ECHL: Toledo Walleye Add Three More Players to the Pond

The Toledo Walleye have added forward Sam Craggs along with defensemen Jake Willets and Thomas Farrell.

Sam Craggs, an Elmhurst, Illinois native, will return to Toledo for a third straight season. During the 2022-2023 season, Craggs appeared in 60 games, putting up ten goals and ten assists. Over the final ten games of the season, he posted eight points by way of four goals and four assists. 

Prior to coming to the Walleye in 2021-2022, Craggs played for Bowling Green State University, where he is the all-time leader in career games played with 181. He also ranked 9th all-time in penalty minutes with 295. During his time with the Falcons, he scored 30 goals and had 34 assists. Craggs was also a three-time WCHA Scholar-Athlete, as well as making the WCHA All-Academic list.

Jake Willets will also make his return to Toledo this upcoming season. Willets, a Monroe, Michigan native, joined the Walleye last season after finishing his final season at Lake Superior State University. Willets found the back of the net in his first two professional games and quickly became the local favorite. Willets ended the 2022-2023 regular season appearing in 10 total games. He had four points made up of two goals and two assists. Willets also had 15 penalty minutes. 

Prior to Toledo, Willets spent two years at LSSU and two years at Ferris State University. He ended his final collegiate season with 12 points made up of four goals and eight assists. Overall, he appeared in 120 college contests between both LSSU and FSU. Over his entire collegiate career, he posted 54 points with 15 goals and 39 assists. Willets was named to the WCHA All-Rookie team for his performance with FSU during the 2019-2020 season.

Thomas Farrell will also be returning to the Walleye for the 2023-2024 season. Farrell made his professional debut with the Walleye last season. However, he only appeared in four games when he joined the team on March 8th. Despite his short time with the team, the Lake Bluff, Illinois native was able to score his first professional goal, and he also had an assist. 

Farrell comes to Toledo after spending four years playing at Army. He appeared in 126 contests over four years. He finished his college career with 62 points, 16 goals and 46 assists. Farrell was named Army’s team captain during the 2022-2023 season. He was named to the AHA First Team during the 2020-2021 season.