The Chicago Blackhawks have lots of good young players. That doesn’t mean just at the NHL or AHL level either. Prospects are dominating all over the world. This week, Nick Lardis has been the big story once again. He has been one of the best snipers in hockey the season across the many leagues.
Over the weekend, Lardis took his goal-scoring to another level. Playing for the Brantford Bulldogs OHL on Sunday, Lardis had a four-goal game against the Sudbury Wolves. He also added an assist to make it a five-point night for himself in their 9-3 victory.
Now, Lardis is up to 48 goals in 47 games played. To say he’s having an enchanted season would be an understatement. He is not the first player that comes to mind when you think of Chicago’s farm system but maybe he should be. Lardis is one of the best non-NHL snipers going right now and it shouldn’t be long before he gets his chance.
The Blackhawks selected Lardis in the third round (67th overall) of the 2023 NHL Draft. He has been developing his ability to snipe ever since that moment and this four-goal game game is the latest example of that. It’s easy to picture him scoring goals in the NHL with guys like Connor Bedard and Frank Nazar setting him up.
Chicago’s prospect excitement in this Bulldogs game didn’t end with Lardis either. 2024 first-round (27th overall) pick Marek Vanacker scored two goals for Brantford in the game as well.
Vanacker had a late start to the season because of shoulder surgery so his offensive production has been taking a minute to get going but this was a step in the right direction. He put up big numbers in previous years which is why he was a first-round pick and performances like this one are examples of what he’s capable of.
Things aren’t going well at the NHL level mostly due to underperforming veterans who have been around the league but the farm has been doing even better than expected this year.
Nick Lardis looks like a kid who may be able to translate that scoring touch to pro hockey and he’s close to being ready for that transition. Vanacker has a long way to go as he continues to get back to 100 percent but the good signs are there.
Lardis, Vanacker, and the Bulldogs play next on Wednesday when they have a rematch against those same Sudbury Wolves. Only this time, it will be back in Brantford. We’ll see how they follow up this big performance. Sudbury is sure to come out swinging after being embarrassed on Sunday.
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