Tough-love coaching gave Coyotes prospect Conor Geekie a newfound maturity, focus

Conor Geekie knows how things looked from the outside. The Coyotes prospect admits that some of it was real.

In his second full season under old-school Winnipeg Ice coach James Patrick — and his first season as a first-round draft pick with high expectations — Geekie sometimes found himself in heated arguments with the 1981 ninth overall pick. Patrick played 1,280 NHL games for four teams. He appeared in nine separate international tournaments for Canada. He wore leadership letters with the New York Rangers and Buffalo Sabres. He understands what it takes to become a successful NHL player.

There were times early in his Winnipeg tenure that Geekie wondered if he would ever live up to Patrick’s lofty standards. By the time last season ended in the WHL finals against Dylan Guenther’s Seattle Thunderbirds, the two had reached an understanding. 

“Even though we butted heads sometimes on creativity and what to do in high-risk situations, when it came down to it, we kind of always knew what we wanted out of each other,” Geekie said. “We found a really good common ground. A lot of people didn’t really see that, but for sure, I wouldn’t be where I am without him. He’s such a big part of my development and where I am today.”

Coyotes director of player development Lee Stempniak said that Geekie has taken strides in several areas of his game. Most notable among those is his skating, which was a point of emphasis as it often is for bigger players (Geekie is 6 feet 4). Development coach Jeff Shantz highlighted other areas of focus for Geekie including faceoffs, moving his feet continuously and playing a more responsible 200-foot game.

“Young players want to go on offense. They want to go play at the other end so they cheat and then pucks turn over and they have to play in their own end for half of their shift or longer because of it. That was a big thing with Conor [last] year,” Shantz said. “He’s definitely a more of a 200-foot player who is stopping on pucks in his own end and as a centerman, he’s staying between the puck and his net when he’s in his own end, especially when there’s not full control. He’s not cheating as much. When you do a really good job of that as a centerman, you don’t have to play defense.”

While Geekie had what Stempniak called “a really positive year” on the ice, his off-ice approach is where Stempniak has seen the greatest shift.

“He called me to set up his schedule for offseason training, asking me, ‘What do you think about this? And, I’m thinking about doing this,'” Stempniak said. “He took ownership of that. He’s got a maturity about him now, at least in terms of how he approaches hockey and what he wants to accomplish. That wasn’t there last year.”

Geekie has a playing-weight goal of 205 pounds. When he arrived at development camp last week he was around 198. The weight plays into something that Patrick was asking of him, and what he’ll be asked to do when he reaches the AHL under Roadrunners coach Steve Potvin, and the NHL under Coyotes coach André Tourigny.

“Playing a heavier game allowed me to kind of play my game and it gave me a lot of room,” said Geekie, who had 35 goals and 77 points in 66 regular-season games, and six goals and 17 points in 19 WHL playoff games. “I think it came down to that in the playoffs. I’m not saying I do it every shift, but my first two shifts, first three shifts of the game, I really played physical and gave myself more room and it ended up working for me being able to score goals and being able to generate a lot more.

“Some games, I didn’t play that way and I didn’t get the respect, which is completely fair. For me, it was just about getting myself into the game; getting started by coming out really hard.”

Every development staff talks about the need for prospects to get bigger, but Geekie has a refined understanding of that emphasis and his entire development program after working all of last season with the Coyotes staff that includes Stempniak, Shantz, skating coach Lars Hepso and development coach Nathaniel Brooks.

“I shouldn’t say I’m trying to get bigger or I’m gonna train as a bodybuilder,” he said, smiling. “I’m just trying to get more explosive and make my steps quicker while still having everything else. My ankle flexibility has gotten a lot better; a lot of things have improved. I think bigger is the wrong word. I think it’s more or less just getting faster and stronger and more powerful.

“Arizona is such a good place to be right now for a young player. I think it goes overlooked, how many resources you have. Lars came out to see me, and Shantzy. Lee talks to me on the phone. Brooksie’s involved. Everyone’s got a part in it and that’s what makes all our prospects so dynamic and so good because they’re getting so much help. At the same time, they know their boundaries. They’re not pushing on a game day or anything. They’re just super good at what they do.”

When he netted development camp, Geekie had less clarity on his plan for next season than most prospects. After four years in Manitoba, Winnipeg entrepreneur Greg Fettes and hockey executive Matt Cockell sold the Ice to David and Lisa White and the team relocated to Wenatchee, Washington where it will play next season in the WHL. Patrick did not accompany the team to its new digs, and on Thursday, the Wild named former Sharks, Penguins and Devils coach Kevin Constantine as the team’s new coach.

“We kind of knew it was coming eventually, but from a player’s perspective, we’re just really upset about how we found out,” Geekie said of the sale. “We wish we could have got a bit of notice to soak it in one last time. It all happened quick with us finding out through social media.

“It sucks. We really enjoyed Winnipeg; we loved playing there. It will forever have a place in our hearts. It’s just one of those things where you couldn’t really control it.”

Geekie has nothing against Wenatchee, but he hopes he doesn’t play a single game there. Like every prospect, he wants to make the NHL roster (he is not AHL eligible) out of training camp.

“I’m pretty short-sighted right now,” he said. “I have some personal goals that I’m trying to achieve. Don’t get me wrong, I’d love to play here. I’m going to try and make it as hard as I can on them to send me home. 

“I guess you could say I’m trying to play myself on the team. That’s the big goal for me, but if the opportunity doesn’t happen, Wenatchee is gonna be a good spot to continue my development.”

Top photo of Conor Geekie via Getty Images

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