It’s that time of year again! The first round of the 2022 NHL Entry Draft is tonight, Thursday, July 7. The Columbus Blue Jackets will be picking at #6 and #12. Our next profile: Conor Geekie.
Conor Geekie
Position: Center
Team: Winnipeg Ice
Date of Birth: May 5, 2004
Birthplace: Strathclair, MB, CAN
Height: 6’4”
Weight: 205 lbs.
Shoots: Left
Rankings
Ranked #18 by CONSOLIDATED RANKING
Ranked #17 by ELITEPROSPECTS.COM
Ranked #26 by FCHOCKEY
Ranked #13 by TSN/BOB McKENZIE
Ranked #14 by MCKEEN’S HOCKEY
Ranked #29 by TSN/CRAIG BUTTON
Ranked #5 by NHL CENTRAL SCOUTING (NA Skaters)
Ranked #11 by SPORTSNET
Ranked #14 by ISS HOCKEY
Ranked #20 by RECRUIT SCOUTING
Ranked #31 by DOBBERPROSPECTS
Ranked #14 by DRAFT PROSPECTS HOCKEY
Ranked #30 by SMAHT SCOUTING
Ranked #15 by THE PUCK AUTHORITY
2021-22 Stats
Games Played: 63
Goals: 24
Assists: 46
Points: 70
PIM: 49
Plus/Minus: +46
Scouting Report
Conor Geekie is labeled as a power forward but back in March, Sportsnet’s Sam Cosentino said that Geekie “projects as a skilled power forward. The skill part is evident now, while the power forward part is a work in progress.” The 6’4, 205 lb forward is not the best of skaters, like Islanders prospect William Dufour (5th round pick, 2020), but he makes up for it with his ability to protect the puck and win board battles, which extends offensive zone time. The first thing that jumps out is Geekie’s vision when the puck is on his stick. He seems to have a strong understanding of the play in front of him and is quickly able to access what the defense is going to do and adjusts accordingly. With his ability to shoot and pass, he is rather dangerous on odd-man rushes. – NYI Hockey Now
Geekie does most of his work in the offensive zone and sees time as a distributor on the power play. Winnipeg is one of the best teams in the WHL, and Geekie makes them a better team both at even strength and on the power play. It’s clear that their coaches trust Geekie with some tough matchups, an encouraging sign for such a young prospect. Geekie is one of those players that I’ve been hot and cold on this season. On one hand, I see that his high hockey sense, playmaking ability and size give him a high chance of seeing NHL games. On the other, I see a player whose skating handicaps him in transition and limits his effectiveness both on the rush, the forecheck, and the back check. I have concerns about Geekie’s projectability to the NHL that I hope to illustrate in this profile. I’m fairly confident hat Geekie will play NHL games, but I have concerns about how he’ll slot into an NHL lineup. – Smaht Scouting
His stride is awkward, and it starts with his knee and ankle flexion. Geekie is tall and lanky, and he doesn’t get low enough in his stride, which limits some power. An NHL coach can adjust that aspect of his stride, and it could help quite a bit, so it’s not a total concern. However, despite being bigger and stronger, his stride doesn’t reflect that. He lacks power in his stride, and it goes beyond just his knee and ankle flexion. His edgework needs a lot of improvement, as he doesn’t generate much power off of crossovers. Additionally, he takes long and wide turns as opposed to quicker and sharper turns. In doing so, he loses speed through his turns. Adding to the fact that he already is a pretty inconsistent skater from a speed perspective, and it’s clear his skating needs to be adjusted as quickly as possible. It’s a very real issue that could impact his NHL upside in a big way. Conor Geekie utilizes his teammates rather than relying on his skill and size to make plays. That’s evident in the data tracked across his last three games. In those contests, Geekie attempted 35 offensive zone passes, completing 24 of them (69.57%). Of those 35 passes, 40% of them were aimed at high-danger. Let’s compare those stats to his teammate, Savoie. Savoie completed 74.58% of his 59 total passes, with 23.73% aimed at high-danger. Prior to this report, Savoie had the highest rate of passes aimed at high-danger. Geekie blew that mark out of the water. But his playmaking abilities wouldn’t be as effective if Geekie didn’t also have a solid shooting ability. – Last Word on Sports