The Halifax Wanderers have signed Canadian goalkeeper Daniel Clarke to a CPL – U SPORTS Contract for the 2024 CPL season. 

Clarke, 20, was selected by the Wanderers with the fifth overall pick in the 2024 CPL – U SPORTS Draft out of Cape Breton University.

“Dan is a young but experienced keeper we’ve been monitoring carefully who we are excited to see grow in our team,” Wanderers head coach Patrice Gheisar said. “We were ecstatic to be able to draft him after a wonderful national championship tournament that showed he can rise to the occasion.”

Clarke played a crucial role in Cape Breton University capturing the 2023 U SPORTS National Championship in November. He made a penalty shootout-winning save in the quarterfinals before posting back-to-back clean sheets in the semi-finals and finals. Clarke made six saves to guide CBU to a 1-0 victory over the University of Montreal in the championship match and was named to the end-of-tournament All-Star Team.

Over his three seasons in Cape Breton, Clarke has been named an AUS First-Team All-Star twice (‘22,’23) while posting 11 clean sheets. He went undefeated during the 2023 regular season and has only lost one regular season match over three years.

“Dan is a player we have had around our development squad intermittently for a couple of seasons and a player we believe has tremendous potential,” sporting director Matt Fegan said. “We continue to provide pathways for top players in our region who earn their contracts with performance and commitment to our program and we look forward to watching Dan take the next steps of his career.”

Born in Milton Keynes, England, Clarke began his playing career at nearby Northampton Town before moving to Ontario with his family. He has played in League1 Ontario for three clubs, most recently with Woodbridge Strikers in 2023. In the summer of 2022, Clarke was a member of the Wanderers U23 team that played an exhibition series against opposition from League1 Quebec.

Full Name: Daniel Clarke

Age: 20

Position: Goalkeeper

Height: 6’3”

Birth Date: April 17, 2003

Birthplace:  Milton Keynes, England

Nationality: Canada/England

Last Club: Cape Breton University (AUS)