With the Tampa Bay Lightning morning skate on Sunday nearing its finish, a well-recognized face took heart stage to steer 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 bit, so it is good to sort of catch up,” Geekie mentioned. “Guys are having households and stuff, so I’m congratulating them. However everybody’s been fairly open arms.”
Sunday’s 6 p.m. recreation in opposition to the Buffalo Sabres is anticipated 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 mentioned of taking part in for the Crunch. “I feel attending to go down there, I clearly tried to make the most of all of the sources there. However once more, it was a lot enjoyable. The blokes have been unreal, and clearly the teaching workers and the assist was unimaginable.”
The previous few months for Geekie have been about attempting to enhance nevertheless potential.
His core energy 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 try to decide every part aside,” Geekie mentioned. “I ask a whole lot of questions, and I attempt to critique myself as a lot as potential. She (Underhill) does an incredible job with that, and she or he’s the assist I want in relation to my skating, that’s for positive.”
Lightning coach Jon Cooper on Sunday morning mentioned he’s wanting 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 improbable for growth. Geeks has obtained 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 mentioned.
With Syracuse, Geekie mentioned his aim was initially to get again to the NHL rapidly. Over time, he devoted himself to give attention to how he might enhance and make a playoff push with the Crunch. He has performed a giant 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 mentioned. “However then I feel I simply sort of put my head down and mentioned, ‘Let’s simply see how far we are able to go along with these guys.’ Once I left, they have been on a reasonably scorching streak, proper?…I feel we have completed 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 presently coping with a number of accidents, and his recall supplies the workforce some flexibility up entrance. He skated on a line with Gage Goncalves and Nick Paul throughout Sunday’s skate.
With the Lightning getting 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 yr.
“He is excelled down there,” Cooper mentioned. “And the underside line is once we begin getting accidents, it is nice to have someone of his expertise degree 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.”
