“I love it, I’m pumped” – Conor Geekie joins Arizona Coyotes core at centre

“I love it, I’m pumped” – Conor Geekie joins Arizona Coyotes core at centre

Conor Geekie

Canadian ice hockey centre Conor Geekie is probably handling one of the biggest challenges any player faces upon arriving in Arizona – Dealing with the incessant heat. The youngster is currently hopeful of a seamless progression from playing for Winnipeg of the Western Hockey League (WHL) to the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Arizona Coyotes. 

Geekie, who is from Strathclair, Manitoba, even called it “cool,” a word not generally associated with Phoenix in the summertime.

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“I love it, I’m pumped, I love going outside,” said Geekie, as quoted by NHL.com. “I even walked to the mall the other day, and some people said I was crazy. But it was a lot of fun, and I’m enjoying myself here.”

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“Wouldn’t say I’m slow by any means”

Conor Geekie
Conor Geekie

Meanwhile, Arizona thought enough of Geekie’s physicality, scoring ability and two-way play to select the 18-year-old with the No. 11 pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, moving up 16 spots to do so in a trade with the San Jose Sharks.

“I wouldn’t say I’m slow by any means,” the 6-foot-3, 193-pound Geekie said. “When I get going, I’m a decent skater, but again, you can always get faster, you can always get stronger, you can always get smarter. I was always told that IQ and vision can teach you early, but not late. Skating, you can teach early and late.”

“A No. 1, a No. 2 centre, they’re always first on your list,” Armstrong said during development camp. “They make everybody better. They’re your engine.”

As told by the team’s general manager Bill Armstrong, the Coyotes already envision Logan Cooley (No. 3 in 2022 draft), Geekie and Jack McBain, who played 10 NHL games last season (two goals, one assist) after finishing his career at Boston College, as their top three centres in the not too distant future.

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