For most Saskatchewan football players, receiving an invitation to Saskatchewan Roughriders training camp is a dream come true. For Regina Thunder receiver Ben Walz, it has become an opportunity to prove he belongs.
The territorial junior invitee has been one of the pleasant surprises with the Riders so far, earning valuable reps and drawing praise from Saskatchewan head coach Corey Mace as he competes alongside professional veterans and established CFL players.
"He’s been incredible," Mace said. "Walz has been making big catches throughout camp. He works his tail off. He is a student of the game. It's been awesome. We've been really lucky, I think, in the last couple of years with our junior players being able to help this team."
That endorsement means plenty considering where Walz's expectations were when he arrived in Saskatoon at the start of training camp.
The six-foot-four receiver from Major, Sask., who starred with the Regina Thunder and was named a Prairie Football Conference All-Star in 2025, initially viewed the experience as a chance to learn and bring knowledge back to junior football. Instead, he quickly found himself competing for meaningful reps.
"Coming in, I wasn't sure what to expect," Walz said. "I was just really wanting to learn as much as I can and bring it back to the Thunder, but we've had lots of opportunities to show what we can do and I think we've impressed so far, so it's pretty exciting."
The transition from junior football to a CFL training camp can be overwhelming, especially when it comes to mastering a professional playbook. Walz admits there were some long nights early in camp.
"The first couple days, it was definitely a struggle, lots of long nights studying," he said. "But now as you go through the motions, get more comfortable, meet some new guys and everyone on the team's been so welcoming to me and Peter (Boersch). Now it's just football, it's another day and same as always."
His comfort level has grown steadily throughout camp, something that has shown on the field as he continues to make plays during practice sessions.
Of course, there have been moments when the reality of the situation has sunk in. After growing up cheering for the Roughriders, Walz now finds himself catching passes from some of the CFL's top quarterbacks.
"One hundred percent," Walz laughed when asked if he ever thinks about who is throwing him the football. "The first couple times, it was like, 'Oh my goodness.' Just right in the right spot. It's pretty special to be able to catch balls from unbelievable quarterbacks and at the pro level. It's amazing."
Walz and fellow Regina Thunder territorial junior Peter Boersch have both earned opportunities during camp, something Walz credits in part to the preparation they received with the Thunder organization.
"Coming in, there were surprisingly a lot of things that are very similar for us, so it wasn't as big of a learning step as we thought it was going to be," Walz said. "But definitely a lot of work has been put in to get us where we are."
The physical adjustment, however, remains noticeable. Asked if the CFL players have started to look any smaller after several weeks of camp, Walz smiled.
"No, definitely just as big," he said. "I happen to block some of the D-linemen sometimes. They're a little bit bigger than they are in junior, but it's all the same technique."
Regardless of how his training camp journey ends, Walz believes the experience will make him a better football player. The details, professionalism and daily habits required at the CFL level are lessons he plans to carry forward.
"Just the details of little things," Walz said. "There's lots of things that I already have started to try and put into our receiver group in Regina with the Thunder. Little things to work on and that sort of thing."
Perhaps the biggest takeaway has been realizing that the players he watched growing up aren't much different than anyone else.
"Even though I've grown up following the Riders, it's a lifelong dream, they're just football players," Walz said. "They're just regular guys. They're not crazy celebrities, they're just dudes."
For a player who entered camp hoping simply to learn, Walz has accomplished much more. He has shown he can compete at the professional level, earned the respect of the coaching staff and provided another example of the talent being developed in Saskatchewan's junior football ranks.
