We have reached the top of the list, and it is absolutely no surprise that the newest prospect is the top prospect. Acquired at the end of June, Conor Geekie immediately became the top prospect in the system and is knocking on the door of making the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Name | Conor Geekie |
Position | Forward |
Age (as of October 1) | 20 |
Height/Weight | 6’4″, 205 lbs |
Expected 2024-25 Team | Tampa Bay Lightning / Syracuse Crunch |
Draft – Year, Round | 2022 Round 1, #11 |
Previous Rankings | #7 (2023) For Arizona |
Writer’s Ranking | 1 |
Reader’s Ranking | 1 |
Final Rank | 1 |
Stats
Our Thoughts
Geekie was the top prospect on 63% of the votes cast by the readers this year, which, in this day in age, is pretty impressive, though not as high as we thought it would be. Isaac Howard siphoned most of the other number-one votes away due to his potential as a top scorer, but Geekie is the more well-rounded player.
We’ve seen it all summer and fall long. First, he was one of the most impressive players in the rookie showcase. Then he carried that strong play into preseason play where he appeared in 3 games and recorded one assist in 40:19 of ice time. His 0.69 iXG was fourth on the team while his possession numbers at 5v5 were all above water. As advertised he played in all three phases of the game (5v5, power play, and shorthanded) and did well.
We know to take preseason stats with a grain of salt, but Geekie also passed the eye test. He is a big kid and he plays like it. Even against experienced NHL’ers, Geekie stands out when he’s on the ice. For a player who takes some knocks on his skating, it hasn’t been something that noticeable. While no one is confusing him with Pavel Bure, his skating has been more than adequate for a second-line center.
Did he do enough to make the team? Well, as of publication, he is still in camp, but that doesn’t mean he’ll be there when the puck drops in Carolina on Friday. Coach Cooper has been adamant about tempering expectations, constantly citing that while Geekie has had a good camp, there are still some things he needs to work on.
If he does make the team, it will be on the wing as the Lightning are pretty strong down the middle. He’s also struggled in the face-off dot, winning just 30% of the draws in the preseason at 5v5. That’s typical with young forwards as they go up against players who are not only better at face-offs, but also know all of the little tips and tricks to win them.
As the centerpiece of the trade that sent Mikhail Sergachev to Utah, there is an urge to throw him out there and see how he does. It’s been ages since the Lightning had a position player that was drafted in the top 15 make the roster, and while they weren’t the ones that did the drafting, Geekie was indeed selected with the 11th overall pick in 2022 by Arizona. That’s a pretty heady pedigree.
Still, we have to remember that he is 20-years-old and has two, count them two, professional games under his belt. The Lightning aren’t an organization that rushes its prospects through the system. As was pointed out last year, the Bolts haven’t had a drafted player play a significant amount of minutes since the 2017 class (Nick Perbix). That’s part and parcel with a team that has been in their Stanley Cup window for the past five years. They also have a GM that prefers to fill holes with veterans as opposed to young players.
Geekie has the skills to break that streak. Even Julien BriseBois has referred to him as “the highest profile prospect we’ve had in years”. That’s a lofty statement, and so far, he hasn’t given them much reason to not be on the roster at some point this season.
The consensus is that his ceiling is as a second-line center, but his floor should be a middle-six forward that plays in the league for a long, long time. Unlike a lot of the prospects on this list, there isn’t a lot of mystery as to how he would fit into a NHL line-up, even if he hasn’t played many professional games. He has the size, the work ethic, the tenacity, and the offensive skills to produce in this league.
We also know that he has his teammate’s back:
It’s hard to compare him to a player that the Lightning have had take the ice in the past. Not only does he have the size to play through players, but also has the skills to dangle around them. There may be some shades of a healthy Vinny Lecavalier there, but that is a best-case scenario. For what it’s worth, it’s better to let him be the first Conor Geekie to play for the Lightning rather than compare him to someone who has come before him and put those expectations on him.
What stands out isn’t his shot or his skating. It’s a sense of being in control and forcing the opposition to react to him rather than him reacting to what’s going around him. He pushes the play with his size and the speed that he plays with. As a large individual rumbling into the zone, defenders tend to back off, and that opens up passing lanes that he can use to set up his teammates. He is a power forward that might not be a 30-goal scorer at the NHL level, but he could be a 60-75 point guy without much of a problem.
Geekie may start the season with the Lightning, or he may not. However, there is no question that he will be a vital part of this team at some point this season. Hopefully he’ll also be a big part of the organization for many seasons to come.
Your Thoughts
“He probably still has the highest ceiling of anyone in the pipeline.”
“Geekie could legitimately be a top 6 player in a couple of years.”
“Geekie is going to be very good.”
“Conor Geekie was #1 just due to him having easily the highest potential of the rest of the players.”
Highlight Videos
Special teams. Special plays. Special players. Geekie with a silky wrister in double overtime to clinch a playoff series for his junior team.
Here he orchestrates a two-on-one with his future teammate Gage Goncalves (either in Syracuse or Tampa) and snapped a hard-wrister on net. Then he poked the rebound over to Goncalves to finish off.
We saw this move in reverse in the rookie showcase where he deked to the outside before taking it inside the defender. Here he has a subtle little shoulder twitch that drew the defender inside and then Geekie powered around him on the outside. Does that shot go in against a NHL goaltender? Maybe, maybe not, but with two seconds left, it’s never a bad idea to put the puck on net.
“Oh, that’s an easy goal because the goaltender made a mistake.” Sure, but Geekie was in the right position to take advantage of the mistake, and it was a pretty nice wraparound.
Look, the backhand shot was nice. So was the wraparound shot that went in the net, but can we talk about the fake shot that set it all up? He had that poor defenseman in the slot reaching for a ghost puck as he blew by him.
Here is a nice trio of goals from in front of the net highlighting his skills.
It’s not quite The Shift by Jonathan Drouin from years back, but Geekie shows some nice tenacity with the puck in this play. Pretty much his full offensive skillset was on display from his shot to his passing.
A nice breakdown of a draft-eligible Geekie as a power forward.
Twenty-three minutes of highlights? Sure, why not?