While we all watch the Blackhawks struggle to put goals on the board at the NHL level, keeping an eye on the future is where fans get hope. The Blackhawks have invested heavily in the foundation of their rebuild coming from the draft; they’ve made 30 picks in the three drafts since Kyle Davidson took over as general manager. And 24 of those 30 picks have been used on forwards.
It’s no secret the Blackhawks need to bring in scoring somehow from somewhere. That’s why there’s been so many calls for Frank Nazar up from Rockford. But, beyond Nazar, where is the offensive skill in the organization?
Let’s chat for a quick moment about Nick Lardis.
Lardis was a third-round pick (No. 67) in 2023 after a really good junior season helped his stock rise quickly. He scored 25 goals in 33 games after getting traded from Peterborough to Hamilton in his pre-draft season.
He followed his draft season with a good year, but the gross numbers don’t blow you away because a wrist injury cut his season short and impacted his scoring when he returned. He still scored 29 goals in only 37 games for Brantford.
This year? Where’s my fire emoji?
Lardis scored twice on Thursday night, giving him 22 goals in 20 games to start the season. And he’s doing it for a Brantford team that is still waiting for another Blackhawks’ prospect, 2024 first-round pick Marek Vanacker, to return from injury.
Lardis is on pace to blow up the scoring sheet and have one of the biggest scoring seasons for a Blackhawks prospect in a generation. But how does his scoring compare to other Blackhawks’ picks who scored well in the OHL after getting drafted?
(Note: I’m not including Connor Bedard‘s WHL career in consideration here because he didn’t play junior after his draft.)
Since Patrick Kane, the list of players drafted by the Blackhawks who have scored like Lardis is incredibly short.
In his post-draft season in the OHL, Brandon Saad scored 34 goals in 44 games for Saginaw. He was in the NHL the next season.
In his post-draft season in the OHL, Ryan Hartman scored 25 goals in 52 games for Plymouth. He was in Rockford and Chicago the following season.
More recently, Gavin Hayes scored 41 goals in 66 games for Flint in the OHL in his post-draft season. He then scored 37 goals in 55 games (with a mid-season trade included) in his draft plus-one season. He’s now in Rockford.
On paper, maybe the best comp in Blackhawks’ draft history at this point in Alex DeBrincat. He scored 65 goals in 63 games for Erie in the OHL in his post-draft season. He scored 25 goals in the NHL the following season as a rookie with the Blackhawks.
Like DeBrincat, Lardis isn’t a big player (he’s bigger than DeBrincat, though). But he showed well in the preseason this year with the Blackhawks. He’s already signed his entry-level contract and will move to the pro ranks next year. The question will be how his scoring translates to the next level. But what he’s doing right now is special, and should be exciting for fans desperate for the Blackhawks to inject some offense in the future.