How Mike Hardman developed into an NHL-caliber winger

Two years ago, winger Mike Hardman had just completed a stellar junior hockey season in Canada but had been snubbed in the NHL Entry Draft. As he prepared to enter Boston College, there were questions about how effective he could be in Hockey East.

In 2021, the 22-year-old is an NHL hockey player with the Chicago Blackhawks, having signed with the Original Six club after his sophomore season with the Eagles. Any of the doubts about his development and the path he took to get there are all but gone.

“I’ve always had great coaches growing up,” Hardman told New England Hockey Journal. “They always gave some pretty good guidelines about where to play and where to get exposure.”

The 6-foot-2, 205-pound native of Hanover, Mass., is unlike many of the players his age who make the jump straight to the NHL from the amateur ranks. He was not an early bloomer growing up playing for the Bay State Breakers and Providence Capitals in his minor hockey days. He spent two seasons at the Massachusetts high school level with Xaverian Brothers HS, then played two more of prep hockey at Winchendon.

“A lot of top guys in prep school are committed to Division 1,” he said. “I think it was the right move for me to go to a prep school where I was going to play. I think that’s the most important thing for younger kids. I mean, younger kids want to go to a school that might have a big name and stuff like that, but guys like me, I needed to go where I was going to play top-six minutes, 5-on-5, power play, penalty kill, all positions and play top minutes every night, and that’s how I got exposed to a lot of Division 1 schools.”

A junior hockey path from Iowa to British Columbia

A solid first season there was followed by a 54-point jump in 2016-17, leading to him being drafted by the Des Moines Buccaneers of the USHL, the nation’s top junior league.

“It was definitely tough for me,” he said of making the jump from prep to junior. “I never really left Boston growing up. I was always somewhere in New England playing hockey, and then I was 18 years old going to Iowa and not really knowing a single person on the team. I had to go out and make new friends and prove myself, and it was definitely an adjustment for me, and I had a good year playing with and against top players who were going on to college hockey.”

Hardman could have returned to Des Moines for a second season after committing to Union College. With a new coach coming in, he decided instead to leave the Midwest for British Columbia and the Tier 2 West Kelowna Warriors of the BCHL. Hardman’s game blossomed at that level, as he scored 39 goals and 72 points in just 58 games.

“It was definitely one of the best decisions of my life to go play (in the BCHL),” said Hardman. “I played first line and ended up putting up points and getting my confidence back. It was huge.”

Flying high with the Eagles

While in western Canada, Hardman saw another big change: He decommitted from Union right after Christmas 2018, eventually deciding to play for Boston College.

“Brendan Buckley saw him play in the BC junior league,” Eagles head coach Jerry York (Watertown, Mass.) said of the effort to bring Hardman into the fold. “There’s really something to the kid. He’s really getting better.”

York learned through his relationship with Hardman’s grandfather, former Boston University player and longtime Quincy High hockey coach Bob Sylvia, that his daughter’s son was a late bloomer with the desire to go far in the sport.

“Even at age 18, he wasn’t considered a prospect, but he just kept working at it,” York said of Hardman. “So, his work ethic is outstanding. He got stronger weightlifting and brought that competitive edge into the Hockey East arenas.”

In the end, a South Shore guy having the chance to stay much closer to home and play for the Eagles was too big an opportunity to pass up.

“I came in and they made me earn everything,” Hardman said of working his way up from the fourth line as a freshman to eventually skating with NHL first-rounders Matthew Boldy (Millis, Mass.) and Alex Newhook. “They gave me opportunities to succeed. I played fourth line, but when there were injuries, I was next man up, and I think that’s how my college career took off.”

A solid freshman campaign was disrupted at the end of the year by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. York said Hardman could have turned pro after that one season, but he made the right decision to come back. As a sophomore in 2020-21, Hardman got into 24 games for BC with 10 goals and 19 points, taking advantage of injuries to front-line players and filling the scoring void in their absence.

The NHL dream materializes

Hardman expected to finish his semester and prepare for his junior season, but the Chicago Blackhawks had other plans, offering him a two-year deal to surrender his final two years of eligibility to turn pro and make the jump directly to the NHL. Hardman faced a difficult decision. The dreams of capturing Beanpot, Hockey East and NCAA championships tugged at his heartstrings, but in the end, the pursuit of Lord Stanley won out.

“It was an opportunity I couldn’t turn down,” he said of the NHL offer. “It’s my dream job to play pro hockey where you’re getting paid to play what you love to do. It was a no-brainer for me, and the coaching staff and my (BC) teammates were really happy for me, so it was an awesome experience.”

After signing his pro contract, Hardman went on to play eight games, scoring his first NHL goal on May 4, 2021, on the road in Carolina when he converted the rebound of a Mackenzie Entwistle shot upstairs past goaltender Petr Mrazek to give his team a 2-0 lead.

“It was incredible,” he said of finishing the year with the Blackhawks. “I think the biggest thing is every day, you’re going to the rink and you’re just trying to get better. You have to be a sponge as a younger guy and pick up everything you can from players like Patrick Kane and Duncan Keith and guys you’ve been looking up to your whole life and watching on TV.”

While reaching the pinnacle of his young career has been a thrill, the toughest challenge for any pro who makes it to the highest level is staying there.

“Talking to the Blackhawks, I think they’re very pleased at what they saw in the six or seven games he was there at the end of the year,” York said. “He’s brought that same attitude to the NHL that he had with us. Great teammate, when that puck is in the corner, he’s most likely going to come out with it. His scoring touch is better, too. He can finish.”

With one year remaining on his entry-level contract signed last March, Hardman inked a two-year extension on a one-way NHL deal that will pay him $1.6 million ($800k AAV) from 2022-24. He’ll still have to put in the work in at Chicago. After the impression he made last spring, and if his past is any indication, he’s well on his way.

“I don’t know how we all overlooked him, but we did,” said York, referring to BC along with the many other area teams that could have recruited him early in the process. “Sometimes a player under the radar like Mike surprises everyone with the way he develops. We were surprised, too. So, we weren’t the only ones.”