3 high-impact Canadian players from every CFL team

Matthew Cauz

CFL.ca

@mcauz56

I do my best to keep politics to a minimum when it comes to these columns. I’m not against it, there is a time and place for it.

I wish I was smart enough to give some thoughtful and constructive thoughts on all things tariffs but that is not my lane.

As someone who also works in the world of wine, the only advice I can give is for people who enjoy the odd glass of Vino is that if you usually stick with California wine now is a great time to try something local. Trust me, we have big full-bodied wines made just 30 minutes from Hamilton Stadium and, of course, all throughout the Okanagan region.

In the spirit of highlighting the best of what Canada has to offer, let’s give a shoutout to many of the high-impact Canadian players making a difference all over the CFL.

My apologies to all the local players I could not fit on this list and yes, I understand how “Canadian” I sound by saying sorry for not being able to cram more National players in this space.

BC LIONS

JUSTIN MCINNIS

Justin McInnis announced himself to the league in a big way in 2024, leading all receivers with 1,469 yards.

You have to go back to Andy Fantuz and the 2010 “Canadian Air Force” Saskatchewan Roughriders to find the last time a Canadian accomplished such an impressive feat. You know you are doing well at receiver when names like Jeff Fairholm and Ray Elgaard are being thrown around with your on-field accomplishments.

MATHIEU BETTS

Mathieu Betts returned to the CFL in Week 13 last year and tallied 13 tackles, two sacks, an interception, and a touchdown in seven regular season games (BCLions.com)

I’m more than willing to give Mathieu Betts a mulligan for his less than spectacular 2024 season considering he rejoined the Lions at the end of August.

If anyone deserves the benefit of the doubt it’s the 2023 Most Outstanding Defensive Player award winner, who set a record for Canadian players with 18 sacks.

NATHAN ROURKE

Hey BC Lions, save some Canadian All-CFL players for the rest of us.

The best part about Nathan Rourke is that at just 26-years-old, Nathan is just starting to hit his prime as a quarterback. It is not hard to envision a world where he puts up greater numbers than his 2022 season that won him the Most Outstanding Canadian award.

CALGARY STAMPEDERS

RENE PAREDES

Like a bottle of Osoyoos Merlot (try Checkmate) Rene Paredes just gets better with age.

Rene is about to hit 40 years old and still hit 41-of-44 field goals and set a new career-long, booting a 57-yard field goal against Edmonton during the Labour Day Classic in 2024.

JALEN PHILPOT

Talk about a bounce-back season for the fifth overall pick in the 2022 CFL Draft.

Jalen Philpot barely saw the field in 2023 after undergoing surgery related to a hamstring injury. 2024 was the exact opposite as Philpot did not miss a game, catching a career-high 66 balls for 659 yards and three scores.

ZACK WILLIAMS

Zack Williams can play both guard position, has appeared in 48 games over the past three seasons and check out his skills as speed skater! … So Canadian.

EDMONTON ELKS

TRE FORD

For the first time since I have been a CFL fan we will have two quarterbacks battling it out for Canadian supremacy at the position.

The Elks clearly believe in Tre Ford as they rewarded him with a three-year contract extension. One of the most dangerous runners in the CFL, Ford has gotten better as a passer each year and entering his fourth season has a real chance to be the first real face of the franchise since Michael Reilly.

TYRELL FORD

Tyrell Ford is the other half of the most famous twins in the league. While Tre gets more of the attention due to the whole “he’s a quarterback” thing, you can argue that Tyrell has had more success after earning a spot on the All-CFL team with his 51 tackle, seven interception season.

MARK KORTE

I was debating between Mark Korte and Kurleigh Gittens Jr., but I’m giving a slight nod to the quarterback of an offensive line that led the league in both rushing yards and fewest sacks allowed.

HAMILTON TIGER-CATS

BRANDON REVENBERG

One of the game’s best interior offensive linemen, Brandon Revenberg has been a part of four All-CFL teams and has made over 100 starts.

I would say Brandon is so steady that you can set your watch to him, but are people still setting their watches?

STAVROS KATSANTONIS

Stavros Katsantonis has really blossomed these past two years in Hamilton.

In 2023, he was the team’s nominee for the CFL’s top Canadian award and last year, Katsantonis set a career-high in tackles despite missing four games.

DREW WOLITARSKY

A two-time Grey Cup winner as a member of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, Drew Wolitarsky is your classic possession receiver with nearly 3,000 receiving yards. He’s also an excellent blocker and the sort of player who makes any locker room better.

MONTREAL ALOUETTES

ISAAC ADEYEMI-BERGLUND

Your East Division Most Outstanding Canadian nominee had an excellent first season with the Alouettes putting up 36 tackles and seven sacks while leading the CFL with nine tackles for a loss.

Over the past three seasons, Isaac Adeyemi-Berglund has amassed 20 sacks and easily could hit double digits in that category this year.

JUSTIN LAWRENCE

Over the past six years if you were watching the Grey Cup there was a good chance you saw Justin Lawrence in the middle of all the action having already won three championships during his six years in the game.

Lawrence’s role on the team will expand as he helps Davis Alexander make the transition from backup to full time starter.

TYSON PHILPOT

The game’s best receiver for the first nine games, Tyson Philpot was on pace for over 1,500 yards, 100 receptions and 10 touchdowns before injury cut short his breakout season.

Tyson, who caught the winning touchdown in the 110th Grey Cup, is poised to be one of the most feared targets in the East this year.

OTTAWA REDBLACKS

LEWIS WARD

Lewis Ward has been one of the CFL’s best kickers since the moment he arrived winning both Most Outstanding Rookie and Most Outstanding Special Teams Player awards.

In 2018 he could not miss converting over 98 per cent of his field goals and has lifetime percentage of 88.2 per cent. Not a bad career so far for someone who went undrafted.

CLEYON LAING

Cleyon Laing’s resume is certainly impressive with four East Division All-CFL nods and two Grey Cups to his name.

What I find most impressive is that at the age of 34, Cleyon has started every game for three consecutive seasons. He’s a steady force in the middle of Ottawa’s defence with 50 career sacks.

PETER GODBER

Peter Godber brings veteran toughness to the heart of the REDBLACKS offensive line. He battled through injuries last season before making it back for Saskatchewan to play in both the Western Semi-Final and the Western Final.

SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS

SAMUEL EMILUS

A two-time 1000+ yard receiver, Samuel Emilus has established himself as Trevor Harris’ number one weapon and one of the game’s best National receivers.

SEAN MCEWEN

Sean McEwen’s accomplishments are commendable considering he is still just 31 years old. Eight years ago, as a member of the Toronto Argonauts, he was the East’s nominee for Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman.

Sean won a Grey Cup the following season and has been a part of three All-CFL teams. Last year only Edmonton gave up fewer sacks than McEwen’s Stampeders.

JORDAN AND JUSTIN HERDMAN-REED

Jordan and Justin Herdman-Reed are not the most famous twins in the league but with 146 combined games played they deserve to be on this list for a career of solid special teams action and more than capable backups at linebacker. They were reunited last season after Jordan was a member of the Stampeders in 2023.

TORONTO ARGONAUTS

RYAN HUNTER

Ryan Hunter, the man responsible for protecting McLeod Bethel-Thompson, Chad Kelly and Nick Arbuckle in Toronto’s last two Grey Cup wins, is coming off his best season. Hunter captured the CFL’s Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman award last year.

CAMERON JUDGE

Cameron Judge is back with Toronto after an off-season trade. The second overall pick back in 2017, Judge put up arguably his best season as he was Calgary’s nominee for Most Outstanding Canadian and Most Outstanding Defensive Player.

In nearly 100 CFL games, Judge has put over 350 tackles on his resume, while picking off nine passes, forcing seven fumbles, and tallying 15 sacks from his linebacker position.

PETER NICASTRO

Peter Nicastro has packed a lot of football in his first three years with 46 games played and was the starting centre for Toronto’s latest Grey Cup win.

WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS

BRADY OLIVEIRA

The game’s best player puts the Canadian in Canadian Football League.

Brady Oliveira joined an exclusive club capturing both MOP and MOC after leading the league in rushing and finishing with over 1,800 total yards. The only other players to accomplish this are Jon Cornish, Tony Gabriel and the immortal Russ Jackson.

Brady is a future first ballot Hall-of-Famer and the key cog to the Blue Bombers offence.

NIC DEMSKI

It’s not often you can say a 31-year-old receiver’s best seasons were his last two but that is statistically the case for Nic Demski. The 2021 Grey Cup Most Valuable Canadian has put up back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons, which is the first time in Demski’s career that he has eclipsed the 1,000-yard barrier.

JAKE THOMAS

Jake Thomas, a Winnipeg legend, should pass Stan Mikawos this upcoming season for fourth all-time in games played as a Blue Bomber. Clearly age is only a number as Thomas has not missed a game the past two years for coach Mike O’Shea, despite playing such a physically demanding position.

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