With the Tampa Bay Lightning morning skate on Sunday nearing its finish, a well-recognized face took middle stage to guide the workforce stretch.
Rookie ahead Conor Geekie entered the center-ice circle to a heat reception of stick faucets from his teammates, who welcomed again the 20-year-old ahead after his recall from the American Hockey League (AHL) on Sunday morning.
“Everybody was fairly welcoming. Clearly it has been a bit of bit, so it is good to form of catch up,” Geekie stated. “Guys are having households and stuff, so I’m congratulating them. However everybody’s been fairly open arms.”
Sunday’s 6 p.m. recreation towards the Buffalo Sabres is predicted to be Geekie’s first recreation with the Lightning since Feb. 1. Tampa Bay’s youngest participant scored six targets and 6 assists in his first 49 NHL video games after making the roster out of coaching camp.
Geekie has spent the previous two months with the Syracuse Crunch within the AHL, a cease that has included success {and professional} development.
Geekie scored 11 targets and 9 assists for 20 factors in 24 AHL video games. His 11 targets tie him for fourth-most by any participant in Syracuse this season.
“Tremendous enjoyable,” he stated of enjoying for the Crunch. “I feel attending to go down there, I clearly tried to make the most of all of the assets there. However once more, it was a lot enjoyable. The blokes had been unreal, and clearly the teaching workers and the assist was unimaginable.”
The previous few months for Geekie have been about making an attempt to enhance nevertheless potential.
His core power and skating have been two focuses for the younger ahead, areas helped by time with Lightning skating coach Barbara Underhill in addition to director of talent growth Randi Milani.
“We simply attempt to choose every little thing aside,” Geekie stated. “I ask plenty of questions, and I attempt to critique myself as a lot as potential. She (Underhill) does an excellent job with that, and he or she’s the assist I would like on the subject of my skating, that’s for positive.”
Lightning coach Jon Cooper on Sunday morning stated he’s desperate to see that enchancment firsthand and likewise credited the Syracuse workers.
“One factor in regards to the American Hockey League, and particularly the operation that is run in our group, it has been unbelievable for growth. Geeks has acquired a protracted profession forward of him, and to go down there and simply get extra minutes, extra touches, being put in additional conditions than you’re afforded up right here can do nothing however assist him,” Cooper stated.
With Syracuse, Geekie stated his aim was initially to get again to the NHL shortly. Over time, he devoted himself to concentrate on how he might enhance and make a playoff push with the Crunch. He has performed an enormous half in that effort, and Syracuse is nearing an AHL playoff berth.
Geekie credited Syracuse veterans Conor Sheary, Daniel Walcott and Gabriel Dumont for guiding him throughout his first cease within the AHL.
“Off the beginning, ‘How I might get again right here’ was my thought,” Geekie stated. “However then I feel I simply form of put my head down and stated, ‘Let’s simply see how far we will go together with these guys.’ Once I left, they had been on a fairly sizzling streak, proper?…I feel we have finished a very good job down there. They’ve opened me with open arms down there, too.”
Geekie is usually a enhance for a Lightning roster at present coping with a number of accidents, and his recall gives the workforce some flexibility up entrance. He skated on a line with Gage Goncalves and Nick Paul throughout Sunday’s skate.
With the Lightning making ready for what they hope is one other lengthy Stanley Cup Playoffs run, a possibility has been offered to Geekie with three video games left within the common season. These round him are excited to see what he can add to Tampa Bay’s roster late within the 12 months.
“He is excelled down there,” Cooper stated. “And the underside line is after we begin getting accidents, it is nice to have anyone of his expertise stage to have the ability to carry again up. It’ll be good to see the place he is at and the way he is gone in his growth right here the final couple months.”
