The Indy Fuel were busy tweaking their roster again today, as they completed a trade to acquire Cliff Watson and Ryan Van Stralen from the Kansas City Mavericks for Sam Kurker and Matt Schmaltz.
Van Stralen comes to the Fuel after recording 11 goals and nine assists with Kansas City this season. The 6-foot-3 forward spent the prior season with the Wichita Thunder, where he tallied eight goals and 11 assists. Van Stralen has appeared in 106 ECHL games, recording 27 goals and 27 assists.
Watson comes to Indy with one goal and 15 assists in 32 games with the Mavericks. A sixth-round pick of the San Jose Sharks in 2012, Watson spent the 2018–19 season in the AHL and the ECHL with 27 games between the Stockon Heat, Hershey Bears, Utica Comets and Ontario Reign. For his career, Watson has skated in 101 ECHL games registering 20 goals and 40 assists.