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Boy Scouts founder Robert Baden-Powell once said, “Try and leave this world a little better than you found it.”

Austin senior Grady Carney certainly left the Packer boys hockey program better than he found it. In four years, Carney played an integral role in watching the program rise from the bottom of the Big Nine Conference to a team that was competitive in most of its games this season.

Carney’s work on and off the ice was recognized when he was recently selected as Hobey Baker High School Character Award winner.

The award began in 2003 and recognizes hockey players from participating schools who bring leadership and character to the game. All award winners will attend a Minnesota Wild hockey game, where they will be honored.

“It was a huge honor, not just for me, but for my team. It felt good to have my coaches have my back,” Carney said. “When I found out about it, my mind was just blown. It’s nice that our program now has three winners with Toby (Holtz) and Darran (Plunkett) winning it before me. I think it’s a really good start, because it’s bringing attention to Austin in a good way. It’s good to show off the hard work that our team is putting in.”

Carney led the Packers with 16 goals scored this past season and he added 13 assists. Austin finished 17-9-1 overall in one of its best seasons over the past decade.

Carney was a big factor on the ice, but he also helped mentor a group of young Austin players who were playing in their first varsity season.

“It’s really good to know that what I was doing was correct, and hopefully I helped guys on the team learn the ins and outs of being a leader,” Carney said. “Hopefully they can do what I did, except even better, and  we can become an even stronger program in the future.”

Carney’s senior year couldn’t have gone much better and he said he anticipates the program to get even better in the future. Through it all, he has learned valuable lessons about leadership.

“The biggest thing is being trustworthy and being someone who your teammates know that you’re going to do the right thing,” Carney said. “You also have to be hard working and responsible. You have to look after the guys on the ice and if they’re having a hard time, you have to check up on them.”