The Chicago Blackhawks recently held their prospect camp and two prospect games for the Tom Kurvers Prospect Showcase over the weekend of Sept. 13 and 14. A plethora of top prospects came together for four spirited and high-energy practices before playing games against the St. Louis Blues’ prospects on Saturday and the Minnesota Wild prospects on Sunday.
One of the young players getting a lot of attention is 20-year-old Blackhawks’ prospect Nick Lardis. After all, the right winger did score 71 goals last season with the Brantford Bulldogs, which hasn’t been done in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) since John Tavares notched 72 goals in the 2006-07 season. Not only that, but Lardis contributed 46 assists last season, and then 11 goals and 15 points in seven playoff games. He obviously knows how to produce at the junior level.
Related – Blackhawks’ Prospect Nick Lardis Is Dominating the OHL
Now that Lardis is ready to join either the American Hockey League (AHL) Rockford IceHogs or the Blackhawks, the big question is whether he can translate his game to the pro level. Many signs point toward the answer being yes.
Lardis Ready for the Pro Level
The Oakville, ONT native was drafted by the Blackhawks in the third round (67th overall) in the 2023 NHL Draft. That’s not a super high pick, and Lardis is also a smaller forward, at 5-foot-11 and 185 pounds. But he seems to have that scoring touch, at least at the junior level. Before his breakout 2024-25 campaign, Lardis tallied an also-impressive 29 goals and 50 points in 37 regular season games with the Bulldogs, plus four goals and eight points in six playoff games.
Lardis was a standout at this year’s prospect camp, and he came prepared for bigger things. On the first day of practice he told reporters he aimed to showcase his speed and skill at camp, and also that he’d worked on his strength over the offseason. He indicated he’d trained in the summer with a bunch of NHL pros, such as Tavares, Evan Bouchard and Dylan Cousins, to name a few. He expounded,
Juniors is a different game than pro hockey. Obviously, it’s a lot stronger going against bigger and tougher guys. So doing those skates in the summer I really learned what it takes with the battle drills and just the skill that they have. It’s pretty cool to see and be there and work with them.
Those skates were really good for my confidence, just working with those guys. I mean, they’ve been playing pro for the NHL and have great careers for 10 years or so. So, it’s good to skate there and get a lot of confidence, and feel good out there.
This was Lardis’s third prospect camp, and he revealed he did come in with a bit of a different mindset this year.
Yeah, I think it’s a little different. I mean the past couple years, you kind of get the sense that you’re gonna go back to junior. But I think this year for me, it’s a good opportunity for me to turn pro and stay here, whether that’s Rockford or Chicago. So, a little more anticipation with that, getting on the ice, and more motivation with that.
Obviously Lardis is looking forward to the next step in his progression, and he feels he’s ready for the pro level.
Lardis’s Performance at Tom Kurver’s Showcase Games
The young forward carried a strong performance at camp to the Showcase games over the weekend. The Blackhawks faced the Blues on Saturday night, and Lardis was on a line with Oliver Moore and Brantford teammate Marek Vanacker. They were arguably the best line the entire night, using their speed and skill to generate a plethora of chances.
But the real fun came in overtime, when Lardis, Moore and defenseman Sam Rinzel won the game on this play. Lardis is No. 76 below.
Oliver Moore said Nick Lardis drew up this play during the break before OT.
— Ben Pope (@BenPopeCST) September 14, 2025
“Lardy said he’s done it like six times in Brantford, so I’m gonna trust the 70-goal scorer.”pic.twitter.com/5MQLAisnC9
71-goal scorer, mind you! Moore said Lardis suggested the play and it was a speedy play that fit his game. Moore scored the goal and Lardis earned the assist, so the latter was obviously the facilitator AND the brains behind the play!
Related – Chicago Blackhawks’ 2025 Preseason Guide
In Sunday’s contest against the Wild, Moore was given the night off, so the dynamic trio from the first contest was split up. But Lardis was still very noticeable, and he recorded another primary assist with this set up to Ryan Gagnier. He also sported the alternate captain “A” on his sweater, signifying him being one of the senior prospects and a leader among the young group.
Ryan Gagnier gives the Blackhawks a 2_1 lead. pic.twitter.com/voQ8jXPkRP
— CHGO Blackhawks (@CHGO_Blackhawks) September 14, 2025
After the second game Lardis said he was happy with the chances he got through the two contests, despite not scoring. He also played on the top power play unit throughout the weekend, so he had plenty of opportunities to showcase his talents. He mentioned the entire experience was a good stepping stone going into training camp.
Coach Nightingale High on Lardis
IceHogs’ new head coach Jared Nightingale oversaw the prospect camp and games, and he had good things to say about Lardis. But he did indicate the young forward obviously still has more to learn.
Yeah, had him a little bit in Rockford when I was there, at the end of the season. Super good kid. Obviously, his talents are through the roof, but it is an adjustment. You know, you’re playing against men, bigger D-men. But he’s going to be a great project for us. Obviously, we know that’s a process for younger forwards, but I’ve got a lot of high hopes for Nick.
I’m sure the coach speaks for the entire organization when he says they’re excited about this young forward. It sounds like Lardis is also taking the coaches messaging to heart. When asked about what he’s learning from them he said,
I think just compete. I think that’s a big thing they’ve (the coaches) talked about. And something I really want to keep consistent at is just the complete level, whether it’s in the D-zone, offensive zone, making sure I’m consistent at that, showing at the rookie camp and just continuing on to training camp.
It will be interesting to see how Lardis translates his performance when the official training camp gets underway next week, and hear what Blackhawk’s head coach Jeff Blashill has to say about him.
Predicting Lardis’s Path
Lardis would really have to shine to make the Blackhawks’ squad out of training camp. It’s pretty much a given he will start the year in Rockford. Either way, he seems to understand turning pro could be a transition; but he’s ready. On his goal-scoring spree from last season and taking it into this season he stated,
I don’t expect to score that many goals, I guess, this year. But yeah, I think I learned a lot, just different ways to score, different ways to get open for opportunities and chances. Especially if I do play pro this year. It’s going to be important for me to stay consistent with that and make sure I’m capitalizing on my chances when I do get them.
I love the “I guess” part of this statement, indicating Lardis still has plenty of confidence. He also addressed what he learned at rookie camp that he wants to take away from it.
Just kind of how to be a pro a little bit. It’s been a busy schedule and it’s been tough practices, just kind of knowing how to recover quickly for games like this, and making sure you’re doing the little details, whether that’s sleep or eating. Just being consistent at that, just kind of making sure you’re ready to go for these games. So, I’m just making sure I’m doing that throughout the whole year.
Even if Lardis starts the year with the IceHogs, I would expect him to get called up to the Blackhawks at some point during the season. Who knows, maybe he’ll take the Frank Nazar route and dominate in Rockford to force a call up to Chicago.
Nazar, if you recall, potted 11 goals and 24 points in 21 games with the IceHogs before being assigned to the Blackhawks in December of last year. From there he never looked back, ending the season on a roll with five goals and nine points in the last 10 games. This helped him secure a lucrative seven-year contract extension with a $6.59 million average annual value (AAV).
Nazar’s progression is also a good reminder that starting out in the AHL is not a bad thing. He himself indicated playing in Rockford was a very positive experience for him, and was good for his development.
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Lardis and his scoring prowess sure could look good on either Nazar’s or Connor Bedard’s right wing among the top-six forwards. But we get ahead of ourselves. His path will play out in due time. Whether it’s with the IceHogs or the Blackhawks, it’s clear Lardis is ready for the next step.
