Ben Roulette was drafted fourth overall in the 2020 MJHL Draft by the Waywayseecappo Wolverines. This after he posted a 17-point season in 16 games with the Yellowhead U15 Chiefs.
Then two years after he was drafted, Roulette posted 46 points in 40 regular season games and another six points in four playoff games. Ben still had one more year of U18 eligibility this season; however, the 17-year-old from Rivers decided to go the junior route as he joined the Wolverines.
He's now played 30 games with the team and scored three times while adding three assists. Playing on Waywayseecappo has also given Ben a chance to continue playing with Kurt Rookes, a great friend of his and they played together with Yellowhead.
"It's a dream come true, getting to spend all my time focusing on hockey and being on the ice," said Roulette. "Taylor and Josh are amazing coaches and they have shown me so much during my time here, it has been amazing."
Sitting right near the top of the MGEU West Division, Waywayseecappo is just two points back of Dauphin for first and they will look to get back in the win column on Tuesday after a setback this past weekend. The team gave up nine goals in a pair of losses against the Selkirk Steelers who are in sixth place in the MGEU East Division. Despite that, the Wolverines are still in a good spot and Roulette is determined to help the team get two points on Tuesday.
"We just have to flip the page and get a fresh start here," said Roulette. "We're going to work hard at practice on Monday. We will be prepared, we know Neepawa is a good club and we know what we are capable of."
While Ben's full focus is on Waywayseecappo right now, his focus will shift to representing the province in May. For the second straight year, the 17-year-old has been named to Team Manitoba as they will compete in the National Aboriginal Hockey Championships from May 7 to 13 at Seven Oaks Arena in Winnipeg.
"It's a privilege and such an honour to make the roster," offered Roulette. "We have a great group of guys and I'm very excited to lead the team alongside Carter Zalischuk, it's always a great feeling to represent the province."
Ben was on the team last year when they finished fifth place at the event in Nova Scotia.
"You can't take any team lightly, that's what happened with us in our last game," ended Roulette. "Last year was likely the tightest team that I have played on before and that was pretty amazing to be a part of."
You can hear Ben's full chat with Darnell Duff during the first intermission of Tuesday's Dauphin Kings game on 730CKDM.
