Lightning recall forward Conor Geekie from Syracuse Crunch

The Tampa Bay Lightning have recalled forward Conor Geekie from the Syracuse Crunch ahead of their matchup against the Buffalo Sabres on Sunday night. In addition, the Lightning re-assigned forward Cam Atkinson to the Crunch.

Geekie won a roster spot out of training camp this summer and started the season off in Tampa. He skated in 49 games, recording six goals and 12 points. The 20-year old shared a line with Anthony Cirelli and Brandon Hagel, who often looked after him on the ice. He knew his game would need some work if he was going to stay in Tampa full time. 

In February, Geekie was sent to AHL Syracuse to further his development and he's been thriving ever since, logging 11 goals and 20 points with two game-winning goals in 24 games.

“He’s a 20-year old kid that's exceeded expectations," Lightning coach Jon Cooper said back in February. "He’s done a great job. It's a great league to learn and gain more confidence in than he has already. So he’ll go down & work on a few things and probably be back at some point.”

Since March 1, Geekie has found the scoresheet in 11 of the 16 games he played in, recording 10 goals and 17 points to rank second among all Syracuse skaters for scoring during that span. 

Geekie was originally drafted by the Arizona Coyotes in the first round, 11th overall, of the 2022 NHL Draft and was acquired by Tampa Bay via trade on June 29, 2024.