Morgan Geekie

Last updated
Morgan Geekie
Morgan Geekie and Mason McTavish.jpg
Geekie with the Seattle Kraken in 2023.
Born (1998-07-20) July 20, 1998 (age 25)
Strathclair, Manitoba, Canada
Height 6 ft 3 in (191 cm)
Weight 192 lb (87 kg; 13 st 10 lb)
Position Centre
Shoots Right
NHL team
Former teams
Boston Bruins
Carolina Hurricanes
Seattle Kraken
National teamFlag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada
NHL draft 67th overall, 2017
Carolina Hurricanes
Playing career 2018present

Morgan Geekie (born July 20, 1998) is a Canadian ice hockey centre currently playing for the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League (NHL).

Contents

Personal life

Geekie was born on July 20, 1998, in Strathclair, Manitoba [1] to parents Craig and Tobi. [2] Geekie was born into an athletic family with his father and brothers all playing the same sport. [3] His father played with the Brandon Wheat Kings and Spokane Chiefs before turning to coaching [3] while his brother Noah played AAA hockey before switching to baseball. [4] Likewise, his younger brother Conor currently plays for the Tucson Roadrunners [5] and was drafted in the first round, 11th overall, by the Arizona Coyotes in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft. [6]

Playing career

Amateur

Growing up in Manitoba, Geekie played youth hockey with the Yellowhead Chiefs of the Manitoba U-18 'AAA' Hockey League (MMHL). In his rookie season, Geekie led the team with 53 points through 44 games and was subsequently named a Second Team All-Star in addition to Player of the Week, Rookie of the Week, and Offensive Player of the Month. Following his outstanding season, Geekie signed a contract with the Tri-City Americans of the Western Hockey League (WHL). [7] He subsequently joined the Americans for their final regular-season game, where he scored the teams' only goal in an eventual 6–1 loss. [8]

Geekie returned to the Yellowhead Chiefs for the majority of the 2014–15 season while also playing two games with the Neepawa Titans of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League (MJHL). [4] On January 8, 2015, Geekie was named a First-Team All-Star in the MMHL after he tallied 44 points in 29 games to lead the league in scoring. [9] Geekie finished the season with new career-highs with 27 goals and 36 assists for 63 points through 44 games. [4]

Major junior

Following another successful junior season, Geekie began his first full major junior campaign in the 2015–16 season. He had a strong rookie season where he scored 12 goals and 25 points through 66 games. [4] However, he was passed over in his first year of draft eligibility and returned to the Americans for his sophomore season. Geekie exploded offensively in the 2016–17 season and tallied a career-best 90 points through 72 games. He subsequently earned a final ranking of 42 amongst North American skaters by the NHL Central Scouting Bureau. [10] When speaking of his success, Geekie pointed towards his increased confidence as a player being the major contributing factor. [11] In June 2017, he was one of two players drafted by the Carolina Hurricanes in the third round of the 2017 NHL Entry Draft. [12] Following the draft, he participated in the Hurricanes' Development Camp prior to the start of the 2017–18 season. [13]

In his final junior hockey campaign, Geekie tallied 84 points in the regular season as he helped the Americans qualify for the Western Conference finals. Through 14 playoff games, Geekie scored 17 goals and 10 assists to finish sixth in playoff scoring. He also tallied four game-winning goals which were tied for first with Glenn Gawdin and Giorgio Estephan. [4]

Professional

Carolina Hurricanes

Geekie with the Charlotte Checkers in 2019. Morgan Geekie (48039925217).jpg
Geekie with the Charlotte Checkers in 2019.

Following the American's elimination from the playoffs, Geekie signed an Amateur Tryout Agreement with the Hurricanes American Hockey League (AHL), the Charlotte Checkers, for the remainder of their regular season. [14] On May 10, 2018, Geekie signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Carolina Hurricanes. [15] After attending the Hurricanes' training camp, Geekie was re-assigned to the Checkers for the 2018–19 season. [16] In his first full professional season, Geekie helped the team win their first Calder Cup during the 2019 Calder Cup playoffs. [17]

On March 7, 2020, Geekie was called up to the Hurricanes and made his NHL debut the following day against the Pittsburgh Penguins. [18] In his NHL debut, he recorded two goals and an assist in the 6–2 win. [19] On March 10, 2020 Geekie scored his third goal on only the third shot of his NHL career.

Seattle Kraken

On July 16, 2021, Geekie signed a one year contract extension to remain with the Hurricanes. [20] However, a few days later, Geekie was selected from the Hurricanes at the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft by the Seattle Kraken. [21] In the Kraken's inaugural 2021–22 season, Geekie established himself in a regular top-nine forward role, and responded in setting career highs with 7 goals and 15 assists for 22 points in 73 regular season games.

As a restricted free agent in the off-season, Geekie filed for arbitration before settling to a one-year, $1.4 million contract extension with the Kraken on July 24, 2022. [22]

Boston Bruins

After the 2022–23 season, and with Geekie's contract expiring, the Kraken attempted to trade Geekie's restricted free-agent rights in part due to salary cap considerations, but when a deal could not be made, the team did not extend a qualifying offer to Geekie, allowing him to be released to unrestricted free agency. [23] [24] On July 1, 2023, the opening day of free agency, he signed a two-year, $4 million contract with the Boston Bruins. [25] Geekie found a comfortable role on the Bruins as somebody who could be placed anywhere in the lineup. [26] On February 29, 2024, recorded the first NHL hat trick of his career. On March 23, 2024, Geekie scored his 100th career NHL point, an assist against the Philadelphia Flyers. Geekie assisted on Brad Marchand's 400th career goal on April 4, 2024. In his first year with the Bruins, Geekie had a career year, almost doubling his previous career high with 17 goals. He added a career high 22 assists for a career high 39 points, the same as his jersey number with the team.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular season Playoffs
Season TeamLeagueGP G A Pts PIM GPGAPtsPIM
2013–14Yellowhead Chiefs MMHL 442528531435380
2013–14 Tri-City Americans WHL 11010
2014–15Yellowhead ChiefsMMHL4427366338
2014–15 Neepawa Natives MJHL 21120
2014–15 Tri-City AmericansWHL9022020000
2015–16 Tri-City AmericansWHL6612132510
2016–17 Tri-City AmericansWHL723555904041014
2017–18 Tri-City AmericansWHL6830548432141710274
2018–19 Charlotte Checkers AHL 731927462219810186
2019–20 Charlotte CheckersAHL5522204254
2019–20 Carolina Hurricanes NHL 2314280110
2020–21 Carolina HurricanesNHL363691030000
2020–21 Chicago Wolves AHL24152
2021–22 Seattle Kraken NHL737152218
2022–23 Seattle KrakenNHL6991928241322412
2023–24 Boston Bruins NHL7617223928134156
NHL totals25639631028237641018
Medal record
Representing Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada
Ice hockey
World Championships
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 2022 Finland

International

YearTeamEventResultGPGAPtsPIM
2022 Canada WC Silver medal icon.svg101122
Senior totals101122

Awards and honours

AwardYear
WHL
West Second All-Star Team 2017
AHL
Calder Cup (Charlotte Checkers) 2019 [17]

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References

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  8. "Americans Conclude Regular Season with 6-1 Loss". Tri-City Americans. March 16, 2014. Retrieved November 25, 2021.
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