It was a wild 24 hours for Chicago Blackhawks forward Nick Lardis on Dec. 13. Connor Bedard had gone down with a shoulder injury the day before in St. Louis, and the Hawks suddenly needed a forward who could score.
The Rockford IceHogs were getting ready for a road trip to the Grand Rapids Griffins in a big-time matchup versus the best team in the AHL. They ended up without their offensive juggernaut in that game because, well, the Hawks’ desperate times called for desperate measures.
Lardis was called up from Rockford to join the Hawks on the second half of a back-to-back against the Detroit Red Wings. He led the team on the ice, took a rookie lap and created a memory that was just a dream hours prior.
“We were heading to Grand Rapids (that) night, we were about 15 minutes out and I got a call, so we had to turn the buses back around,” Lardis said after the Detroit game. “I didn’t go to bed until 3 or 4 a.m. It was hard to sleep, but it was a cool memory.”
The Hawks lost 4-0 to the Red Wings, but it was a night Lardis will never forget. Add in playing Patrick Kane, and it was a marquee NHL debut.
A month later, Lardis is getting settled and learning the ways of the NHL. He’s played against Sidney Crosby, Alex Ovechkin and Connor McDavid up to this point, so there’s no shame that he still gets a little starstruck.
“Growing up, watching all those guys, playing (Ovechkin) a couple games ago and Crosby, and even playing the (Toronto Maple Leafs), that was pretty special,” Lardis said. “I feel like as the games go on, it feels a little more normal.”
The 20-year-old from the Toronto area has played 15 games since being recalled from the AHL. He has five points (four goals, one assist) in that span.
He’s letting the puck fly, exactly like he did in Rockford and with the OHL’s Brantford Bulldogs. He scored 26 points (13 goals, 13 assists) with the IceHogs this year and 117 points (71 goals, 46 assists) in Brantford in 2024-25.
The NHL is a different beast, though, something that Lardis quickly learned. Everyone’s faster, stronger and doesn’t give their graces to opposing rookies.
“The biggest (adjustment) is system-wise, the first chunk of games I played, you’re thinking a little more than you’re playing,” Lardis said. “You play almost every day, so there’s not really a practice day where you get to learn it all.
“I’ve gotten into a good rhythm here the past couple of games. More flowing and playing with my strengths and those systems feel a little more natural now.”
He was placed in a line with Teuvo Teräväinen at left wing and Oliver Moore at center. The group of forwards has impressed with the vast amount of scoring chances they’ve created, and it seems to be a picture-perfect spot for Lardis.
“We all fit each other’s playing styles,” Lardis said. “(Moore), he drives it with his speed and Teuvo, the way he thinks the game out there is so smart.
“He could find us in any situation when he has the puck on his stick, so I just try to get open for a good shot. I think we complement each other really well.”
The adjustment is smoother thanks to a young Hawks locker room, where the mood is better than in recent years. Lardis has been speaking with Bedard when it comes to shooting and how to create better shots for himself and his teammates.
“Not as much like the shot itself, but finding lanes for shots, we’ve talked a lot about that, even last game on the bench we were talking about it,” Lardis said. “It’s cool to pick his brain a little bit to see what he’s done at this level and how he’s been successful.”
Lardis’s magnum opus with the Hawks so far was his game-winning goal on Dec. 27 at American Airlines Arena versus the Dallas Stars. In the fourth round of the shootout, the rookie sent a shot past goaltender Jake Oettinger for the huge road win.
He got cheers from the United Center crowd on Dec. 30 when he led the shootout attempts against the New York Islanders. Fans have been eager for his call-up from Rockford, and he’s becoming a fan favorite.
“The cheers you get, not just me but all the players, it gets us going,” Lardis said. “It was pretty special against the Islanders, hearing the cheers when I was going off for that shootout.”