Even after earning 56 NHL games with the Tampa Bay Lightning as a 20-year-old last season, Conor Geekie isn’t expecting any handouts in his second training camp with the team.
The forward knows he must earn his place on the opening night roster for the 2025-26 season, just as he did at this time last fall after being acquired in a trade with the Utah Mammoth.
“Obviously just trying to crack the roster and start here and try not to take anything for granted,” he said. “It’s kind of the same mentality as last year. Just earn every spot I can get.”
Geekie started training camp strong, assisting on each of Tampa Bay’s goals in a 2-1 preseason-opening win over the Carolina Hurricanes on Monday. He also won four of six faceoffs for Tampa Bay.
“It’s scrambly, a little different, I think you’re trying to find your legs and stuff,” he said of the first preseason game. “But again, the guys did a great job yesterday. They make you feel a part of it, and everyone's in the same boat when it comes to trying to find your legs and stuff like that, so I think we did well. We came out with a win and that’s what we were going for.”
Geekie’s 97 hits in 2024-25 finished 12th-most among rookie NHL forwards, and he averaged 9.08 hits per 60 minutes of ice time. Geekie saw time in the Lightning top six and also played deeper in the lineup in more of a checking role for Tampa Bay.
He showcased some of that physicality on Monday, sticking up for himself after Carolina’s Givani Smith caught Geekie with a knee-on-knee hit. Geekie jumped up, dropped the gloves and fought the veteran forward who has 268 career NHL penalty minutes.
Geekie prides himself on playing a “grinding” game and aims to bring physicality to the Lightning roster. Don’t expect him to fight every night, but he’s willing to do whatever it takes to win.
“It's just an opportunity. I'm not saying I'm gonna go run around and have 30 fights a year or anything like that, but I'll be in the mix,” Geekie said. “I'll try and stand up for people. Obviously, there's a time and a place for everything. So I think it's in my game to play with a little grit, as you've probably seen, and be physical.”
Now a year older, Geekie wants to keep building on an NHL career that began with eight goals and 14 points in his rookie season and ended with one playoff assist in his first four career Stanley Cup Playoff games.
His rookie season also saw a two-month stint with Tampa Bay’s American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch. Reflecting on that time this week, Geekie believes it has positioned him for more success in the future.
“Honestly, it was great. I had a ton of fun down there and I think it helped me know what I needed to do this year, hence the reason at home this summer I knew what I had to do. I knew what I needed to get better at. Skating was obviously one of them, and getting a little stronger, the classic cliches,” Geekie said.
“But again, Syracuse, it was awesome for me. It was good for my development. I think it's just another chance to get some relationships under my belt here, especially being the new guy and definitely got some long lasting friends from that experience.”
A busy summer targeting more NHL games
Offseason work began shortly after his rookie season ended and involved most aspects of his game.
Geekie spent much of his summer working with Lightning skating coach Barb Underhill and director of skill development Randi Milani, and he credits much of his offseason improvement to the coaching duo.
“Me, Barb and Randi spent a lot of time together. Whether it was here or in Toronto, I think we really emphasized that,” Geekie said of his skating. “They gave me stuff to work on, just really honing in on that stuff and just being creative. I think that's when I'm at my best, being confident, creative and having the puck. So once I got my skating down a little bit this summer, I was able to do more of that.”
Geekie spent two weeks training with his brother, Boston Bruins forward Morgan Geekie, and also spent time working with Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Travis Sanheim this summer.
Sanheim and Geekie grew up about 45 minutes apart, and they skate together in the same rink in Manitoba during the offseason.
“I skated a lot with Travis, so we had a lot of 1-on-1 stuff and a lot of good battles to kind of learn how a D-man works in the NHL,” Geekie said. “It was a lot of fun.”
Geekie’s learning experiences were vast ahead of his second NHL season. That comes with added comfort this training camp, but Geekie won’t allow that to turn into complacency.
“It’s one of those things that, it’s hard, right? As a young guy with such a veteran group, it’s different. I think this year you're able to go talk to certain people, and everyone knows what you're about and who you are, but at the end of the day it's still one of those things that it’s a short-term memory, trying to still act as if I'm new, still have that drive to beat people out of spots or whatever that may be,” he said. “But again, the guys are great. They're so helpful with everything, whether it's questions or even just being a shoulder to lean on. Every guy's been unbelievable.”
Geekie hopes for more NHL memories this season. His aim is at least 82 regular season games worth.
“I just want to play the full 82 (games). I think that's kind of the big goal for me. Obviously you’ve got to start with making the team and hopefully getting on that opening night roster. But at the end of the day, I just want to be here all year.”
