Matthew Highmore was, unsurprisingly, among the Blackhawks’ training camp roster cuts last weekend.
But the 23-year-old center can’t be bothered by anything right now.
“I’m finally healthy,” he said, relieved. “It’s been a long road to recovery, and my body feels really good, and that’s the first step to getting better. I’m starting to make progress on the ice, too, which is really encouraging.”
Highmore missed all but the first eight and final four games of the 2018-19 AHL season thanks to an injury to his right shoulder that required surgery and rehab. It ruined his chance to take another step after a breakout rookie season in which he scored 43 points in 64 games for the Rockford IceHogs and made 13 NHL appearances.
That was back when Hawks coach Jeremy Colliton was coaching in Rockford, and the two developed a strong rapport — so much so that Mark Bernard, who oversees the Hawks’ minor-league affiliates, cited Highmore’s development as one of the success stories that general manager Stan Bowman looked at when deciding to bring Colliton to Chicago.
“Highmore is a good example,” Bernard said. “Coming out of juniors, he made exceptional steps throughout the year.”
Highmore’s six-month ordeal last winter wasn’t his first long rehab. Seven years ago, he missed five months during the season, and the mental routine and social support system he developed then proved usable again.
“I kind of knew what to expect,” he said. “This was a little bit more major and tougher to come back from, but I just had to be patient, and I’m finally to a point where I can just play the game.”
This summer, the Halifax native trained with a group of fellow Nova Scotian NHL players, including Sidney Crosby, Brad Marchand and Nathan MacKinnon. In terms of reacclimating to the speed and skill level of professional hockey, he couldn’t possibly have found more difficult competition.
“That [training] was huge for me, just to try to get my game back to where I needed it to be,” Highmore said. “You can’t simulate a game, but 3-on-3 games across the ice are as close to a game as you can get, and we did a lot of that, so that really contributed to feeling better on the ice.”
He’ll start the season in the AHL, as was somewhat inevitable, but likely will see some NHL time later on in the season.
And there’s a good chance that, once he’s settled back into a daily rhythm, that NHL time will go well. In Highmore’s 13 games two seasons ago, the Hawks had 51.8 percent of the shot attempts and 53.3 percent of the scoring chances when he was on the ice.
The Hawks boast solid depth at center already, and drafting Kirby Dach third overall in June bumped Highmore one big spot down the prospect pecking order. Nonetheless, he’s not a name to be forgotten.