His role throughout the former two series primarily concerns his friendship with Joey Jeremiah (Pat Mastroianni) and Archie "Snake" Simpson (Stefan Brogren), and later the death of his adoptive parents in a traffic collision with a drunk driver.

In the aftermath of his parents' death, Wheels' behavior undergoes a significant decline, causing tension between himself and his grandparents, who eventually evict him from their house.

Upon the news of actor Neil Hope's death, which occurred in 2007 but was not publicized until 2012, critics wrote of Wheels as a tragic figure of the series, and noted the correlation between his character's troubled life, as well as his own.

Hope developed a fascination in the behind-the-scenes aspects of television production when he was young, and with the help of his father, pursued a career in acting.

[1] Hope's sister-in-law worked at a shelter for battered women nearby the set of The Kids of Degrassi Street,[1] where a billboard was displayed that advertised auditions for the show.

"[1] In his final interview in 2005, Hope told former co-star Stefan Brogren that he felt "another season or two" of Degrassi High might have been "beneficial" in his life.

Wheels attempts the first of two ill-fated dates with class president Stephanie Kaye, which ends early when she gets sick from having consumed too much alcohol.

[ep 3] When Wheels loses interest in her, Stephanie attempts to make him jealous by openly flirting with Joey, which ultimately backfires on her.

[ep 4] Shortly after his fourteenth birthday, Wheels meets his biological father Mike Nelson, a struggling musician.

[ep 1] He later counsels pregnant classmate Christine "Spike" Nelson (Amanda Stepto) on whether to keep her unborn child or put her up for adoption.

[ep 5] Wheels heads into final exams still concerned about his grades; he gets promoted while Joey learns he's being left back.

After receiving a postcard from his biological father, Wheels hitchhikes to see him in Port Hope, Ontario; along the way, he is nearly molested by a traveling salesman who gives him a ride.

[ep 10] Later in the season, Wheels cites his parents' death as the reason he turns down an offer to drink beer with Snake and Joey.

[3] He briefly appears in the series' pilot episode "Mother and Child Reunion", in which he apologizes to Lucy on the front steps of Degrassi Community School.

[ep 20] The three are witnessed by Spike and her daughter Emma from inside singing "Everybody Wants Something" on the ride home in Joey's convertible.

[ep 20] A tie-in mass-market paperback novelization of Wheels' story, written by Susin Nielsen, was released by James Lorimer & Co. in 1992,[7] with a reprint in 2006.

[8] The novel explores Wheels' parents' death, as well as expanding on his subsequent behavioral decline, as he fights with his friends, hangs out with a street gang, and attracts attention from law enforcement.

[10] In light of the news of Hope's death in 2012, despite having occurred five years prior, critics noted the correlation between the character's troubled life, as well as the actor's own.

[5] Writing for The Daily Beast, Glynnis MacNicol described Wheels as the embodiment of the show's honest portrayal of high school students: "We all knew him.

"[11] However, co-star Dan Woods, who played Principal Raditch, opined that comparing Hope to his character was "so far from the whole picture of Neil",[5] calling him a "bright-eyed performer" who never brought personal issues to the set.