Just over a year ago, Conor Geekie was leaving Tampa for Syracuse, New York with the chance to develop his game further and regain his confidence.
On Monday, that journey culminated with the young forward earning a spot on the Tampa Bay Lightning’s roster for the 2026-27 season opener, the latest step in his push to become an NHL regular.
“It's exciting,” Geekie said ahead of Thursday’s 7 p.m. game against the New York Rangers. “I’m looking forward to getting the season going. It was a longer summer for us, and I’m just trying to put my best foot forward every night.”
Since being acquired alongside JJ Moser in a June 2024 trade with Utah, Geekie has now made Tampa Bay’s season-opening roster in all three of his seasons with the organization.
He scored 14 points in 52 games for Tampa Bay during his rookie season in 2024-25 as well as 20 points in 24 AHL games for the Syracuse Crunch. He then played six NHL games last October before being assigned back to Syracuse.
In that moment, his confidence felt depleted.
“My first year, I had it. I think last year I definitely lost it a little bit,” Geekie said. “I got sent down to Syracuse and got it back down there, but I think it was tough. There's a lot of guys here, right? So when you're on a 2-on-1 with really good players, maybe I wasn’t thinking straight.”
After arriving in Syracuse, he took direction from Crunch head coach and general manager Joel Bouchard as well as Lightning director of skill development Randi Milani and skating coaches Barb Underhill and Scott Gaetz.
“He has a little bit of a swagger, some confidence that you can't teach,” Milani said. “And the Syracuse experience I think was the best thing for him where he really got to work on the details of his game. It was almost like a development playground, and he needed that. It was definitely not an ideal situation for him in the beginning, but he really embraced it, and it became the best thing in terms of furthering his growth.”
Geekie finished with 17 goals and 59 points in 57 AHL games, tying for second among all Crunch players for assists and points. He was also named an AHL All-Star.
“The group we had there, it's the closest group of people I've ever been around,” Geekie said of his time with Tampa Bay’s AHL affiliate. “As soon as I got there, it was like I’d played there since the start of the year. There's a lot of trust from (Bouchard) and all the coaching staff that goes into it to allow me to play my way and be on both sides of the puck. But being able to play 23, 25 minutes and them trusting me, I think it just kind of clicked, and obviously, I had some really good players down there to help me with that.”
Back in Tampa
Geekie returned to Tampa Bay last spring, ending the season with a goal and two assists over 14 NHL games as well as two Stanley Cup Playoff games.
Geekie, now 22, looked strong this training camp, exhibiting quicker feet and his usual physicality while reminding fans of his blistering shot. His two goals and three points co-led Tampa Bay this preseason, and his nine shots on goal paced all Bolts.
Geekie’s last 12 months marked another step in the Lightning development process.
“It's just how you progress,” Lightning coach Jon Cooper said, “and I think sometimes because you're taken in the first round, it's like ‘Oh my god, you’ve got to be in the NHL right away.’ That's not how it is…I think he's really progressed as he's gone.”
Milani believes Geekie's biggest growth since last season is visible through his skating.
“Now he's gotten himself to a point where he can incorporate it into anything,” Milani said. “You’ll see it inside his shot, inside his transitions, inside any form of his exits and his passing. He's definitely taken a jump with his skating.”
Alongside fellow young forwards Sam O’Reilly and Benjamin Rautiainen, Geekie was one of just three players to skate in all four Lightning preseason games. He is the youngest player on the team’s opening night roster.
“I’m kind of bringing that first preseason, first camp mindset where nobody knows your name,” Geekie said. “I just wanted to come here, show up, shoot the puck, play how you want and play the right way. I think it's benefiting me now, but it was a bit of a learning curve the last couple years.”
Geekie is still a young player preparing to play on a team that remains committed to its chase for another Stanley Cup. With injuries to centers Dominic James and Yanni Gourde, there is more room for Geekie to grab added playing time and responsibility.
Recent practice lines had Geekie skating with Gage Goncalves and Jansen Harkins, and he’s also seen time on Tampa Bay’s second power play unit during camp.
“He has nothing but runway,” Milani said. “He has an entire career ahead of him, so these years are building blocks.”
There will be highs and lows, and Geekie’s development will continue over another season of professional hockey.
That next chapter resumes this week, with renewed confidence paving the way.
