Last season, Brett Roulston's hockey future was very much in doubt. Through his perseverance and dedication, he has gone from not knowing if he would play again to being a legitimate Western Hockey League prospect.
Roulston, a 17-year-old forward for the Cariboo Cougars, was recently added to the 50-player list of the WHL's Prince George Cougars. The big Cats secured his rights after he piled up 16 goals and 36 points in 35 games in the B.C. Hockey Major Midget League.
Last MML season, Roulston didn't play at all because of the lingering effects of a slipped disc and two minor fractures in his back.
Roulston, from Whitehorse, is rightfully proud of the fact a WHL club took notice of him.
"It feels great, with all the hard work that I've put into it," said the six-foot-one, 200-pounder. "It's got me really excited. It's really rewarding when you put everything you've got into something. I stuck around for the whole year [last season] and at times I thought about quitting but I kept pushing."
Roulston was injured while he was playing for a Fort St. John midget team at the Richmond International tournament in December of 2009. During a game, he was pushed from behind, hyper-extended his back, and was in immediate pain.
Despite Roulston's physical condition, he was added to the Cariboo Cougars' roster for the 2010-11 season because of his tremendous potential. Unfortunately, his recovery -- which included endless physiotherapy sessions here in Prince George -- took longer than expected and he missed the entire regular schedule and playoffs. Because of his uncertain prognosis, Roulston was also dropped from the protected list of the WHL's Kamloops Blazers.
In the off-season, Roulston worked even harder to get himself into playing condition. In particular, he focused on strengthening the muscles on one side of his back. By the time August arrived, he was healthy enough to attend the Cariboo club's identification camp at the Coliseum and he progressed from there.
Roulston played in all but five regular-season games and helped the midget Cougars eliminate the Vancouver Northeast Chiefs in a best-of-three semifinal playoff series on the weekend.
And the back? It's perfectly fine.
"It's real stable," he said. "I worked on it a lot this summer so it's a lot stronger and I haven't had any problems with it."
Naturally, Cariboo head coach Trevor Sprague is happy for Roulston and excited that the door to major-junior hockey has opened for him.
"It's a success story because of what happened to him last year," Sprague said. "It's great for our guys that have helped him in the last two years get to where he's at. He's worked hard and earned that opportunity.
"I think he's a guy that can go in and help the Cougars next season, be a key guy to help them move forward in winning a championship," Sprague added. "He has shown that he can play in the Western Hockey League from what he's done this year."
Roulston and the Cariboo Cats are currently preparing for the MML championship series, which will see them take on the Vancouver Northwest Giants. The best-of-three affair will begin Friday at 7:30 p.m. at the Burnaby Winter Club. Game 2 is Saturday at 7:45 p.m. and Game 3, if required, will start at 9:30 a.m. on Sunday.
