Coyotes 25 under 25: #8 Conor Geekie

Sep 27, 2022 - 7:00 PM

The 2022–23 season is fast approaching. Here at Five For Howling, we’re looking at this year’s 25 best Arizona Coyotes players under the age of 25.

General Manager Bill Armstrong went into the 2022 NHL Entry Draft with three first-round picks and plenty of second-round picks. With that flexibility, he shipped the 27th, 34th, and 45th overall picks to the San Jose Sharks to move up to number 11 to draft a big center, Conor Geekie, from the Winnipeg ICE.

Conor Geekie

2021–22 League: WHL (Winnipeg ICE)

Regular Season Games Played: 63

Regular Season Goals: 24

Regular Season Assists: 46

Playoff Games Played: 15

Playoff Goals: 3

Playoff Assists: 8

Highest Individual Ranking: 6

Lowest Individual Ranking: 10

Last Year’s Ranking: Not Drafted

Geekie, in many ways, set the tone for the Coyotes’ picks at the 2022 NHL Entry Draft. The Coyotes selected the smaller Logan Cooley, but otherwise, they drafted players like Geekie, larger players who still had skill.

If the Coyotes want a combination of grit and skill, Geekie is an excellent player to select. He doesn’t shy away from physical play, and at 6’4”, 203 pounds, he has the body for that style of play, but he also has good puck skills and can score points.

Like any young player, Geekie still has areas he needs to improve. As a result, Geekie was reassigned to the ICE yesterday, where he will spend the entire season. He will likely be spending most of his time working on improving his skating.

Geekie signed an entry-level contract with the Coyotes this past July and is at least a year away from making the NHL. Right now, there is plenty of space for him at center, but it will be interesting to see what happens as Barrett Hayton and Logan Cooley develop, along with whoever the Coyotes end up drafting in next year’s draft.

By selecting Geekie, GM Bill Armstrong got a good player projected to play NHL games but likely not a world-beater. But every team needs support, and with Cooley, Hayton, and Geekie, expect the Coyotes to be dangerous up the middle in the coming seasons.