SAN JOSE, Calif. – Morgan Geekie is quite happy with his current assignment.
For the past two practices, the new Bruins forward has been the right wing on a line with captain Brad Marchand and rookie pivot Matt Poitras, as coach Jim Montgomery tries out some new forward combinations heading into the club’s West Coast swing.
“There’s a lot of things to be excited about,” Geekie said following Wednesday’s practice at the Sharks’ training facility. “Obviously, Marchy’s a heck of a player and shown what he can do for a long time. I’m just gonna go out there and try to make space for him.
“Potsy’s shown he can make plays and contribute up and down the ice. I’m just gonna go out there and try to make space for both those guys and try to make plays where I can.”
Geekie spent part of training camp and most of the first two regular-season games riding alongside Poitras on Boston’s third line (with Trent Frederic on the left wing), giving him a firsthand look at the 19-year-old’s impressive skill and intangibles.
“Probably just his poise,” Geekie said of what’s stood out about Poitras. “Young kid coming in, obviously you’d think there’s a little bit of nerves and things, but you don’t see that. He’s a great player and he’s a great asset to the team. I’ve had a lot of fun playing with him.”
Montgomery has been pleased with the pair thus far, saying that “the speed and creativity has been evident” when they’re together.
“They’re going hard to the net,” said Montgomery. “I don’t care what your makeup is of your line. I don’t care if you’re a possession line or you’re a rush line, you’ve got to get to the hard areas and stop there. I see them doing that.”
When it comes to Geekie in particular, Montgomery has seen a player that is always helping build the B’s “team game” each night.
“I especially like how he wins races to the net front and stays there,” said Montgomery. “Takes a lot of punishment. I think he’s someone that’s really gonna help us with our net-front battles, our net-front presence, 5-on-5 and power play.”
That commitment to playing with courage and grit begins in practice, where Geekie has noticed a difference in intensity from other places that he’s played.
“I think compete is a big thing,” said Geekie. “You see it day in and day out. There’s a compete level that I don’t know is matched anywhere else. I think you see that with the track record of this team. Coming to work every day and getting little bit better.
“You see that wit the top guys and it kind of filters down through everybody. Systems wise, just try to take everything in and be in the right spots. Just bringing that every night is the biggest thing here.”
Due to his versatility, Geekie – a natural centerman – is also a valuable asset to have alongside Poitras as the youngster continues to get used to the rigors of the NHL.
“You can never have enough centermen, people that have played, historically, center,” said Montgomery. “Now they can replace each other, especially when you’re playing with a guy like Poitras, it saves him a little down low coverage time, which in our D-zone coverage, is very demanding. It saves him for offensive creativity.”
