Playing career
Highmore was drafted eighth overall by the Saint John Sea Dogs of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) in the 2012 QMJHL Entry Draft. [1] He was awarded alternate captain during the 2014–15 QMJHL season. [2]
Despite his success as an alternate captain in the QMJHL, Highmore was passed over at the NHL Entry Draft twice, the second time being in his last year of eligibility. However, in his last year with the Saint John Sea Dogs, where he led Saint John in assists and points, the Chicago Blackhawks chose to sign him to a three-year NHL contract in March 2017 as an undrafted player. [3] [4] In his last year with the Sea Dogs, he was the only player who earned a professional hockey contract without being drafted. [5] At the end of the 2016–17 season, Highmore was named Sea Dogs MVP and was awarded the Pepsi Top Scorer Award for the second year in a row, after netting 34 goals and 89 total points. [6]
Highmore started the 2017–18 season with the Blackhawks American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Rockford IceHogs. He recorded his first professional hat trick against the Iowa Wild on December 27, 2017. [7] After leading his team in points, Highmore was selected to participate in the 2018 AHL All-Star Classic along with teammate Carl Dahlström. [8] On February 24, 2018, Highmore became the first Rockford rookie to score more than 20 goals in their rookie season since Rockford joined the Blackhawks organization in 2007. [9] Highmore was called up to the NHL for the first time on February 26, 2018. [9] He made his NHL debut on March 1, 2018, in a 7–2 loss to the San Jose Sharks. [10] He had two shots on net in under 13 minutes of ice time. [11] Highmore recorded his first NHL goal in a 4–7 loss to the Boston Bruins on March 10, 2018. [12] He was reassigned to the AHL on March 27, 2018, after playing in 13 games and recording 2 points. [13] On April 13, 2018, Highmore was named the IceHogs Rookie of the Year after he was tied for the team lead with 42 points and ranked fourth among rookies in the league in goals. [14] During the last regular season game before the 2018 Calder Cup playoffs, Highmore set a new IceHogs rookie goal record with his 24th goal of the season. [15]
While attending the Blackhawks training camp prior to the 2018–19 season, Highmore was reassigned to the IceHogs on September 26, 2018, to begin the season in the AHL. [16] He was later named an alternate captain for the IceHogs prior to the 2018-19 season. [17] On November 13, Highmore underwent surgery to repair his right shoulder and he was expected to need four to six months to recover. [18] After rehabilitating, Highmore spent the summer training in Halifax with other NHL and AHL players. [19]
Highmore attended the Blackhawks training camp prior to the 2019–20 season but was reassigned to the IceHogs. [20] He was subsequently named an alternate captain alongside Jacob Nilsson and Tyler Sikura. [21] After recording four goals and six assists in 17 games, Highmore was recalled to the NHL on November 26. [22] Highmore recorded 3 goals and 1 assist during the Blackhawks' play-in and playoff run during the 2019–20 NHL playoff bubble. However, in the 2020–21 season Highmore was limited to just 24 games. [23]
On April 12, 2021, Highmore was traded from the Blackhawks to the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for Adam Gaudette. [24] He played his first game for the Canucks on April 20. [25] He scored his first goal for the Canucks in a 4–1 loss to the Calgary Flames on May 14, 2021. [26] On May 15 he scored two goals in a 4–1 victory over the Edmonton Oilers. [27] During the 2021–22 season Highmore played in 46 games, registering five goals and 12 points. [28] Following the season Highmore was a restricted free agent, but the Canucks declined to give him a qualifying offer, letting him become an unrestricted free agent. [29]
The St. Louis Blues signed Highmore to a one-year, two-way contract on July 14, 2022. [28] Highmore began the season with the Blues' AHL affiliate, the Springfield Falcons. In January 2023, on the basis of his excellent play with Springfield, Highmore was named to the 2023 AHL All-Star Game. [30] He was leading the team in scoring when he was recalled by the Blues on February 18, 2023. [31] He played his first game with the Blues against the Ottawa Senators on February 19. [32] He played in one more game before he was returned to Springfield on February 23. [33]
As a free agent, Highmore was signed to a one-year, two-way contract with the Ottawa Senators on July 1, 2023. [34] Highmore attended the Senators training camp, but failed to make the team. He was placed on waivers on October 2, 2023 [35] and after going unclaimed, was assigned to Ottawa's AHL affiliate, the Belleville Senators. [36] He was recalled by Ottawa on November 9 and made his Ottawa debut on November 9, 2023 versus Vancouver. [37] He appeared in six games, registering one point, before being returned to the AHL on December 3. [38] He was recalled again on March 6, 2024. He had nine goals and 29 points in 40 games with Belleville. [39] He played in the following game versus the Anaheim Ducks, registering an assist on the team's first goal. [40] However, Highmore suffered an injury after being checked by Ross Johnston and left the game early. [41] He missed the next two games and was placed on injured reserve with an upper body injury by Ottawa on March 11. [42] On April 14, he was activated off injured reserve and sent to Belleville. [43] Highmore subsequently signed a one-year, two-way extension with Ottawa on June 27, 2024. [44]
