Conor Geekie Continues to Grow His Game with WHL’s Wild

New city, same Conor Geekie.

The 19-year-old Arizona Coyotes prospect is flourishing early with the WHL’s Wenatchee Wild following the team’s relocation from Winnipeg one season ago. Last year, he put up 77 points on 35 goals and 42 assists in 66 games in Winnipeg, and this year has been much of the same – if not even more impressive – starting the year with eight goals and 12 assists in 12 games with the newly-minted Wild.

His impact has been truly noticeable considering Wenatchee has won seven straight and currently owns the third-best record in the Western Conference at 10-6-1, as of Nov. 4.

He wants to help the Wild – along with himself – reach new heights.

“We're really just trying to focus on the hockey culture and starting something new here in Wenatchee, especially with the new team here,” Geekie said. “We want to build a name for Wenatchee, and it's been a lot of fun so far.”

Geekie was one of three first-round selections the Coyotes made at the 2022 NHL Draft, along with Logan Cooley (3rd overall) and Maveric Lamoureux (29th overall). The Strathclair, Manitoba native performed well with the Coyotes in two preseason games, registering a goal and an assist, and said he continues to work hard on his speed and strength, as well as his consistency.

Perhaps what’s most impressive about Geekie’s start to the WHL season, however, is he’s putting up stellar numbers despite not playing alongside two of his top teammates last season – Zach Benson and Matthew Savoie. The former is already playing with the Buffalo Sabres after a 98-point season in Winnipeg last year, while the latter is with the AHL’s Rochester Americans after recording 95 points with the ICE last year.

Ryan Jankowski, the Coyotes’ Associate Director of Amateur Scouting, said Geekie’s development is right on track with where the organization expects it to be.

“When you draft a player like that at that spot, you expect him to have a very productive year as a 19-year-old in the WHL, and that is the evolution of the player,” Jankowski said. “They get drafted in their 18-year-old year -- they have an offensive component to their game -- their 19-year-old-year they take charge offensively, and that's the necessary evolution of a player like that who you view as a talented skilled player.”

Geekie has maintained a number of ties to prospects within the Coyotes’ system, including Tucson Roadrunners forward Josh Doan, who has put up two goals in six AHL games this season. The two struck up a friendship by anchoring much of the team’s early preseason slate, when the NHL roster was playing in Melbourne, Australia.

The two have taken similar paths to this point, as the 21-year-old Doan is in his first full season in the AHL after spending two seasons excelling at Arizona State University, and Geekie said the two catch up almost daily.

“I think for both of us it's just about being more consistent, and we’re trying to enhance our skating every day and get stronger,” Geekie said. “We're both very fortunate to have a really good mindset. I learned a lot from Doaner when it comes to how he looks at things and how he goes about his business.”

Geekie also has set a goal to play for Team Canada in this year’s IIHF World Junior Championship, one of the premier tournaments in all of junior hockey.

Both Coyotes fans and Canadians alike fondly recall Dylan Guenther’s golden goal at last year’s tournament, and Jankowski said those who participate pick up critical lessons that simply can’t be taught.

“It really helps a player understand what it takes to win,” Jankowski said. “The opportunity to play in those hard moments and help your team contribute to win under pressure, it simulates what you expect from the players in the playoffs, and what you're hoping to do in building a Stanley Cup champion.”

Jankowski said the team continues to follow Geekie’s development closely, and expects him to continue to grow, mature, develop skills, and play with consistency throughout the season. Part of that means being a hard player to match up against while also focusing on the defensive side of his game.

The 6-foot-3 Geekie is not only growing his frame -- he's growing his game, too.

“We've seen some of those development areas grow over the last couple of years, but it's just continuing that consistency of playing hard every night and not just getting offense and getting points,” Jankowski said. “It's developing the well-rounded game that's going to help him adjust to pro hockey.”

That’s exactly what Geekie plans to do, with the hope that he’ll get the call to the NHL someday soon.

“I can only control what I can control,” he said. “If I get the opportunity, I'm not going to let it slip. I’m just going to be focused on growing my game, and I’ll continue to play the best possible hockey that I can play.”