On Saturday night, the Chicago Blackhawks took on the Detroit Red Wings at the United Center. It was a 4-0 loss for the Blackhawks, but the story was the NHL debut of Nick Lardis.
Lardis had a wonderful 2024-25 season with the Brantford Bulldogs of the OHL. He scored 71 goals and had 117 points, making his turning pro have extra hype.
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Lardis has been excellent with the Rockford IceHogs so far this year. He has 13 goals and 13 assists for 26 points in 24 games played before being called up by the Blackhawks on Saturday.
In his debut, Lardis didn’t score and was -2, but he had 5 hits, and put 2 shots on goal in 15:32 of ice time. He led the team with 8 shot attempts, as well. It was clear that he belonged on an NHL sheet of ice with his play.
Some of Chicago’s best scoring chances, in a game that they were shut out, came off the stick of Nick Lardis. He brought a sense of energy to his game as well, which could help the team while Connor Bedard is out.
“It was pretty special,” Lardis said of his NHL debut. “Obviously, playing against Detroit, Patty Kane in the building, it was a lot of fun. Didn’t get a lot of sleep last night, but it was pretty special.”
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Lardis confirmed that the Rockford IceHogs had to turn their bus around because of his call-up. They were on their way to Grand Rapids for a game. Now, he has his first NHL game in the books.
“I thought Lardis played good,” said head coach Jeff Blashill. “He played good on the power play. He’s a talented young player.”
Blashill put Lardis on the third line with Ryan Greene and Oliver Moore. The idea behind it, according to the head coach, is that Lardis was able to play with other young players with whom he’s comfortable. The line did not look out of place.
“They seem like they had a lot of jump,” Blashill said of the line. “They created opportunities and had good young legs.”
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Up next for Lardis and the Blackhawks is a three-game road trip through eastern Canada. The Toronto Maple Leafs are up first on Tuesday night.
If he plays the way he did against the Red Wings, his first goal and point, and many more after that, will come for him. Jeff Blashill talks about process a lot, and Lardis has a great process.
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