Hashing It Out with Comets’ Forward, Mike Hardman
Dec 8, 2025Utica, NY – Last week, we ran into Comets’ second-year forward and fifth-year pro, Mike Hardman, and he was kind enough to share his story.
Hardman was raised in Hanover, MA, a town of about 15,000 people located 45 minutes south of Boston. Mike started skating when he was three years old and said his grandfather, who played at Boston University, sparked his love for hockey.
Like many Boston kids, Hardman was a passionate Bruins fan growing up and had the privilege of witnessing some great teams during his childhood, which included the 2010-11 team who won the Stanley Cup when Mike was 12 years old. Among the players he looked up to were Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand, and Zdeno Chara. He was also a fan of Milan Lucic whom he got to play against just a few weeks ago when the Comets faced the Springfield Thunderbirds.
Hardman had a positive and competitive youth hockey experience growing up. One of the highlights from his early hockey days was getting to play in the Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament, one of the most prestigious minor hockey tournaments in the world which has been around for nearly 70 years.
After two years at Xaverian Brothers High School in Westwood, MA, Hardman made a transition and would spend the next two years at The Winchendon School in Winchendon, MA. He said that going to prep school was a no-brainer as he was playing against Division I commits and some of the best players in New England every game which was crucial for his development at that point in his career.
In 2017, Hardman shipped out to Des Moines, IA where he would spend the 2017-18 season with the USHL’s Des Moines Buccaneers. Unfortunately, the coach who had recruited him was let go which left Mike with a decision to make the following season. When an enticing opportunity came about with the West Kelowna Warriors of the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL), he jumped at it and didn’t look back. In addition to having a standout season on the ice, with 39 goals and 72 points in 58 games, Hardman loved the city and his billet family, whom he keeps in touch with monthly.
Aside from watching the Bruins play at TD Garden as a kid, Hardman also attended several games between Hockey East rivals, Boston College (BC) and Boston University (BU). When he got the opportunity to play for BC and legendary Head Coach, Jerry York, it was a dream come true. Hardman played there from 2019-2021 and said one of his favorite memories was playing in the annual Beanpot Tournament. “That was really cool. Growing up, I went to pretty much every Beanpot. It was unfortunate that we lost to BU, but it was so much fun. The Garden was sold out. You couldn’t have scripted it up much better than that.”
Hardman said that leaving BC in 2021 after just two years was one of the hardest decisions of his life, but doing so allowed him to realize another lifelong dream, playing in the NHL. Mike made his NHL debut with the Chicago Blackhawks on April 27th, 2021. In just his fifth game, he scored his first career NHL goal. “We were in Carolina. It was a shot off (the goalie’s) pad, and luckily, I was there in front of the net to put it in. It was really cool for it to be right after I left BC and within my first few games.”
As hard as it was for him to leave school, getting to play in the NHL wasn’t a bad trade off and he was still able to get his degree from BC a couple years later. Hardman played eight games for the Blackhawks at the tail end of the 2020-21 season, 21 games the following season, and another eight games in 2022-23. He also spent some time with Chicago’s AHL affiliate, the Rockford IceHogs, before signing a two-year, two-way contract with the New Jersey Devils last July.
Now in his second season with the Comets, Hardman reflected on his time in Utica. “It’s been great. Being only 3.5 hours from where I grew up, my family comes a lot more than they did when I was in Rockford. I love the coaches and staff and have really enjoyed playing here.”
During the offseason, Mike enjoys being outside, preferably on a boat or on the golf course. He frequently visits friends in Cape Cod and his grandparents’ lake house in Bridgton, Maine.
Hardman and the Comets welcome the Syracuse Crunch to town this Wednesday at 7 p.m. For tickets, just visit uticacomets.com/tickets or call 315-790-9070.