Issue link: https://read.uberflip.com/i/1547516
by Drew Herron The Questions Scouts Are Asking Tips How do you do it? How do you develop players and assemble the right ingredients to build a team that can win a State Championship? How do you build winners? His answer always comes back to the intangibles—leadership, perseverance, coachability and work ethic. " When I get to talk to NHL scouts, they almost never ask any hockey questions," Hardwick said. "But they ask a ton of questions about their character. About their work ethic, how they treat people, how they treat their teammates, how they are in practice, in the locker room or on the bus. Do they have a strong core character? IN WARROAD, there is a standard to which they carry themselves in Hockeytown, USA. Show up every day, work hard and do things the right way. It's a simple message that boys high school coach Jay Hardwick teaches, from his 2026 State Championship team down to the youth in Warroad, one of the state's strongest hockey incubators of high-end talent despite a population just over 2,000. Hardwick, a Warroad grad, former UMD Bulldog and pro hockey players, is often asked: Photo / James Butler, Vintage MN Hockey Those are the kind of people they are looking for." Hardwick explains how those intangibles and character fit into the make-up of players who routinely move on to the next level. WHAT DO THE HARDEST WORKING PLAYERS DEMONSTRATE? Hardwick: They show up every day, and they want to get better. It doesn't matter what it is, whether it's a warmup drill at the beginning of practice or a defensive zone drill or we're working on the power play. The thing that I've seen from the players who have been the best players is their compete level. It doesn't matter that there aren't people in the stands, and the scoreboard isn't on…they want to push themselves to be the best version of themself that they can be. HOW IMPORTANT IS LEARNING FROM FAILURE, OVERCOMING ADVERSITY TO THE MAKE-UP OF A GREAT PLAYER? Hardwick: As you go up levels, you're going to get to a point where everyone is big, strong, and fast, and you're going to run into some roadblocks. How you respond to that makes a huge difference. You have to be able to adapt, and battle through all sorts of situations. State Championship Coach Jay Hardwick on Culture, Development and the Next Level 22 M H J ON L I N E . C O M | N O V / D E C 2 0 2 6 The most common trait in all of Coach Hardwick's greatest players? Love of the game.