The Chicago Blackhawks had some really nice moments from Matthew Highmore.
Of course, the Chicago Blackhawks saw their legendary veterans play well in the bubble. Especially against the Edmonton Oilers, you got exactly what you needed from Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, Duncan Keith, and Corey Crawford. Depth is the key to winning so the Hawks needed some of their young guys to step up as well and they did. The usual suspects like Dominik Kubalik and Kirby Dach played well but Matthew Highmore was also one of the more unsung heroes of the whole thing.
Undrafted
Highmore wasn’t drafted to the NHL so you know that he had to work extra hard to make it where he is today. He came from the Saint John Sea Dogs of the OMJHL. He was a good player there in junior but not successful enough to get drafted. He did manage to sign a pro contract and was pretty good for the Rockford Ice Hogs in 2017-18 where he scored 24 goals and had 19 assists for 43 points in 64 games. Not bad for the undrafted kid.
2019-20 regular season and bubble
Highmore is a depth piece, make no mistake about it. He isn’t someone who is going to bloom into this star player or anything but at 24 years old, it is fair to assume you can get more of the same from him for a long time and that is a guy who is ready to play and work hard whenever you need him. He might be a scratch and he might play based on the circumstances but he will always be ready.
In 36 games played this season, he only had two goals and four assists for six points in 36 games. That isn’t a production level that is going to keep you in the lineup a whole lot but it also depends what else you bring to the table. He was extremely useful in the playoff bubble as he had three goals and one assist for four points in the Hawks’ nine games. Kids like this who work hard tend to prove themselves come playoff time and that is what Highmore did.
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Future
Highmore may or may not be a guy that can be on a good team’s fourth line. Corey Crawford had some nice words of endorsement during their time in Edmonton which speaks about his character but it is hard to predict his future. He had a good showing in these playoffs so that might earn him a chance to be a regular in the lineup once next season rolls around.
He is signed through the 2021-22 season and could be back and forth between Chicago and Rockford. He might not be a guy to stick around by the time this team is really ready to compete again but he deserves the opportunity to show his stuff going forward after what he did in these playoffs. If anything, he is an easy kid to root for but we will see how his career shakes out.