The Saskatchewan Rattlers of the Canadian Elite Basketball League announced their selections in the 2025 CEBL Draft. Saskatchewan selected three U SPORTS players with ties to prairie provinces.
Declan Peterson from the University of Calgary, Canada West Conference Champion, was the third pick overall. With the eighth pick in the second round, the Rattlers chose to welcome back Isaac Simon of the University of Alberta for his third season. With the third pick in the third round, Easton Thimm from Saskatoon, SK was selected from the University of Saskatchewan.
“Welcoming Declan and Easton as two bigs, there is a significant role that they can plug into and play at their positions,” said General Manager and Vice-President of Basketball Operations, Barry Rawlyk “Having Isaac back is a pretty significant piece for us, he is going to step into a much larger role.”
In March of 2024, the CEBL announced a newly rebranded and expanded draft format beginning in 2024 that includes all eligible Canadian U SPORTS and Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) student-athletes. The new format also allowed for teams to select three selections in total. The CEBL Draft presents a coveted opportunity for top players in U SPORTS and the CCAA to get a chance to experience professional basketball by practicing and playing alongside veteran pros from the NBA, NBA G League, Canadian National team, and top international leagues.
Declan Peterson will make his CEBL debut with the Saskatchewan Rattlers. The third-year centre is coming off a successful season with the University of Calgary Dinos. Declan, a native of Bentley, Alberta, made his collegiate debut with the Lethbridge College Kodiaks during the 2022-23 season. Over two years with the Kodiaks, he has averaged 9.7 points, 7.9 rebounds, 1.3 blocks, and 21.9 minutes in 42 games. On October 27th, 2023, he set his collegiate career-high of 18 rebounds. As a freshman, the Kodiaks finished with a 16-5 record and ended the season with a bronze place finish in the ACAC Tournament. Declan is a two-time Kodi Pillar Award recipient.
Transferring to the University of Calgary during the 2024-25 season, Declan made his U SPORTS debut with the Dinos. In 22 games, he averaged 8.0 points, 7.2 rebounds, 2.0 blocks, and 18.8 minutes with 21 starts. Declan ranked first on the team for rebounds per game (7.2), field goal percentage (67.5%), and total blocks (44). The Dinos finished the season with an overall record of 29-9, capturing the Canada West Conference Championship.
“Declan is a rising star in the university basketball scene in Canada, and we are thrilled to be able to select him with our first pick in the 2025 CEBL Draft,” said General Manager and Vice-President of Basketball Operations, Barry Rawlyk. “He is eager to learn and grow his game, and we look forward to seeing him develop over the next several months. A Big with his sort of skill, athleticism, and intelligence is rare, and it is easy to understand why the University of Calgary Dinos are one of the premier USport teams in the country with him in their line-up.”
Isaac Simon returns to the Rattlers for his third season. Before his collegiate career, he competed at Harvest City Christian Academy in his hometown of Regina, Saskatchewan. Over three seasons with the University of Alberta Golden Bears, he averaged 14.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 26.7 minutes in 75 games.
In his most recent season, he set a new career-high of 34 points. During his collegiate career, he was named to the University of Alberta Male Rookie of the Year, Canada West All-Rookie Team, and 2025 Canada West Second Team All-Star. Simon makes his return to Saskatchewan this May after his second season with the franchise, during which he scored his professional career-best 14 points on June 30th, 2024, against the Niagara River Lions at SaskTel Centre.
“Isaac is returning to our team for a third year; he will play an ever-expanding role on our roster,” said General Manager and Vice-President of Basketball Operations, Barry Rawlyk. “It has been a great pleasure to be a part of his year-to-year growth as a player, especially given the exceptional person that he is. We hope to help him continue expanding his game and have him represent the Rattlers for many years ahead.”
The Rattlers welcome Saskatoon-local, Easton Thimm, to the roster after two successful seasons with the University of Saskatchewan Huskies. Before his collegiate debut, he competed at Holy Cross Collegiate in Saskatoon. Thimm helped capture the 5A Saskatchewan High School Provincial Championship as a senior with the Crusaders. Easton finished his high school career as the 2023 Holy Cross – Brennan Jarrett Male Athlete of the Year.
Over two years with the Huskies, he averaged 11.6 points, 9.5 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 26.6 minutes starting in all 39 games. In his most recent season with the Huskies, he set career-highs of 26 points (January 25th) and 17 rebounds (February 7th). During this season, he made a difference for the team, ranking first on the team for points per game (13.4), rebounds per game (10.4), steals per game (1.2), field goal percentage (50.2%), and minutes per game (29.8). Easton ranked first in all of Canada West for total offensive rebounds (70) and third in all of Canada West for field goal percentage with 54.5%.
During his rookie season, he was named to the U SPORT All-Rookie Team and named Canada West Rookie of the Year.
“Easton plays with a lot of energy and hustle, and we know he will always bring a work ethic to the court. Hopefully, spending some time with us this season will allow him to start developing a skill set to match the energy level he plays with,” said General Manager and Vice-President of Basketball Operations, Barry Rawlyk. “We are looking forward to helping a local product like Easton develop his game, and we know he is eager to learn from our coaching staff.”
Peterson, Simon, and Thimm will join the Rattlers for the 2025 season to play alongside Deon Ejim, Anthony Tsegakele, Jaden Bediako, Cody John, and NBA-experienced Nate Pierre-Louis. Canadian Elite Basketball League free agency will continue leading up to the full training camp roster announcement before the Saskatchewan Rattlers home opener on May 15th, 2025, at SaskTel Centre.
.png;w=120;h=80;mode=crop)
