Blackhawks recall Nick Lardis, Drew Commesso from Rockford; IceHogs recall Owen Flores

The Chicago Blackhawks recalled 20-year-old forward Nick Lardis and 23-year-old goaltender Drew Commesso from the AHL’s Rockford IceHogs, the teams announced March 7, 2026, with both players expected to join the club ahead of a road game in Dallas. Commesso’s return was classified as an emergency recall after Spencer Knight was listed unavailable due to illness.

Lardis arrives in Chicago after a split season between the NHL and AHL. In 35 games with Rockford this season he compiled 18 goals and 14 assists for 32 points and fired 100 shots on goal, ranking third among AHL rookies and leading the IceHogs with 18 goals while his 32 points sit fourth on the club. His earlier NHL stint this season lasted 21 games, during which he recorded five goals and two assists and averaged 12:39 of ice time per game; he made his NHL debut on Dec. 13 against Detroit and scored his first NHL goal on Dec. 20 in Ottawa. This is Lardis’ second recall of the season; his first stay with Chicago lasted nearly six weeks.

Commesso’s recall is grounded in his NHL track record this season and Rockford workload. With Chicago he has appeared in two NHL games, posting a 1-1-0 record, a .917 save percentage, a 2.50 goals-against average and one shutout, the first NHL victory and shutout coming Jan. 10 in Nashville when he stopped 36 of 36 shots. At Rockford this season Commesso has worked in 28 games, going 9-16-3 with a .899 save percentage, a 3.07 GAA and one shutout. Yardbarker projected Commesso will likely dress as the backup to Arvid Soderblom while Knight is out, and ProHockeyRumors noted the emergency nature of the recall means Commesso’s promotion will not count against Chicago’s post-deadline regular recall limit.

Rockford filled its own netminder hole by recalling 21-year-old Owen Flores from the Indy Fuel of the ECHL. The IceHogs’ announcement lists Flores as having skated in four games during his rookie campaign with Rockford, posting a .916 save percentage and a 2.23 GAA, and owning a 9-8-4 record with three shutouts with Indy Fuel.

The roster mechanics matter: ProHockeyRumors emphasized that while Commesso’s emergency recall does not count against Chicago’s post-deadline regular recall limit, the promotion of Lardis will count toward that limit of up to five regular recalls this season unless another injury or illness changes the picture. Fans and readers on ProHockeyRumors immediately weighed in, offering opinions such as “Lardis probably stays up the rest of the season then returns to Rockford for the AHL playoffs” and urging the young forward to shoot more, while ChicagoHockeyNow’s social coverage greeted Lardis with “helloooooo Nick Lardis!👋”.

The immediate questions are procedural and strategic: who will start in goal for Chicago once the club announces the lineup in Dallas, and whether Lardis sticks with the NHL roster beyond this recall window. The Blackhawks and IceHogs moves set up those answers; game-day roster decisions and any update on Spencer Knight’s availability will determine how long this recall window remains open.