There are players who have the talent to define a program. Then there are players who have the work ethic to dominate one. Minnesota State head men’s hockey coach Mike Hastings has both in Jake Jaremko.  The Nowthen, Minn., native and former Elk River standout has made headlines thanks to his ability to move the puck on the ice, but it’s the freshman forward’s work ethic that routinely sets him apart. It’s what Hastings first noticed about Jaremko when scouting him several years ago. It’s what the veteran head coach talked about then and what he still talks about now.

“I don’t know even up to this point that I’ve had to ask him to work hard,” Hastings said. “When someone comes into the rink with a smile on their face and they have a hard hat on and are ready to work, bringing that every day, those guys are fun to work with. You take that and then add on the fact that I think his greatest gift is what he has between the ears; he has a great hockey head. He thinks the game very well. There are a lot of guys that want to play with players like that. If I’m a wing, I want a center that can get me the puck and get open where I can get it back to him. His awareness on the rink and his ability to change his pace to the situation is special. He can speed it up when he needs to or slow it down when he needs to. And then be able to see it and make plays inside of that, I think is what makes him a special player.”

Jaremko has always been special on the ice. As a high school senior, he lit up the local hockey scene, scoring 68 points in just 25 games. Widely considered one of the best prospects coming out of the state at the time, he was recognized for his efforts by being named Mr. Hockey at the end of the 2015 season – awarded to the best senior player in the state of Minnesota. From there, Jaremko tore through the USHL playing for the Chicago Steel, helping his team to a Clark Cup championship last season. That surge of momentum heading into this fall made WCHA coaches take notice as the group voted Jaremko as the pre-season favorite for the conference Rookie of the Year.

He has not disappointed. Currently tied for fifth in the WCHA in scoring (4-15--19), the fabulous freshman is also tied for first in the conference in assists and leads all rookies in scoring by a wide margin. He has been at his best recently. After notching four assists through his first nine games, Jaremko has exploded by scoring 15 points over his last nine contests. Right on cue, during that nine-game stretch, the Mavericks have lost only two times and are currently first in the WCHA heading into the Christmas break.

“I wanted to come in and produce right away and I think that’s been going pretty well so far,” Jaremko said. “Coach Hastings has done a really good job coaching me; I can’t thank him enough for that. Coming into Mankato in the summer, that was big for me. Our strength coach Tom Inkrott has done an awesome job also. They have got me prepared for this season and I think the results have translated onto the ice.”

“He’s got an honesty to his game when you watch him and how he goes about his business,” Hastings said. “First of all, I think what comes off right away is his intelligence, his hockey IQ. It’s a game that for some moves too fast. Jake can decipher when the game speeds up or slows down; he can still continue to be effective at both situations. 

“He makes other people around him better by presenting himself to receive pucks or being able to get pucks to players. Passes are not direct at times, but you still have to find a way to get a puck to somebody in a scoring area, and he is very good at that – whether it’s through deception of his own stick or being able to move to an area where he can find somebody with the puck in a dangerous area. When you combine all of that, there’s a guy who is willing to do the work and has the talent. Those are guys you want on your team.”

While the milestones continue to be met and the records continue to fall, Jaremko still finds himself looking back on his senior year in high school and one of the greatest honors he’s gotten to date – being named Mr. Hockey. During all of the madness that goes along with playing for the seventh-ranked team in the country, he still thinks about that March day back in 2015.  He also still finds the time to talk about it.

Looking back on your senior season and winning the award, what was that journey like?
“It was a pretty surreal feeling. Just going to the banquet that day, it was kind of cool to reflect on where I was and then to actually win the award was one of the greatest accomplishments of my life. It was definitely one of the coolest things that has happened to me. I was kind of shocked at the same time, but then I look back and see all of the hard work you put in and how that hard work paid off.”

Now several seasons later, how often do you think of that day?
“I don’t think back on it too much, every now and then I will. I still talk about it with my family. It’s good to look back and recognize some of the accomplishments that you have had and realize all of the hard work you put in that got you there.”

Growing up, was winning Mr. Hockey always one of your goals?
“It was never really on the radar for me. I know Paul Martin won it when he was a senior. That was pretty cool; he was my idol growing up, watching him play for the Gophers and then in the NHL all of those years. That’s cool. Just to follow up on what he did is pretty special for me.”

When you look at all of the great ones who have won that prestigious award, being a part of that group, what does it mean to be in that company of players?
“It’s awesome. To look back at some of the names who have won it and realize that you are a part of that group. I can’t say enough about the guys who have won it before.  It’s awesome to be a part of that group, that’s for sure.”

What advice would you give to younger players who want to follow in the same footsteps you walked and become the next Mr. Hockey?
“Just to work hard and always put in extra work. That’s something that has helped me get to where I am. Always doing the extra thing and going the extra mile, no matter what it is. It’s going to pay off in the end. It did for me.”

Judging by the way Jaremko’s freshman campaign is going, more awards are on the way. Jaremko and the Mavericks hit the ice again in January with back-to-back weekend battles with Alaska Anchorage and Alaska. Currently, Minnesota State has a five-point lead in the conference race ahead of Bowling Green, Northern Michigan and Michigan Tech. All three programs are tied for second in the conference.

Andrew Vitalis can be reached at lphprep@yahoo.com.

Photo: Minnesota State Athletics