Raw Charge
Summary
Y’all thought we forget about this, didn’t you? We actually had these done a little while ago, but wanted to wait until there was a break in the action to post them. We’ve hit the top of the class when it comes to prospects in the Lightning system. We all know who they are going to be, but in what order? Conor Geekie is dethroned! After two seasons as the number one prospect in the system, the power forward drops to the third spot. It’s not surprising as the Lightning have added some talent to organization. Name Conor Geekie Position Forward Age (as of October 1, 2026) 22-years-old Height/Weight 6’4″, 207 lbs. Expected 2026-27 Team Tampa Bay Lightning Draft – Year, Round 1st Round (11th by Arizona) Previous Rankings 1st (2025) 1st (2024) JustinG. Ranking 1st Final Rank 3rd Stats: Our Thoughts: Is this the redemption year for Conor Geekie? After being touted as the best prospect in the organization since being acquired via trade in June of 2024, the 22-year-old has dropped a few spots after spending most of the season in Syracuse. As we’ve pointed out in other profiles, sometimes a player’s development isn’t a straight line. After getting a taste of the NHL as a 20-year-old in his first season as a member of the Lightning, it took a trip through the AHL for him to rediscover what made him such an intriguing prospect. In hindsight, the Lightning probably should have done what they did with him last season in the previous season. Let him get a little taste and then send him to Syracuse for the entire season without having to worry about being recalled. Last year, he showed that he can be the power forward that the Lightning need in their organization as he posted an All-Star season with 17 goals and 42 assists in 52 games for the Crunch. He played in almost twenty minutes a night and in all aspects of the game, which is exactly what the Lightning wanted him to do. Now, it’s time to see if he can carry that over to the NHL and show the staff that he is able to handle a bigger role on the Lightning. There is a spot on the top-six available and it could be Geekie’s for the taking if he can show the consistency that he did in Syracuse. That’s going to be key for the young forward as he looks to take the next step this season. We have seen his skills improve over the last two seasons, most notably his skating. There was never any doubt to his shot or his passing ability. For a big guy, he has small guy skills when it comes to handling the puck and setting up his teammates. However, his skating was a bit of a hinderance, and at the NHL level, the gaps he could exploit at the junior level or AHL just weren’t there. As his skating has gotten better, he’s been able to find those spaces again. It’s also given him a better mindset, as he told reporters at training camp this fall, ““I’m shooting with a purpose, I’m not just shooting because I can shoot it hard … It’s like the mental thing, knowing that in a foot race I’m comfortable being able to be in this foot race instead of being, like, how can I have an advantage? “I think last year all of that just wasn’t quite developed yet. I think everyone knows that. You can watch a game. I wasn’t very good. Working on the skating and the skills is great, but just the mentality you get from being better at those things, being able to outskate someone, being able to be in the play and be able to get back or be able to make a shot and have guys want you to shoot it. I think it’s just, like, a big thing for me, and just I think just in the attack mentality.” Honestly, the entire interview is an interesting look on how improvements in one aspect of a player’s game can unlock other components. Now that he knows he can hang with the rest of the league it slips from his mind and he can focus on attacking the ice, which is exactly what the Lightning need him to do. He has to be the type of player that is confident in his own skill and ability. Constantly deferring to more experienced players on the ice saps some what makes him unique. That’s the biggest difference we’ve seen between AHL Geekie and NHL Geekie. In Syracuse he’s not afraid to call his own number when he needs to, and that allows him to control how the game is played. If the defense has to respect his ability to take it to the net, then they will play off of him, which in term allows him to set up his teammates if he decides to. Since he has been in and out of the NHL for the previous two seasons, it’s sometimes easy to forget that he is just 22-years-old. Heck, most Lightning prospects are barely cracking into the AHL at 22, let alone getting minutes at the NHL level. There is still a long ramp for his development, and there are probably going to be some more bumps and bruises along the way. His goal for this year should be to give a consistent effort night in and night out no matter where he is in the line-up. He’ll likely be somewhere in the bottom-six to start and should see some power play time on the second unit. If he can focus on those minutes and doing his best, he can earn more minutes and possibly move his way up in the organization. It’ll be a fascinating season for him, and hopefully he makes the most of it. Your Thoughts: Geekie garnered 11% of the first-place votes and the majority of the votes had him in second place, but there were enough down the line to pull him into third place. No one had him outside of the top ten. “This is likely Geekie’s last year to improve enough to make the Bolts lineup, after that, he’ll need a change of scenery to make to NHL.” “If Geekie can find his rhythm in NHL i believe he could take off. He has a good shot. Needs to improve skating and has to stop second guessing himself.” “Just don’t love Geekie’s skating.” “O’Reilly and Geekie I think will end up good 2/3 line players.” “Geekie has a ton of potential but just hasn’t gotten there at the NHL level as of yet.” “I feel like smart, skilled forwards that skate fast and play a 200 ft game are the strengths of this organization’s depth right now. O’ Reilly, James, Geekie, and Duke come to mind when I think about that prototypical Lightning player.,,As for Geekie and James, I feel like they’re easy slamdunks to make the NHL, but Geekie’s ceiling seems to be lowering with every season he plays in the NHL and isn’t able to translate his skill at that level. He seems to be shaping up to be a middle 6 NHL forward. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but from his first round pick pedigree I’m starting to doubt his ability to crack the Top 6 in this organization. I still think he has time to develop his game and continue to be a physical presence that has speed and skill.” “I ranked James so high because he has proven he is an NHL’er at this point, he just needs to find and solidify his place. Ditto for Geekie, but I ranked O’Reilly higher because I think he has a higher ceiling and floor than Geekie.” Highlight Videos: Conor Geekie gets his first of the season and @TBLightning 's first of the night! ⚡️ pic.twitter.com/jDUpcV84h3 — NHL (@NHL) April 13, 2026 Without a doubt, Conor Geekie has improved his skating. It’s still average to slightly-below average at the NHL level, but it’s getting to the point where it’s not a hinderance to his game at the top level. It might take him awhile to get to top speed, but he’s a locomotive once he does. If you’re a goaltender do you want a 6’4″, 200+ pound forward with silky hands skating right at you at top speed? Celly of the season candidate 🫶 pic.twitter.com/pVfPkiiZFL — Syracuse Crunch (@SyracuseCrunch) March 28, 2026 Those mitts we were talking about are on display here. What seems like a slam-dunk goal was a little tougher than it initially looked. Jakob Pelletier does most of the work here, but the pass gets stuck under the heel of Geekie’s stick. He makes a nice play in a short amount of time and space to get to the toe where he can flip it into the net. The Geek Squad is having a great night tonight! pic.twitter.com/9qUnkBSdvo — Syracuse Crunch (@SyracuseCrunch) March 21, 2026 He gathers the puck in the neutral zone, takes the defenseman wide, dangles the puck a little and adds a little burst to find the lane to drive to the net. That is a confident forward calling his own number and dictating the way the game is played. That’s the mindset he needs at the NHL in order to keep succeeding. 🚀🚀🚀 pic.twitter.com/7mUgSJCL3d — Syracuse Crunch (@SyracuseCrunch) March 21, 2026 Sometimes we forget that Geekie has an excellent shot. Here he simply rips it past the netminder on a one-timer. We don’t like to use stats from the current season for these profiles, but Geekie has touched 98 MPH on a shot this season