UNH Recruit Marcus Vela Signs National Letter of Intent

Marcus Vela Signs
NLI with UNH

18-year-old Marcus Vela from Burnaby, BC has signed a National Letter of Intent (NLI) to enroll at the University of New Hampshire and play for the Wildcats' hockey team. Some of the key provisions of the NLI are:

"By signing a National Letter of Intent, a prospective student-athlete agrees to attend the designated college or university for one academic year. Pursuant to the terms of the National Letter of Intent program, participating institutions agree to provide athletics financial aid to the student-athlete, provided he/she is admitted to the institution and is eligible for financial aid under NCAA rules.
An important provision of the National Letter of Intent program is a recruiting prohibition applied after a prospective student-athlete signs a Letter of Intent. This prohibition requires participating institutions to cease recruitment of a prospective student-athlete once a National Letter of Intent is signed with another institution.
At the time the prospective student-athlete signs the NLI, he must receive a written offer of athletics financial aid for the entire 2015-16 academic year from the institution named in the document. The offer must list the terms, conditions and amount of the athletics aid award."

Vela, a center/winger, played the last two seasons with the Langley Rivermen in the British Columbia Hockey League. Here are player statistics and background information for Marcus. It includes 2 informative links. Click on the his name and a link to his statistics comes up on a separate screen. Click on the date next to "Commit to UNH:" for a link to an article which announced his verbal commitment to UNH.

Marcus Vela Langley Rivermen British Columbia Hockey League DOB: 3-3-1997 Hometown: Burnaby, BC Forward, 6'2", 200 lbs. Shoots Right Commit to UNH: 9-25-2013 at Age 16 years, 6 months. "Some of the main reasons I decided on UNH were, that they play in the best division which is Hockey East, they have a very good hockey program that I felt would suit me best, and they are also a good school academically which is also important to me. I was also very comfortable and confident in deciding to commit to UNH. It felt right!" "I was also considering a few other schools such as Western Michigan, University of Connecticut and Denver. They are all very good programs and exceptional hockey teams but I just felt that UNH was the right fit for me."

Player	Year	Team	League	GP	Goals	Asst	Pts	PIM
Marcus Vela  (F)	2014/2015	Langley Rivermen	BCHL	50	20	26	46	57
		Playoffs	BCHL	3	0	1	1	4
	2013/2014	Langley Rivermen	BCHL	54	11	11	22	41
		Playoffs	BCHL	12	1	4	5	6

Scouting Reports

Marcus Vela #12

In the NHL Central Scouting Service's 2015 Final Rankings, Marcus Vela was listed as the #123 North American skater. He is likely to be drafted by an NHL team in the Entry Draft this June.

Scouting report from NHL CSS:

"Key on the power play and penalty kill … plays a responsible two-way game … very strong on the puck … solid on face-offs … brings a physical element … plays with a purpose … good vision … high compete level.”

From Elite Hockey Prospects:

"An offensively gifted power center that takes the game as it comes to him. Good hockey sense and possesses the positive character traits that indicate versatility in a lineup; scouts look for these intangibles in players. Decent skating ability, but knows what he can and can't do. Knows how to direct plays and realizes when and how he can step in to make a difference - whether it be through a little bit of rough stuff or with a clutch goal. All-in-all, the type of well-rounded player that can compliment his linemates well, and knows how to make an impact in a game.”

Coach's Report

In his two seasons with the Langley Rivermen, Marcus Vela was coached by General Manager/Head Coach Bobby Henderson and his staff. In September, 2014, when Vela first appeared on the NHL CSS "Players to Watch" list, Assistant Coach Kurt Astle provided this assessment of Vela:

"Marcus is the type of player that has the ability to play in any situation. He’s hard to defend against down low and on the attack. In the defensive zone, he makes good reads and can execute when put in an out-numbered situation. Marcus’ awareness in the defensive zone allows him to play key minutes in a tight game which gives him the title of a two-way centre.”