On April 3rd the Chicago Blackhawks announced that they had agreed to terms with prospect Nick Lardis on a three-year entry-level contract that will begin next season with an average annual value of $896,667 per season. Lardis was selected by the Blackhawks in the third round of the 2023 NHL Draft in Nashville after an excellent sophomore season in the OHL (Ontario Hockey League) where he scored an impressive 65 points split between the Peterborough Petes and Hamilton Bulldogs.
Lardis began to play exceptionally well after the trade to Hamilton, where he scored 46 points in 33 games with the Bulldogs. Lardis has continued his great play into this season as he scored 50 points in 37 regular season games with the Bulldogs and would have scored even more had he not lost the second half of his season to injury. He returned for Brantford’s recent playoff run where he scored eight points in six games but sadly the Bulldogs fell to the Ottawa 67s in a hard-fought series.
Lardis was not in the contract discussions too much, the negotiations that took place were primarily between his agent Dave Gagner, and Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson. An interesting tidbit in the contract is that Lardis will receive an $80,000 performance bonus in his first two years which can be unlocked if he records a certain number of goals or points.
Who Did Lardis Want To Thank?
Lardis received the news while he was in Ottawa preparing for a playoff game against the 67s when he heard the news that he would be signing his first contract. Lardis was ecstatic about the news, he couldn’t wait to tell his biggest supporters about the great news. “I called my family right away,” said Lardis with excitement in his voice. “They have been my biggest supporters since I started to play hockey…That was pretty cool.”
Along with his family, Lardis had several other people he wanted to thank for this milestone. His minor hockey coaches Gord Hynes and Jaan Luik with the Oakville Rangers, his trainers that he works with during the off-season, the Bulldogs coaching and management staff along with the Peterborough Petes who drafted him sixth overall in the 2021 OHL priority selection, and helped him begin the next stage of his hockey career.
What Does Lardis Bring To The Blackhawks?
Lardis brings to Chicago plenty of useful tools that will help the Blackhawks during their current rebuild. He has an elite shot from the top of the circle and a great ability to find the open space for him to capitalize on offensive chances. Ever since he came to the Bulldogs organization, their offence has run through him as the top-line winger and the team’s main threat on the power play.
With Lardis now having his contract signed, the thought of putting on the Blackhawks jersey in a real regular season game becomes more of a reality. With Chicago having such a deep prospect pipeline, Lardis is extremely excited at the potential of playing with those great talents. Obviously, the number one player he would love to play with is Connor Bedard, but outside of him, there are several other players he can’t wait to play with. Namely, the players he has played against in the OHL such as Paul Ludwinski, Gavin Hayes, and Ethan Del Mastro. “It would be pretty cool to play with those guys. Playing with them at the next level would be an awesome opportunity.”
That chance may come sooner rather than later. With Lardis’ OHL season over, he is now eligible to sign an Ameture Tryout Agreement with the Chicago Blackhawks American Hockey League (AHL) team the Rockford Ice Hogs, and join them for their playoff run. The same goes for Paul Ludwinski since his Kingston Frontenacs were recently eliminated by the North Bay Battalion. Ludwinski however does not need to sign an Ameture Tryout Agreement because he is already under contract with the Blackhawks where as Lardis’ contract doesn’t kick in until next season.
With Lardis now signed, the player now has a clearer path to the NHL. With his contract now signed, next season will most likely be his final year in the OHL. But once next season concludes, we may see Lardis with the Blackhawks in short order.