The Conor Geekie Development Plan

(Photo via @TBLightning)

By Bolts Breakdown

Conor Geekie has brought life to the Tampa Bay Lightning organization. He’s a strong, tall power forward with long, flowing hair and a few less teeth than your everyday human — he’s the epitome of a "hockey player”. With the allure of his size & physicality comes his aggressive style of play, his intense puck-hounding nature, and an unbelievably powerful one-timer, slap shot.

For the Lightning, bringing in a high-caliber prospect like Geekie changed the trajectory of the franchise. Prior to Geekie’s arrival, the Lightning had very little to work with, but now, they have a top prospect projected to play top six minutes for the years to come.

As with any player, development is the key to success. Some prospects are confidently projected to be game-changers, but then fail to amass 100 NHL games. Other prospects are underrated & discounted, but then etch their names in the NHL history books. It’s all about development.

With the Lightning’s proven track record of finding & developing NHL stars, the match between Geekie & the Bolts is a franchise-changing relationship. Let’s explore more of Geekie’s journey to see where he stands on that development path now. Let’s start at the beginning.

Conor Geekie was born in Strathclair, Manitoba, on May 5th, 2004. He’s a 21-year-old center, weighing 207 lbs and standing 6’4”.  He’s a left-shot forward who was drafted 11th overall in 2022 by the Utah Mammoth organization, formerly the Arizona Coyotes.

In the 2019 WHL prospect draft, Conor Geekie was selected 2nd overall by the Winnipeg ICE. He had a successful first full year with the ICE as he scored above a point-per-game pace, 70 points in 63 games. He continued performing well year after year, ultimately progressing to a career-best 99 points in 54 games during his last year in the league.

Drafted at 11th overall, carrying high expectations & chasing sky-high goals, Conor Geekie began his professional hockey career with the Tucson Roadrunners — the AHL affiliate team for the Utah organization. On June 29th, 2024, just two games into his professional career, Conor Geekie answered a phone call that informed him he was traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Geekie told Diandra Loux from HockeyNews.com the following:

“It was crazy. I was literally just laying in bed and got the phone call. I, kind of, was a little star-struck at first. If you look at Tampa and what they’re doing and what they’re bringing in, I’m excited to be a part of everything.”

Fueled by his aspirations, Geekie worked hard to impress the Lightning organization. He trained through the offseason with intense passion, believing in himself & his ability. As exciting as it was to have a blue-chip prospect within the organization, the expectation was that Geekie would start his career in the AHL with the Syracuse Crunch.

Geekie’s work ethic, his drive & his hunger, though, pushed him to excel past expectations to make the NHL opening night roster for the 2024-25 season. He played the first 49 games of the season, scoring six goals and six assists for 12 points.

All good stories, though, have at least one moment where the train starts to slide off the rails…for Conor Geekie, that moment came on February 4, 2025, after 49 NHL games, the day he was re-assigned to the Syracuse Crunch.

(Photo via Syracuse Crunch)

Geekie was candid about the switch, and admitted to struggling with the reality of being sent to the AHL. He said his family holds a high standard for him, and while they were sure to tease him, they were also instrumental in ensuring he continued to progress. Morgan Geekie, Conor’s brother, and a NHL center for the Boston Bruins, gave him the following advice:

“What you did from the start is incredible enough. You played almost 50 games, you did what you wanted to do during the summer, and you started there. Now, you just have to keep going. Be ready when the time comes.” - Morgan Geekie to Conor Geekie following the AHL reassignment (per Diandra Loux)

Conor was recalled by the Lightning at the tail end of last season, which allowed him to dip his toes in the experience of postseason hockey.

Reinvigorated to find NHL success, Conor Geekie used the offseason to focus on the fundamentals  — skating, strength, stamina, stick-handling, etc. He spent time with Lightning development coaches both at home, in Canada, and locally, in Tampa.

“I just want to play the full 82 (games). I think that’s kind of the big goal for me. Obviously you’ve got to start with making the team and hopefully getting on that opening night roster. But, at the end of the day, I just want to be here all year.” - Conor Geekie told Ben Pierce from the TB Lightning

Geekie succeeded in that first goal. He performed above expectations through training camp & earned himself the honor of being named to the NHL roster for a second consecutive year.

Geekie had done it all: he’d held the high expectations as a first-round pick; he'd defied the odds in his first pro season to make the opening night team; he’d battled adversity after being sent to the AHL last season; he’d made the NHL roster this season…in a lot of ways, Conor Geekie had seemingly been through everything there was to go through. Now, for most everyone, the expectation was that Conor Geekie would be in the NHL for good.

The moment everything seems certain is often the moment everything changes. And for Conor Geekie & his NHL story, that cliche rang true: 6 games into this NHL season, on Monday October 20th, 2025, Conor Geekie was reassigned by the Tampa Bay Lightning to the AHL Syracuse Crunch.

It is undoubtedly a difficult pill to swallow for Geekie. He’s found success in his development, he’s worked hard, and he’s progressed well. Prior to the season, The Athletic even ranked Geekie in the top 100 prospects in the league. Additionally, through the first 6 games of the season, Geekie excelled — he produced 1 point, had 5 shots, and laid a team-leading 15 hits. Yet, now, despite the success, he found himself back in the AHL.

The true superstars in this league, though, are the ones who know how to rise after falling down. Lightning fans can expect Geekie to handle his reassignment in the best way possible as he leans on the wisdom of those who surround him. He won’t have to look far as his aforementioned brother, Morgan Geekie, spent two years of his own in the AHL. Morgan Geekie found a way to dig in and continue growing — he scored 33 goals in the NHL last season on a struggling Bruins team.

And despite the disappointing reassignment, the Lightning organization maintains high expectations for Geekie.

“That kid, he’s going to be a heck of a player in this league. Nobody obviously wants any of this truly to happen, but it’s a necessary part of the business. It has nothing to do with him not living up to expectations. The kid’s getting better and better, and let’s not forget, he’s just 21 years old. He’s going to be a great player for us.” - Jon Cooper

Plus, Conor Geekie has already begun dominating the AHL. In three games with the Crunch, he’s produced 4 points & a team-leading 14 shots on net. And, when he does receive the inevitable recall to the NHL, Bolts Nation can confidently assume he’ll have taken even another step forward in his progression. Last year, after returning from his reassignment to the AHL, Geekie immediately produced in the NHL with two goals in his first two games reunited with the Bolts.

So, while it was disappointing, being sent to the AHL last year ultimately provided a positive impact for Geekie.

So, rest assured in this:

The Conor Geekie story is only beginning. Lightning fans have been lucky to witness the first page from a front-row seat; the pages that will follow over the next decade will be well worth the pain & patience.

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