Brahmas land Lardner
Published on April 25, 2006 under Central Hockey League (CHL)
Fort Worth Brahmas News Release
Fort Worth - The Fort Worth Brahmas added a significant name to their 2006-2007 roster on Tuesday morning with the signing of veteran forward Tab Lardner to a Central Hockey League contract.
Lardner's CHL playing rights were acquired last week by the Brahmas from the Wichita Thunder to complete a trade originally made on February 13, 2006 that sent defenseman Andrew Nahirniak to Wichita in exchange for left wing Chris Bain.
By agreeing to contract terms and committing to the Brahmas, Lardner joins defensemen Konrad Brand, Ryan Fairbarn, and Vladimir Hartinger as players that have signed contracts to wear a Brahmas uniform during the team's 2006-2007 campaign.
Lardner, 5'11", 175, has five seasons of CHL playing experience under his belt. He played his first three professional seasons (2001-2004) with the Austin Ice Bats. During his stint with Austin, he proved to be one of the Bats most valuable players, totaling 129 points (41G/68A) in 192 regular season games as an Ice Bats skater. He was also an instrumental player for the Ice Bats during their postseason runs of 2002 and 2003. In the 2002 CHL President's Cup playoffs, he scored 6 goals and assisted on 2 more to help the Ice Bats win the CHL Southern Conference championship and advance all the way to the 2002 CHL President's Cup Finals against Memphis. Then, in the spring of 2003, he tallied 5 goals and 2 assists to pace the Bats to another Southern Conference crown and help them get back to 2003 CHL President's Cup Finals versus Memphis.
In the summer of 2004, Lardner moved on to join the Topeka Tarantulas organization. His productivity continued for the expansion Tarantulas, as he totaled 23 goals and 21 assists in 60 games for Topeka to finish as the team's third leading scorer.
After the Tarantulas folded in the spring of 2005, Lardner originally signed to play the 2005-2006 season with the Colorado Eagles. Before last season began, the talent-rich Eagles traded Lardner to Wichita for future considerations. He made the most of his one season with the Thunder, recording career highs in goals (25), assists (30), points (55) and penalty minutes (128). His 25 goals were the fourth most on the team and his 55 points were the sixth highest total on the Thunder roster. Three of his goals for Wichita came on the powerplay, two were scored shorthanded, and five counted as game winners. He had one hat trick last season, potting three goals in Wichita's 7-5 win at Amarillo. Lardner also played in all six of the Thunder's 2006 CHL President's Cup playoff games (a five game, first-round series loss to Bossier-Shreveport).
One reason that Lardner has put up impressive scoring numbers during his time in the CHL is his durability. He has never missed a game in his professional career, playing in 316 straight regular season contests through the end of the 2005-2006 season.
Lardner, a native of Edmonton, Alberta, prepared for his professional career with four seasons of collegiate hockey (1997-2001) at Michigan Tech University (NCAA Division I-WCHA) in Houghton, Michigan. He played in 141 regular season games during his collegiate career for the Huskies, scoring 21 goals and helping out on 34 more. During his freshman season of 1997-1998, he led all Michigan Tech first-year players with 18 points (7G/11A).
Mike Barack, the Brahmas General Manager, believes the signing of Lardner is a very important transaction.
"Tab Lardner is a proven commodity in the CHL. He is a versatile forward who can score goals and contribute in any situation, even-strength or special teams. Additionally, he has played on winning teams in the past and developed what I believe are very valuable leadership skills. Tab is going to be one of our primary players during the 2006-2007 season," Barack stated.
Lardner joins Hartinger as a veteran player (a player with more than 260 professional games played) for the Brahmas next year. CHL roster rules state that each member club may have only four veterans on their active roster at any one time.
The Brahmas will open their tenth season in franchise history and their sixth in the CHL in late October of 2006. Season tickets for the club's 2006-2007 season are on sale now. For additional information, please contact Jeff Bowerman, the Brahmas' Vice President of Communications, at (817) 336-4423.
Central Hockey League Stories from April 25, 2006
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- Brahmas land Lardner - Fort Worth Brahmas
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