The Chicago Blackhawks reassigned forward Matthew Highmore to the Rockford IceHogs of the AHL on Tuesday, the team announced.
The move clears a spot for Dylan Sikura, who signed a two-year entry-level contract with Chicago on Sunday after his senior season at Northeastern. Sikura, a 2014 sixth-round pick, scored 20 goals along with 32 assists while leading the nation with 13 power-play goals during his senior season.
Highmore scored two goals with 27 shots on net and averaged 12:04 on ice time in 13 games for Chicago. He was recalled Feb. 26, one day before his 22nd birthday, and made his NHL in Chicago’s 7-2 loss to San Jose on March 1. He scored his first NHL goal in the Hawks’ 7-4 loss to Boston on March 10.
Highmore scored 35 points (21 goals, 14 assists) in 56 AHL games with Rockford to start the season. He was selected to the AHL All-Star Classic in January and later became Rockford’s first skater to score more than 20 goals in his rookie season since the IceHogs started their affiliation with Chicago.