Chicago Prospect Nick Lardis First OHL Player To Score 70 Goals In A Season Since John Tavares
Nick Lardis #16 (Credit: OHL Images)There it is: The Ontario Hockey League proudly celebrates its first 70-goal scorer in a single season in almost 20 years.
Brantford Bulldogs forward, and Chicago Blackhawks prospect, Nick Lardis scored twice Saturday night in the Bulldogs' slaughter victory, 11-3, over the Saginaw Spirit.
Lardis' goal in the second period to hit the 70-mark is the first time an OHL player has achieved this incredible milestone since John Tavares did so in the 2006-07 season with the Oshawa Generals.
Here's a crazy fact: Tavares' 72-goal, 134 point-season in 2006-07 was accomplished when he was just 16 years old. Tavares scored 45 goals and 32 assists for 77 points in his rookie season, the year prior as a 15-year-old, after he was granted exceptional status into the OHL.
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Lardis is the eighth OHL player in history to score 70 goals in a season. The last player to come closest to it was Alex DeBrincat with 65 goals with the Erie Otters in 2016-17.
Blackhawks prospect Lardis is two goals away from tying Arthur Kaliyev for most goals in Bulldogs' history.
Keep in mind that Lardis started his OHL career in Peterborough and was traded to the Bulldogs during the 2022-23 season. And he only played 37 games last season due to an injury.
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Brantford Bulldogs' captain Patrick Thomas had three assists in their win over Saginaw and made franchise history in the process.
Thomas, a Washington Capitals prospect, became the all-time franchise points leader with his assist on Lardis' first goal of the night, surpassing Kaliyev. His two other helpers on the night brought him up to 251 points in his OHL career and eclipsing the 100-point mark this season.
Thomas is now the Brantford franchise leader in points, assists, and assists in a single season (76 and counting).
During the middle part of the regular season, the talk in the East was about the Oshawa Generals and Barrie Colts and those two teams being the top dogs. Brantford has found something with their play lately, leading the East with 83 points.
The Bulldogs' powerplay is the best in the OHL (29.3%) and it shows with the chemistry between Lardis, Thomas, and top NHL draft-eligible prospect Jake O'Brien, who scored a hat trick and five points in Saturday's win.
