Although Calum Ritchie may take most of the spotlight in the Town of Oakville for being a first-round pick in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft, his former teammate and longtime friend Nick Lardis achieved the same dream a day later once he was drafted in the third round by the Chicago Blackhawks.
"When it happened, I didn't even know what to think." Said Lardis about hearing his name called.
"Walking down the stage, I just thought, 'Is this really happening.'"
A pretty normal reaction for someone who just had their life change in the blink of an eye. Being drafted by Chicago was extra special for Lardis as he grew up a Blackhawks fan.
But leading up to that euphoric moment was a lot of waiting.
Lardis was in attendance for the draft's first round, sat through all 32 picks, and did not hear his name called.
Although that first day was disappointing, what was more critical to Lardis and his family was indulging in the once-in-a-lifetime NHL Draft experience.
"I wanted to be drafted in the first round of the NHL draft. But after talking with my family and my agent, I think it was more important for me to soak it all in and enjoy a couple of days."
Lardis showed up to the draft the next day, preparing to be picked.
Many scouts and analysts predicted that he would be picked in the draft's second round.
But mock drafts always don't tell the whole story, and he slipped into the third round.
Shortly after the third round started, the Chicago Blackhawks selected Lardis, and he walked down the stairs to the draft floor and received his jersey from Blackhawks management.
Chicago had been interested in Lardis for a long time.
Lardis had multiple meetings with Blackhawks scouts and management during the season. He had a big meeting with the organization at the NHL combine, where he also met Chicago General Manager Kyle Davidson.
"I knew going into the draft that they had some interest and that [could be a potential] landing spot."
But the party didn't stop there for Lardis; after being drafted, he was flown to Chicago for development camp and joined the rest of Chicago's young prospects.
The players did not go on the ice during camp but had many team bonding activities and worked in the Blackhawks gym.
They went to a Chicago Cubs baseball game, and Lardis and the rest of the prospects went out onto the field and stood on the pitcher's mound behind Blackhawks rookie sensation Connor Bedard as he threw the ceremonial first pitch.
All rookies participated in a spike ball tournament at the Blackhawks facility on the final day of development camp.
The players split into four teams, and Lardis' team won the tournament and took home a first-place trophy.
Lardis is now in his off-season and preparing daily for Blackhawks training camp and his season in the OHL with the Brantford Bulldogs.
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