Blackhawks Prospect Smashing Expectations in OHL

In his third OHL season, it's all clicked for Lardis. He's gone from a talented player, to a dominant one. He's the biggest scoring threat on each shift he takes, and he's led the Brantford Bulldogs to a first place finish in the Eastern Conference. Through 61 games he's up to 70 goals, 43 assists, and 113 points, ranking second in the OHL in scoring. He trails only top 2025 NHL Draft prospect, Michael Misa.

The breakthrough is huge for Lardis and the Blackhawks. Going into his draft year, a knock on him was his inconsistencies. His goal scoring has been noted for the past few years, but some scouts doubted his ability to translate that to the NHL.

Scoring over a goal per game as a 19 year old has erased some of those doubts, but more importantly it's put him on a legitimate NHL path. The Hawks are searching for players to add to their core, and Lardis' steady improvement is giving him and the organization hope that he can help fill that void. With a playoff run ahead for Lardis and the Bulldogs, he's hoping to continue smashing expectations and climbing the ranks of the Chicago organization.