Geekie headed in the right direction

Kraken centre taking advantage of opportunities with expansion club

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SEATTLE — The sample size is small, for sure. But Strathclair's Morgan Geekie is already on the cusp of setting new career-highs in his latest hockey stop.

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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 09/12/2021 (1398 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

SEATTLE — The sample size is small, for sure. But Strathclair’s Morgan Geekie is already on the cusp of setting new career-highs in his latest hockey stop.

The 23-year-old centre, who was drafted by Carolina in the third round in 2017 before he was taken by Seattle in last summer’s expansion draft, already has two goals and four assists so far with the Kraken heading into action Thursday night against the Winnipeg Jets. His previous bests were three goals and six helpers with the Hurricanes last season, so he’s certainly trending in the right direction.

“Obviously, everyone kind of came here with equal opportunity. Some guys maybe started ahead of each other but I think the coaching staff has done a good job of kind of letting guys figure out their roles and what they bring to the team,” Geekie said following the morning skate at Climate Pledge Arena.

Matt Slocum / The Associated Press files
Seattle's Morgan Geekie is on a pace to easily surpass his previous season highs for goals and assists.
Matt Slocum / The Associated Press files Seattle's Morgan Geekie is on a pace to easily surpass his previous season highs for goals and assists.

“Everyone has been awesome. Obviously, the new facilities are great and the team has been good. We’ve kind of had a few ups and downs as a team but I think we’re starting to figure somethings out and I like the group we have in there.”

In Geekie’s case, that’s shifting back to his natural position up the middle, now in a third-line role with the first-year club. On his wing has been former Jets forward Brandon Tanev.

“He makes it a lot easier to go out there and do what I do,” said Geekie. “I like to slow the game down, I like a lot of space. Things like that. He does a good job of kind of creating that. He’s the first guy on the forecheck, plays with a ton of energy and is always someone you want on your team. You know, it’s awesome. I love playing with him and what he brings to the team, both on and off the ice.”

Seattle coach Dave Hakstol believes Geekie is just starting to show his full potential.

“Just continued growth in terms of his confidence every day. Morgan is one of those guys, he puts the work in. He’s not afraid to address the areas that he needs to improve,” he said.

“Sometimes it can be hard for players to address those tough areas. I’ve found Morgan has addressed those areas and tries to push to improve them on a daily basis. He’s made the adjustment back to the middle for us, which I believe was probably a process for him. A couple areas of growth that I’ve seen from him, his confidence with the puck, and that starts in the face-off dot. He’s really taken it upon himself to improve that area of his game, and as a centreman that’s awful important. He’s starting to earn some D-zone starts and some of those important face-off starts.”

Geekie was also excited to play against Winnipeg for the first time in his young career, although he admitted a pair of visits later in the season to Canada Life Centre (Jan. 8 and Apr. 13) will pack a bigger emotional punch.

He’s also keeping a close eye on life back home, especially with younger brother Conor currently tearing up the Western Hockey League as a member of the No. 1 ranked Winnipeg Ice. Conor, 17, has 33 points (eight goals, 25 assists) in 26 games and is projected to be a first-round pick in next summer’s NHL draft.

“They’re having an awesome year, great team,” said Geekie. “They’re in a great spot this year and I know a couple of them on that side. They have a good opportunity this year and he’s a great player. He’s got all the tools. Once he irons some things out, he will be a good player for a long time.”

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.caTwitter: @mikemcintyrewpg

Mike McIntyre

Mike McIntyre
Reporter

Mike McIntyre is a sports reporter whose primary role is covering the Winnipeg Jets. After graduating from the Creative Communications program at Red River College in 1995, he spent two years gaining experience at the Winnipeg Sun before joining the Free Press in 1997, where he served on the crime and justice beat until 2016. Read more about Mike.

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