Syracuse stint sends Conor Geekie back to Lightning opening night
A season with the Crunch rebuilt the 22-year-old forward's confidence, and he has made Tampa Bay's roster for Thursday's opener against the Rangers.
Conor Geekie was the youngest name on the list when the Tampa Bay Lightning set their opening-night roster Monday. A year earlier, he was headed to the Syracuse Crunch.
The 22-year-old forward is set to dress when the Lightning open the 2026-27 season against the New York Rangers on Thursday at 7 p.m. It is the third straight year he has made Tampa Bay's season-opening roster since arriving with JJ Moser in a June 2024 trade with Utah.
The path this time ran through the AHL. Geekie played six NHL games last October before being assigned to the Syracuse Crunch, and he was candid about where his game had gone.
"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."
With the Crunch, he worked under head coach and general manager Joel Bouchard, along with Lightning director of skill development Randi Milani and skating coaches Barb Underhill and Scott Gaetz. He finished with 17 goals and 59 points in 57 AHL games, tied for second on the Crunch in assists and points, and was named an AHL All-Star.
"It was almost like a development playground, and he needed that," Milani said. "It was definitely not an ideal situation for him in the beginning, but he really embraced it."
Geekie credited the room in Syracuse and the trust from the staff. "Being able to play 23, 25 minutes and them trusting me, I think it just kind of clicked," he said.
He returned to Tampa Bay in the spring and had a goal and two assists in 14 NHL games, plus two playoff games. This preseason he co-led the Lightning with two goals and three points, led the club with nine shots, and was one of three players, along with Sam O'Reilly and Benjamin Rautiainen, to play all four exhibition games.
With centres Dominic James and Yanni Gourde injured, there is room for more. Recent practice lines had Geekie with Gage Goncalves and Jansen Harkins, and he has seen time on the second power-play unit.
"He has nothing but runway," Milani said.
