Chicago Blackhawks
Blackhawks Forward Prospect Named AHL Rookie of the Month
From Connor Bedard and Frank Nazar in the NHL to Anton Frondell and Roman Kantserov overseas, the Chicago Blackhawks have several young players finding success while playing professional hockey this season. That’s also the case down in the AHL with the Rockford IceHogs, as evident by 2023 first-round pick Oliver Moore already getting recalled to the NHL on Monday.
Moore got off to a swift start to his AHL career, as he picked up nine points in his opening nine games before getting promoted to the big leagues. But Moore isn’t the only first-year player who’s been thriving with the IceHogs early this season.
Another member of the Blackhawks’ 2023 draft class, Nick Lardis, was named the AHL Rookie of the Month on Tuesday. Lardis, a third-round selection (No. 67 overall), recorded four goals and eight assists for 12 points in eight games during October, his first month as a professional. The 5-foot-11 winger also posted a plus-11 rating.
Lardis is coming off a jaw-dropping final year of junior hockey in the Ontario Hockey League with the Brantford Bulldogs, where he became the first player since John Tavares in 2006-07 to record 70 goals in a single season. He was also only the 13th player in league history to accomplish the feat, joining a prestigious list that includes Wayne Gretzky, Doug Gilmour, Dino Ciccarelli, and Eric Lindros. Lardis finished with 71 tallies and added 46 assists for 117 points in 65 regular-season games.
But with a smaller 5-foot-11 frame, there were some questions about whether Lardis’ elite goal-scoring prowess and offensive abilities would translate over to the next level against grown men. He’s answered that with a resounding statement through his first ten AHL contests, as his 13 points (5G, 8A) are just one shy of the overall AHL scoring lead. Lardis is first in the league in points among all rookies.
After failing to earn a point or even a single shot on goal in his AHL debut, Lardis has been a consistent threat offensively seemingly every night since. He scored his first pro goal on Oct. 18 against the Chicago Wolves in his fourth game and then responded with an even better showing the following evening. Lardis tallied another goal and picked up three assists for four points, which earned him AHL Player of the Week honors after a seven-point weekend. Lardis also closed out the month in style, recording his first multi-goal game on Oct. 28. He ended October with more multi-point performances than scoreless nights.
While the offense and point totals are what’s grabbing all the attention, Lardis also was credited by IceHogs head coach Jared Nightingale for making strides in his defensive game. Nightingale said he was impressed with the 20-year-old forward immediately picking up the team’s defensive habits and systems in his first year of pro hockey.
“Before he starting putting points up, his play away from the puck, defensively… his care and hockey IQ are what got his game going in the first five games,” Nightingale said after Lardis was named AHL Player of the Week. “For his youth and inexperience at the pro level.. it was impressive.”
Lardis and the IceHogs return to play against the Milwaukee Admirals at the BMO Center on Saturday night. The IceHogs are 6-4-0-0 through their opening ten games and currently sit in second place in the AHL’s Central Division.
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