On Wednesday afternoon, the Blackhawks formally welcomed another prospect into the team when they agreed to a three-year, entry-level deal with Nick Lardis, a 2023 third-round choice (67th overall).
If the agreement were to begin right now, it would expire after the 2026–2027 season and carry an annual salary cap hit of $896,667. That contract, though, might be slipping back a year or two because Lardis appears to be at least a year away from going pro, and it’s probable he’ll play in Rockford before moving on to Chicago.
The 5-foot-11, 165-pound forward Lardis will turn 19 in July. He has played with the Brantfod Bulldogs of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) during his first post-draft season, amassing 50 points (29 G, 21 A) in 37 games. As we noted in our most recent prospect update, he had been out since January 12 due to an injury; now, he is back for the OHL postseason and has four points (2 G, 2 A) in three games. In the first round of the playoffs, Brantford is now down 2-1 in its seven-game series against the Ottawa 67’s. Game 4 is scheduled for this Thursday.
Lardis’ speciality is scoring goals, and the Blackhawks selected him in the summer draft based on scouting reports that highlighted his outstanding shot. Despite not doing anything to lose his standing with the team in the past year, Lardis signed this contract. The next phase for Lardis would be to return to the OHL for the 2024–25 hockey season and completely dominate it.
