Matthew Highmore will return to action for the Rockford IceHogs on Tuesday against the San Antonio Rampage after missing five months with a right shoulder injury that required surgery.
Highmore, who hasn’t played since Oct. 28, has spent the past month and half working out with the team and practicing after he was cleared for contact. He was leading the IceHogs in scoring with three goals and seven points in eight games before missing seven games with the injury then undergoing surgery Nov. 16.
The 5-foot-11, 181-pound left winger scored two goals for the Blackhawks last season in 13 games. He played majority of his season with the IceHogs, finishing second in scoring on the team with 43 points (24 goals, 19 assists) in 64 regular-season games before adding nine points (two goals, seven assists) in 13 Calder Cup playoff games.
The IceHogs are three points out of the fourth and final playoff spot in the Central Division with six games remaining. They’re last in the AHL in goals per game (2.40), and will see a boost from offensive players like Highmore and Dylan Sikura. The Blackhawks re-assigned Sikura to the IceHogs on Tuesday morning. He has 13 goals and 30 points in 40 AHL games this season.