Music: {allcanada} NEXT GENERATION TO SHINE AT 2012 CFL CANADIAN DRAFT ON TSN

Monday, April 30, 2012

{allcanada} NEXT GENERATION TO SHINE AT 2012 CFL CANADIAN DRAFT ON TSN

Toronto, ON - Home-grown talent takes centre stage next Thursday, as the country's future generation of gridiron stars are introduced to football fans during the 2012 CFL Canadian Draft, live May 3 at 3 p.m. ET, exclusively on TSN.

The two-hour TSN original production, which is also available live on TSN Mobile TV and TSN.ca, features the first two rounds of the draft with CFL Commissioner Mark Cohon in the CFL On TSN studio to announce each selection.

Following the televised broadcast of the First and Second Rounds, TSN.ca has bonus live streaming coverage of the Third to Sixth Rounds of the 2012 CFL Canadian Draft.

TSN's Rod Black hosts the 2012 CFL Canadian Draft and is joined by a panel featuring CFL On TSN analyst and draft guru Duane Forde, who has covered the draft on seven previous occasions. Along with Black and Forde, CFL On TSN analyst Chris Schultz and TSN Football Insider Dave Naylor are on the panel to break down the draft from the perspective of all eight CFL teams and analyze the players selected over the course of the first two rounds.

Also in studio is TSN's Farhan Lalji, who is highly involved in high school football in his home province of BC and has seen more than 40 of his players go on to play at the collegiate level during his 23 years of coaching. Joining Lalji on an additional panel of experts are University of Calgary Dinos head coach Blake Nill, Acadia Axemen head coach Jeff Cummins, and McMaster Mauraders head coach Stefan Ptaszek, who led his team to victory at the 2011 Vanier Cup.

Fans watching the 2012 CFL Canadian Draft can join the conversation on Twitter by using the hashtags #CFLDraft and #TSN. Select fan tweets will be featured during the live broadcast along with reaction to the picks from CFL players and prospects on Twitter as the draft unfolds.

TSN's coverage of the 2012 CFL Canadian Draft begins with the Saskatchewan Roughriders on the clock with the first overall pick. The six-round draft features eligible Canadian players from the CIS and NCAA. Top prospects include: Boise State defensive end Tyrone Crawford from Windsor, ON; University of Saskatchewan offensive lineman Ben Heenan from Regina; Wilfrid Laurier receiver Shamawd Chambers from Markham, ON; Virginia offensive lineman Austin Pasztor from Langton, ON; and Laval linebacker Frédéric Plesius from Laval, QC.

TSN.ca

Canada's industry-leading sports website has the 2012 CFL Canadian Draft covered from all angles. Along with live streaming of the entire six-round event, TSN.ca has Forde's most up-to-date CFL Draft Rankings, plus exclusive video of Schultz and Carleton University football head coach Steve Sumarah profiling some of this year's top prospects. The website will also host a live blog featuring TSN's football experts and Insiders interacting with fans online leading up to and during the 2012 CFL Canadian Draft.

TSN is the official television broadcaster of the CFL with live coverage of every single game including the playoffs and the 100th Grey Cup in Toronto. Live pre-season coverage kicks off on Wednesday, June 13 with doubleheader action featuring Toronto at Hamilton at 7 p.m. ET immediately followed by Winnipeg at BC at 10 p.m. ET on TSN.

Regular season coverage begins with RONA Canada Day Kickoff on Friday, June 29 with another doubleheader to open the season featuring Saskatchewan at Hamilton at 7 p.m. ET followed by Winnipeg at BC at 10 p.m. ET on TSN. Games are also available live on TSN Mobile TV and TSN.ca.