Geekie primed to be part of sizable, young core with Coyotes

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Conor Geekie was very visible during Arizona Coyotes development camp last month, and not just because the 19-year-old center prospect stands 6-foot-4.

Geekie frequently dominated during drills, the puck constantly on his his stick as he consistently flashed the confidence of an elite prospect with, yes, a very high ceiling.

Selected by the Coyotes with the No. 11 pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, Geekie very much looked like a player who isn't wondering if he'll make the NHL but, rather, when.

"You walk around through the training facility and you see the amount of first-rounders and the size of our guys, where we're moving in a short period of time, I mean, you get excited," Arizona general manager Bill Armstrong said. "It's a fun place to be right now."

Geekie is one of several Coyotes first-round selections who were on the ice in development camp, along with forward Dylan Guenther (No. 9 pick, 2021 NHL Draft), center Logan Cooley (No. 3 pick, 2022 draft) and defenseman Maveric Lamoureux (No. 29, 2022 draft).

Geekie, the younger brother of Boston Bruins forward Morgan Geekie, also stood out during the Western Hockey League playoffs with 17 points (six goals, 11 assists) in 19 games for Winnipeg after putting up 77 points (35 goals, 42 assists) in 66 games during his second WHL season.

"I think that's one thing I feel like I've always had, the ability in finding another gear, whether you're not feeling great or not having the greatest day," Geekie said of his playoff success. "Being the third [and youngest] child, that competitiveness has always been there. I'm not a fan of losing."

That determination to succeed sometimes causes Geekie to try to do too much, to force a pass through traffic or to freelance by going 1-on-1 in high-risk situations.

That's why the Coyotes want him to improve his skating and begin further using his size to his advantage, much like a similar-sized player that Armstrong once drafted in St. Louis, Blues forward Tage Thompson, who is 6-6.

Size isn't hard to find among the Coyotes; 18 players at camp were 6-3 or taller, and that didn't include their two first-round picks in the 2023 NHL Draft, 6-4 defenseman Dmitriy Simashev (No. 6) and 6-5 forward Daniil But (No. 12), each of whom is under contract in Russia and couldn't attend.

"My skating is one noticeable thing I can kind of see on the ice [for improvement]," Geekie said, "so that maybe when the game comes, I'm more of a 200-foot player, but still have that creativity. That's why I really try some pretty random stuff. Skating, of course, is always No. 1 with me, putting in the work in the gym to get quicker and more powerful."

That undeniable self-assurance Geekie often flashes? He's already warning brother Morgan he isn't always going to be the little brother who could be pushed around back home in Strathclair, Manitoba.

"He got a great deal in Boston (a two-year, $2 million contract he signed July 1) and I'm super happy for him, but I told him that one of these days, it's not going to be fun when you're coming into me," the younger Geekie said.

That kind of self-assurance makes a general manager smile, especially one who drafted 12 players this year and could make as many as 15 picks in 2024.

"Over the next five years, you're going to see these young players slowly filter in and we're going to be in a really good situation," Armstrong said. "Maybe the best situation in the NHL."