QB Michael O’Connor, first-overall CFL draft pick Josiah St. John highlight Team Canada Senior Men’s National roster

Football Canada has unveiled the roster for Team Canada’s upcoming appearance at the IFAF (International Federation of American Football) World Senior Men’s Championship.

Michael O’Connor is arguably the biggest name as he will likely be the team’s starting quarterback. The 28-year-old native of Orleans, Ont., who won a Vanier Cup at the University of British Columbia in 2015, was a third-round pick in the 2019 CFL Draft by the Toronto Argonauts. He dressed for 15 regular-season games with the Boatmen that year, throwing for 173 yards and one touchdown.

The six-foot-four, 230-pound passer signed with the Calgary Stampeders in 2021 but didn’t register any statistics with the team. In 2022, he signed with the B.C. Lions and threw for 157 yards and one interception, though he wasn’t retained after his one-year contract expired. He has been a free agent for the past two years.

Josiah St. John is also familiar to CFL fans as a former first-overall draft pick. The 32-year-old was the top selection in the 2016 CFL Draft following a collegiate career at the University of Oklahoma and spent three seasons along the offensive line with the Saskatchewan Roughriders, dressing for 22 games and making eight starts.

The Toronto, Ont. native was a member of the Argonauts, Lions, and Elks in 2019 before returning to Riderville, where he played 25 games with five starts in 2021 and 2022. The six-foot-four, 309-pound blocker moved back to Edmonton in 2023 and dressed for 12 games with the Elks, making five starts. He was not under contract in the CFL in 2024.

Team Canada’s roster was finalized after four identification camps were held across the country, which drew over 500 participants.

“The talent at every camp was exceptional, making it an incredibly difficult task for our staff to narrow the roster down to just 45 players,” said head coach Jesse Maddox in a statement. “We are confident that this group represents the best of Canadian football and will compete at the highest level.”

Other players who might be familiar to Canadian football fans include kicker Michael Domagala, who has played 27 career CFL games and was most recently a member of the Montreal Alouettes, defensive lineman Lamar Goods, a former four-star recruit who is the son of CFL legend Bennie Goods, defensive lineman Makana Henry, who played 76 career CFL games with Edmonton and Saskatchewan, quarterback Chris Merchant, who won the Hec Crighton Trophy at Western University and has since played professionally in Europe, and receiver Trivel Pinto, who was a second-round pick in the 2020 CFL Draft but never played a snap in the league after receiving a criminal charge that was later stayed.

The team’s first task will be a qualification match against Italy in April. This will mark Canada’s first appearance in a senior men’s international tackle football competition since 2011, when they won a silver medal in Austria. The most recent competition was held in 2015 in Canton, Ohio, though Canada didn’t participate.

“We are excited for the challenge ahead,” said Maddox. “This roster is built to make a statement: Canada is back, and we are committed to setting the standard for Senior Men’s Tackle Football on the international stage.”

The full roster can be found below.