GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The Grand Rapids Griffins on Tuesday acquired forward Marcus Vela from the San Jose Barracuda in exchange for defenseman Marcus Crawford. Vela will report to the ECHL’s Toledo Walleye.

In his first full professional season, Vela, 22, has skated in three games with the ECHL’s Orlando Solar Bears, recording one assist and six penalty minutes.

A seventh-round selection, 190th overall, by the San Jose Sharks in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft, Vela made his pro debut with the Barracuda at the end of the 2018-19 campaign and contributed two assists in six appearances.

The 6-foot-2, 205-pound forward is coming off a four-year career at the University of New Hampshire where he amassed 58 points (24-34—58) and 112 PIM in 135 games from 2015-19. As a senior and team captain in 2018-19, he ranked seventh on the Wildcats in scoring behind career highs in both points (18) and assists (12).

A Burnaby, British Columbia, native, Vela played in 104 games with the Langley Rivermen of the British Columbia Hockey League from 2013-15 and netted 68 points (31-37—68). He was selected to represent Canada West at the 2014 World Junior A Challenge.

As a rookie last season, Crawford split his time between Grand Rapids and Toledo, appearing in eight games with the Griffins and recording 26 points (3-23—26) in 46 contests with the Walleye. In one game with Toledo this season, Crawford has one assist.

The Griffins (5-2-0-1) have won three straight games and will conclude their four-game homestand on Wednesday against the Iowa Wild at 7 p.m.

Single-game tickets are currently on sale. Fans can secure their full-season, select-season or group ticket packages by calling (616) 774-4585 ext. 2 or visit griffinshockey.com for more information.

Photo by San Jose Barracuda