Chasing NHL dream, Highmore excited for debut

Patrick Kane walked towards his stall following practice and spotted the usual crowd of reporters.
"You guys all here for me?"
The throng gestured to the space for Kane's new neighbor in the MB Ice Arena locker room: #36 Matthew Highmore.

At least for a day, all eyes were on the newest member of the Chicago Blackhawks, who skated with the team on Wednesday and is slated to make his NHL debut Thursday against the San Jose Sharks.
"It's an honor to be here and I'm excited," Highmore said. "A little bit anxious, but it's going to be a lot of fun."
The 22-year-old forward's last appearance with Chicago came during the preseason. Back then, Highmore was fresh from the Saint John Sea Dogs of the QMJHL and an undrafted free agent just looking for a shot.
He got it with the Rockford IceHogs in the American Hockey League, where first-year head coach Jeremy Colliton gave him an opportunity to showcase his ability. All he did was lead the IceHogs in goals (21), points (35) and games played (56) this season.
Again, NHL teams had 422 picks to select Highmore over two drafts. The call never came.
"You have to look at it as a motivating factor," Highmore said. "Obviously, it's tough for a couple days, a week, maybe a week or two, but at some point you have to dig deep and figure out what you want. You have to chase it."
Until draft day, Highmore's NHL aspirations seemed to be on schedule. He was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and played his youth hockey in Dartmouth, the same town where Sidney Crosby blazed a trail to the NHL just a few years earlier.
"I was three when I started skating, so I probably had a stick in my hand right away on our backyard pond," he said. "That was something I used to do with both my grandfathers and my Dad as well."
Rising up the youth hockey ranks, Highmore arrived in the QMJHL at 16, where he joined a Sea Dogs teams loaded with NHL talent.
Jonathan Huberdeau, the third overall pick in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft, had already made a few preseason appearances for the Florida Panthers when he teamed up with Highmore during his rookie season in Saint John.
"He was nothing but a great guy and great leader," Highmore said. "He was only there for half the year because it was during the lockout. But he definitely rubbed off on me and gave as much advice as possible."
Highmore was named alternate captain of the Sea Dogs as an 18-year old. In 2017, he finished sixth in the QMJHL in scoring - ahead of Nico Hischier, the first overall pick in the 2017 NHL Draft - while leading Saint John to a President's Cup championship.
Highmore signed with the Blackhawks last March, providing the team with minor league depth after Chicago dealt three prospects at the deadline.
Highmore's arrival in Rockford coincided with that of Colliton, a 33-year-old former NHL player who found success as a head coach in Sweden.
Colliton has enjoyed a front row seat to Highmore's emergence in the AHL.
"He's really been willing to get to the areas where it's hard, but that's where the goals are," Colliton said. "Very responsible, two-way approach, a guy who we can count on in key situations. The surprise for me has been how much he's been able to deliver offensively."
Case in point: Highmore's record-breaking performance against the Hershey Bears on Saturday night.
Sitting on the IceHogs rookie-scoring record, Highmore camped out in the crease next to Bears goalie Vítek Vaněček. A stick save on John Hayden's shot should have ended the Rockford threat, but Highmore stole the puck from Vaněček and flipped it home for his 21st goal of the season.
It was a classic Matthew Highmore goal, according to the scouting report provided by Blackhawks prospect Nathan Noel, teammates with Highmore in Saint John and Rockford.
"His game translates well to the pro-style because he goes to the net and scores goals in the dirty areas," Noel said. "There's not much open ice out there, so you've got to work for all your opportunities. That's how he played in junior and he's doing that here."
Whether Highmore can maintain that production at the NHL level is a question the Blackhawks now find themselves in a position to answer.
He certainly looked the part at practice on Wednesday, skating on the same line as Nick Schmaltz and Alex DeBrincat, reflective of the chance he has to be part of a youth movement in Chicago, already in progress.
"Good work habits and plays the game right way," Blackhawks Head Coach Joel Quenneville said. "One of those players that, at some point, you knew he was going to get a chance."
"There's nothing but great guys in this room who have welcomed me with open arms," Highmore said. "Just have fun, realize that it's the same game. Just come play."