Geekie Enjoying Second Development Camp as he Shows Growth From 2022-23

What a difference a year makes.

Last summer, Arizona Coyotes prospect Conor Geekie arrived to development camp riding high from the 2022 NHL Draft, having just been selected 11th overall by the team. His experience was cut short, though, following a minor injury sustained on the very first day of camp.

This year he's fully healthy, coming off a strong 2022-23 season in the WHL, and simply taking everything in alongside his fellow prospects during the weeklong camp.

"I'm having a lot of fun," Geekie said. "There's a lot of new faces around here, and I'm just trying to get used to that, and make sure I introduce myself to everyone."

The Strathclair, Manitoba native made a point to say he still loves the desert heat - he went golfing in 113 degree heat last week, in fact - and is also relishing more of a leadership role this summer alongside fellow 2022 draft picks such Logan Cooley and Maveric Lamoureux.

Geekie said the experience is different this time around. There's a certain comfort level around having been through a previous development camp in terms of knowing what to expect prior to arriving. Add to it that he's fully healthy and an active participant on the ice this week, he's really enjoying the opportunity to showcase how he's grown throughout last season.

"We created that bond last year," Geekie said. "Now you come back and everything seems to fit a little better than it did."

He shined with the WHL's Winnipeg ICE last season, recording 35 goals and 42 assists in 66 games, while chipping in 17 points in 19 playoff games. Winnipeg finished the regular season with the WHL's best record (57-10-1) and made it all the way to the WHL Final before falling to the Seattle Thunderbirds - led by fellow prospect Dylan Guenther - in five games.

The 6-foot-4 center said he feels as if he's become a more complete player over the last year, and though his skating has gotten a lot better, that's an element of his game that he continues to focus on.

"I think I'm more of a 200-foot player, but I still have the creativity and I'm not afraid to try some random things," Geekie said. "Skating is always number one for me. I'm putting work in at the gym and trying to get more powerful, a lot quicker, and hoping that will translate on the ice."

Geekie is enjoying the role of showing the newest members at development camp how to go about their business. It's something that he not only picked up from his brothers (he's the youngest child and his oldest brother, Morgan, recently signed a deal with the Boston Bruins), but also a trait he prides himself on.

When the going gets tough, that's when he really gets going.

"One thing that I feel like I've always had is that ability to find another gear, maybe you're not feeling good or having the greatest day," Geekie said. "Being the third child, that competitiveness has always been there. I'm not a fan of losing, I don't think anyone is, but I think I could find a lot more stuff deeper in me than most people can."

Assuming he returns to the WHL to further his development in 2023-24, he'll head to Wenatchee, Wash., following the ICE's relocation earlier this summer.

Though he understands the reality of his timeline and a full roster in Arizona, he also said his goal leading up to Arizona's training camp schedule is to give the Coyotes' front office plenty of things to think about.

"I'm going to try and make it hard on them to make their decision," Geekie said. "I'm here to work hard."