       Evan Foster                              Manitoba         6-1       240      Chilliwack, B.C.

DL       Mark Mackie                           McMaster         6-2       262      London, Ont.

DL       Connor McGough                    Calgary                        6-2       251      Medicine Hat, Alta.

DL       Jalen Price                               Laurier             6-5       325      Hamilton, Ont.

LB       Brandon Calver                       Laurier             6-3       220      London, Ont.

LB       Brittley Mokube                       Toronto                        6-0       212      Brampton, Ont.

LB       Nakas Onyeka                                     Laurier             5-11     213      Brampton, Ont.

LB       Nikita Starchenko                    York                6-4       230      Whitby, Ont.

LB       Michael Stefanovic                  Regina             5-10     210      Moose Jaw, Sask.

LB       Marcel Ugoh                            Windsor           6-2       200      Brampton, Ont.

LB       Corey Williams                        Toronto                        6-2       232      Mississauga, Ont.

DB       Tunde Adeleke                                    Carleton           5-10     190      Ottawa, Ont.

DB       Samuel Drapeau                      Montreal          6-0       185      Montreal, Que.

DB       Orion Edwards                                     Guelph             5-9       182      Newmarket, Ont.

DB       Matt Gayer                               Windsor           5-9       190      Leamington, Ont.

DB       Richard Gillespie                     Toronto                        5-9       190      Whitby, Ont.

DB       Jordan Hoover                                     Waterloo          6-2       190      Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.

DB       Adam Laurensse                      Calgary                        6-1       185      Sherwood Park, Alta.

DB       Kevin Wiens                            UBC                6-1       200      Mission, B.C.

DB       Robert Woodson                      Calgary                        5-11     181      Calgary, Alta.

 

Special Teams

 

K         Félix Ménard-Brière                 Montreal          5-10     180      Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts, Que.

 

Originally selected but unable to participate:

 

REC     Jacob Scarfone                                    Guelph             6-1       200      London, Ont.

REC     Rashaun Simonise                   Calgary           6-5       190      Vancouver, B.C.

OL       Cody Speller                            McMaster        6-3       295      Caistor Centre, Ont.   

DL       Cory Robinson                                     Calgary           6-3       260      Airdrie, Alta.   

DB       Jesse McNair                           Western            5-11     186      London, Ont.  

 

Coaching Staff

 

Head Coach: Blake Nill (UBC)

Offensive Coordinator & Running Backs: Mark Surya (Wilfrid Laurier)

Defensive Coordinator: Dwayne Cameron (Wilfrid Laurier)

Special Teams Coordinator: Paul Orazietti (UBC)

Quarterbacks: Michael Faulds (Wilfrid Laurier)

Receivers: Mark McConkey (Regina)

Offensive Line: Scott Flory (Saskatchewan)

Defensive Line: Kevin Eiben (Toronto)

Linebackers: Adam Grandy (Guelph)

Defensive Backs: Donnavan Carter (Guelph)