NEHJ catches up with Chicago Blackhawks left wing Mike Hardman out of Boston College.
You played two seasons (2019-21) at Boston College. What were your expectations going in and how do they compare to the reality of playing for the Eagles?
“Going into school, I didn’t know what it was going to be like and I had no idea where I was going to fit in the lineup, so I went in and tried to be a hard worker off the bat. I started off on the fourth line in my first game, and it was a really fast game with guys who were older and stronger. I continued to work as hard as I could, and later on a few guys got injured and I moved up in the lineup. By the second half of the year, I started playing with Alex Newhook and Matt Boldy (Millis, Mass.). In the offseason, I trained really hard to get quicker and also stronger. Going into my second year at BC, I knew what the pace was going to be like after playing a full year of college hockey, so it was a lot easier going into that summer and knowing what I had to do to have a good sophomore year.”
