December 21, 2016
The Oil Capitals 2014-2015 Captain, Ben Williams committed to play for Red Deer College Kings hockey program in May 2015. Williams played in a total of 169 games for the Oil Caps during his career and in his last season with the team registered 53 points (28 goals, 25 assists) in 59 games. He was named the Oil Capitals Top Defensive Player in 2014-2015 season, and picked up Most Valuable Player honours.
The 22-year-old Souris product is in his second year with the Kings, “My first year of hockey in Red Deer was a lot of fun.” Williams continued, “It went by really quick with a lot of learning experiences.”
Williams is currently in the Business Administration Diploma Program, majoring in accounting. The hardest part for Williams is juggling schoolwork along with staying competitive on the ice. “The biggest adjustments that I found was only playing on Fridays and Saturdays and going straight from school to the rink throwing off any game day routines I had in junior.”
Last season with the Kings, Williams registered 12 points (7 goals, 5 assists) in 32 games played and the team had a 16-13-3 record in regular season putting them in fourth in the league. Red Deer College
Kings Head Coach, Trevor Keeper said, “In Williams first season with the RDC Kings, he was a third
line forward, playing both wing and center. He was an outstanding penalty killer and was a big part of
our ‘shut down’ line that played against opposition top lines. He’s such a gritty, competitive guy and that allows him to be used in so many situations.”
Williams is the Red Deer College Kings top six forwards this season, “He is seeing power play time as a winger. He’s the straw that stirs the drink on his line and we are looking forward to how well he plays in the second half as we move towards playoffs.” Keeper carried on, “Ben is one of a few players we have from Manitoba (Tanner Butler, Souris; David Heath, Melita; Zak Hicks, Boissevain). We hope to continue bringing Manitoba recruits to Red Deer, as they are character people who are very committed to being successful student-athletes.”
This year the Kings are currently, 8-7-1 and at home have a 3-4-1 record. “My second year compared to my first year is a lot more structured as I now know what to expect. The first year taught me to become a lot more organized as it is quite easy to fall behind. Williams continued, “Also, my second year I have put a lot more emphasis on continuing to get stronger in the gym, as the players in this league are more mature and quite a bit bigger than junior.”
Williams was named Red Deer College Kings athlete of the week, October 31. He was moved up from defensive line and penalty kill role to the Kings top line and power play. During this week he was one of the Kings top players – he helped them earn a 5-4 win at MacEwan University. Williams also registered two goals in the Saturday game against Penhold Multiplex. Williams helped his team pick up 3 out of 4 points and earning himself the athlete of the week.
Oil Capitals Head Coach, Troy Leslie said, “It is not surprising for us to see Ben having success at the next level. His leadership and work ethic are second to none.
Playing for the Capitals helped Williams in a lot of aspects, but most importantly by completing his all-around game. “Playing in all situation for the Caps allowed me to fill any role asked of me by my coach out here. This helped me stay in the lineup and continue to improve throughout the season.”