Things were weird at the start of Nick Lardis’ professional career.
It began away from the United Center with his assignment to Rockford. He spent the first couple of months of the 2025-26 season playing in the AHL for the IceHogs.
Connor Bedard went down with a right shoulder injury Dec. 12, sidelining the Hawks star for 12 games. In response, the team called up Lardis for the first time.
He made the most of his initial NHL games, including a game-winning shootout goal against the Dallas Stars on Dec. 27. After his production slowed — caused mostly by a questionable fourth-line placement — he returned to Rockford.
On March 7, he was called up to the Hawks for good. In 41 NHL games, he totaled 15 points (10 goals, five assists) while averaging 12 minutes, 40 seconds on the ice.
“I learned a lot, not just on the ice, but also on how to be a pro off the ice,” Lardis said April 16. “There are a lot of great leaders here, and even in Rockford too, when I was down there.
“A big thing for me in my first pro year is learning. There are a lot of little details that (coach Jeff Blashill) wants me and the other guys to improve on. For this summer (it’s) my overall strength. I want to be a lot stronger and win more puck battles next year.”
Lardis looks to have taken those lessons to heart. As Year 2 begins, the 21-year-old wing is setting up for a potential breakout season.
He bulked up to 185 pounds — a 20-pound jump from his junior weigh-in and “just under” a 10-pound increase from the summer. His shot is stronger than ever and the confidence is aligned with it.
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“Coming to my second year of camp, you’re feeling a lot more comfortable with the guys, coaching staff, management (and) trainers,” Lardis said Friday. “It’s nice to come in here and have more confidence and swagger.
“What (Blashill) talked about is something I focused on throughout the summer, making sure I was consistently showing my speed. I feel like I didn’t do that enough last year and (I) want to make sure that I’m using and showing that on the ice.”
Blashill, entering his second year as the Hawks coach, has noticed the new Lardis.
“I’d say Lardis had a pretty good first couple days,” Blashill said. “He looks stronger, more confident (and is) scoring at a pretty good rate.”
The scoring transferred to the United Center on Monday, as Lardis sounded the horn in a preseason game against the Minnesota Wild.
In the first period, he continued a solo breakaway despite being tripped, showing off fancy stick moves before securing the goal. The Hawks won 4-3 in overtime with the help of Lardis and Bowen Byram’s hat trick.
“This summer, I wanted to take big strides with my speed, show that more consistently, put on some strength, win more battles and improve my two-way game,” Lardis said postgame. “If I could consistently improve on that every game, every practice, then hopefully those totals will go up.”
He should see an abundance of scoring chances in his presumed spot on the second line. Based on the last few practices, that line will have Anton Frondell centering Tyler Bertuzzi and Lardis.
If Lardis can keep up the early surge, he should stay among the top six forwards even after Bedard returns.
“Frondell’s a great centerman,” Lardis said. “He plays really good in the middle of the ice, good on the faceoff, really good in the offensive zone. Bertuzzi is a really good two-way player as well. I feel like he’s pretty underrated in the defensive zone.
Added Blashill: “I thought Frondell and Bertuzzi played really well together last year. Frondell has such efficient skill, but he also doesn’t overcomplicate the game. He plays a fairly direct style and so does (Bertuzzi), and then I thought with Nick, it gives them some added skill on that line and a guy who has the ability to finish.”
As the preseason concludes with games against the Blues on Thursday night in St. Louis and Saturday night at the United Center, Lardis will take one more important lesson into his second pro season.
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“Making sure I’m not cheating for offense,” Lardis said. “I’ve done a pretty good job at that, so (I) want to continue that into this year.”