Oliver Moore’s AHL dominance made Blackhawks find NHL spot for him

SEATTLE — When the Blackhawks sent highly touted forward prospect Oliver Moore to Rockford of the AHL to start the season, general manager Kyle Davidson gave him a message: ‘‘Make us make a spot for you.’’

Moore did just that during the course of nine AHL games, notching six goals and three assists. His line with fellow rookie Nick Lardis and veteran Brett Seney was probably the most dangerous anywhere in the league in October.

Moore was called up by the Hawks on Sunday and made his NHL season debut Monday against the Kraken, building on the experience he gained by playing in the last nine games of last season.

‘‘One of the positives when you get sent down is you have an opportunity to really gain confidence,’’ head coach Jeff Blashill said. ‘‘He has gone down there and played well, so I think he comes back at a point where his confidence is really high. That’s good. Hopefully he can just add to our forward depth and make an impact with his tenacity, his speed and his overall compete [level].’’

Moore, 20, was lacing up his skates before the IceHogs’ matinee Sunday against Grand Rapids when he got the news. He promptly hopped on a flight to Seattle, then laced up again for the Hawks’ morning skate Monday.

‘‘I didn’t get a ton of sleep last night, but I don’t think that matters,’’ Moore said. ‘‘I’ve got a lot of energy.’’

His blazing speed was a major difference-maker at the AHL level, where few players were capable of keeping up with him. That wasn’t a surprise.

It was encouraging, however, how efficiently he converted scoring chances, considering that finishing was a knock on him coming out of college. That’s something he worked on during the offseason, and it appears to be paying off.

He also adopted a healthy mindset about the AHL assignment. It’s his scrappiness, work ethic and hockey IQ that — combined with his speed — make him such an interesting prospect, and those traits were evident every night in Rockford.

‘‘You look down the roster of [Stanley] Cup-winning teams, and there’s a lot of guys who have played in the [AHL] before,’’ Moore said. ‘‘I tried to not look at it as a step back [but as] a step forward for my development.’’

Dickinson goes home

Considering the success of forward Frank Nazar’s journey from Rockford to Chicago last season, it had seemed as though the Hawks likely would hold Moore in the AHL at least until December. That’s when they called up Nazar last season.

But forward Jason Dickinson aggravating his (presumed) shoulder injury might have changed those plans. The Hawks put him on injured reserve, and he flew back to Chicago for rehab. Blashill described Dickinson as ‘‘week-to-week.’’

Forward Landon Slaggert’s ineffectiveness since returning from injury might have affected the plans, too. The Hawks sent Slaggert to Rockford, hoping he can rebuild his confidence there.

Lardis next?

With Moore up, the focus will shift to Lardis and when he might get a chance to make his NHL debut. He leads Rockford with 13 points in 10 games, which puts him one point off the AHL scoring lead.

Moore raved about how Lardis ‘‘finds ways to put the puck in the back of the net,’’ which he did often last season en route to leading the Ontatio Hockey League with 71 goals in 65 games.

Lardis is smaller and lighter than Moore, so it makes sense he might need longer to adjust to the physicality of pro hockey. But there’s plenty of excitement about his future, too.