Towards the end of his rookie season in 2017-18, Highmore appeared poised to break onto the scene when camp opened later that Fall. He appeared in his first 13 games for the Blackhawks in March 2018, finding the net twice before re-joining the IceHogs ahead of a Calder Cup playoff run. He led the team with nine points in 13 games before being ousted in the Conference Finals by the Texas Stars, whose parent club visits the United Center on Tuesday night.
But Highmore's sophomore season went far from according to plan.
He led Rockford, still coached by Jeremy Colliton at the time, with seven points (3G, 4A) in the first eight games out of the gate in 2018-19 before requiring shoulder surgery that sidelined him for over five months. He would recover just in time to finish the year, getting his feet wet with four games in April before the season's end.
"It was tough. I thought that, not only myself, but our team in Rockford got off to a really good start, so I wanted to be part of that," Highmore said. "It's tough, you never want to go through injuries but it is part of the game and you just have to roll with the punches and you've got to go with it."
"I thought he was playing really well last year," Colliton said Monday. "He had an excellent rookie season and an excellent start, so really tough timing for him because I think he was totally on the right path to at least challenge for a full-time spot."