Despite doing ‘good job,’ Sikura sent to Rockford

Some players are ready for the NHL immediately. Dylan Sikura was not one of them.

But the 23-year-old forward — who was sent down to Rockford on Saturday after failing to score a goal during an 11-game stint with the Blackawks — is making progress.

“(I) told him this morning the things I wasn’t sure he would be able to do — battle level and pace of play and just adapting to the NHL — he did a good job,” Hawks coach Jeremy Colliton said. “So that’s a big positive. He’s got the chance to be a top-nine player and we don’t want him to stop developing offensively.

“If he wasn’t going to be in the top nine necessarily night in and night out, then let’s get him back playing in Rockford, and hopefully he forces our hand with just being fantastic down there.”

The Hawks also sent forward Andreas Martinsen to the IceHogs after he cleared waivers.

Smith to return to old role: Assistant coach Barry Smith eventually will return to his former position as director of player evaluation, Colliton said Saturday.

“He’s been here to help with the transition,” Colliton said, “help me get accustomed to the NHL level and he’s been great. But not a long-term solution.”

The Hawks added IceHogs assistant Sheldon Brookbank to Colliton’s staff Friday, joining Smith and Don Granato. Brookbank doesn’t have a specific area of responsibility.

“Not right now,” Colliton said. “More so just adding a resource, a voice. We all work together anyway. But he does have a different background than the rest of us, so that’s perfect. Makes our staff deeper and better.”

Brookbank, who last played in the NHL in 2014, said transitioning from player to coach was difficult.

“Honestly, it’s sometimes when guys are on the ice acting up, you don’t have a hand in it anymore,” Brookbank said. “You get a little fired up on the bench just watching guys maybe stick guys (who aren’t) on your team, and it’s out of your hands. I know that’s kind of a simple thing, but you realize you’re a coach now and you let the players do what they do and you keep your cool back there.”

One-timers: Hawks defenseman Henri Jokiharju helped Finland to the title game of the World Junior Championships against the United States on Saturday night. Colliton said Jokiharju will rejoin the Hawks “soon, right away” but gave no date . ... Swiss forward Phillipp Kurashev, the Hawks’ fourth-round pick last year, was the tournament’s leading goal scorer through Friday’s games with six. U.S. forward Evan Barratt, Swedish defenseman Adam Boqvist and several other Hawks prospects have improved their standing during the tournament. “It’s a high level of play,” Colliton said. “So to have so many prospects doing well there is great.”