Nick Lardis came into professional hockey this year with pedigree. Having scored 71 goals for the Brantford Bulldogs in the OHL last season, the expectations raised quite a bit for what his pro outlook would ultimately be.
In the long history of the OHL, only 13 players have topped 70 goals and only two of those players – Lardis and John Tavares – have been in the last 35 years.
Everyone knew Lardis could score. What they didn’t know is if his offensive game would translate to his first year of professional hockey. The transition to the AHL from junior can be a challenging one for even the best players.
Apparently not for Lardis. The Rockford IceHogs forward was named the Upper Deck AHL Rookie of the Month of October. The 20-year-old forward posted four goals and eight assists for 12 points in just eight games during the first month of the season.
The third-round pick in 2023 is now up to 13 points in 10 games this season after adding another goal on Nov. 1. He is currently fourth among all players in the AHL and just one point off the league lead. Meanwhile, Lardis has poured 25 shots on net and has scored on 20% of those shots. One would have to think more shots generated are going to lead to even more goals.
2025 Rockford IceHogs vs Milwaukee Admirals
The IceHogs are second in the tough Central Division and have had some impressive games to start their season. While Lardis was not the first forward called up this year – first-round pick Oliver Moore was – his time in the AHL is proving valuable already.
I have to admit, I was surprised to see Lardis transition so easily into the AHL. His scoring was phenomenal in junior, but there were a number of goals scored last season that I didn’t feel would translate to pros.
What Lardis has done so far this season is show how his evolving offensive sense continues to refine in such a way that he is exploiting what defenses are giving him. That’s often much easier in junior hockey with less experienced players. It’s much, much harder to do within the structure of the AHL with veteran players, many of whom have had stints in the NHL.
Lardis finds space remarkably well and puts himself into scoring positions. When he does get the puck, he is decisive with it. He scores goals emphatically, with good hard shots, or crashing down and finding loose pucks. Lardis has high-level anticipation and is reading plays well.
It is hard to be a lethal offensive player in the AHL at age 20. Lardis is showing very early signs that he’s going to be just that. Should this continue, he’s going to find his way into the Chicago Blackhawks lineup much sooner than I think even they could have anticipated.
Until that call comes, Rockford has a must-see player on their roster.
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