In what is commonly regarded as a weak draft, the Vancouver Canucks might want to look for second-year eligibles to fill their needs.
On their search for a future No. 1 center — or at least an additional one for the top six — the Canucks will of course have their sight on some of this year’s top prospects. Nico Hischier and Nolan Patrick are most likely out of reach, but that still leaves guys like Gabriel Vilardi, Cody Glass or Elias Pettersson as targets for fifth overall.
But what if they go with a defenseman in the first round? And what if they just want to pick up an additional center despite selecting one of the aforementioned candidates fifth overall?
Well, the options are aplenty — though they do have some risk attached.
We have already profiled Joni Ikonen, Ostap Safin and Adam Ruzicka, among others. Under the microscope today is overage center Morgan Geekie of the WHL’s Tri-City Americans.
Name: Morgan Geekie
Position: Center
Shoots: Right
Birthdate: 1998-07-20
Height, weight: 6’2”, 178 lbs
Team, league: Tri-City Americans, WHL
Stats (from eliteprospects.com):
G
A
P
PIM
+/-
723555904022
Rankings:
#95 by Future Considerations
#61 by ISS Hockey
#45 by NHL Central Scouting (NA Skaters)
Risk, Reward: 3.5/5, 4/5
NHL-potential: Top-nine center
Draft Range: Second to fourth round
Scouting report
"Second year eligible who has elevated game, his confidence and his grittiness. Gives 60 minutes of effectiveness as a smart defensive centre, and top face-off man. Good on the PP and always able to get to open seams in hopes he can be passed the puck to let loose his big time shot. (Bill Placzek, DraftSite.com)"
Strengths
In 2016, Morgan Geekie was not ranked by NHL Central Scouting, and clearly was not on NHL scouts’ radars either. One year later, he made it to No. 45 on the list, which mostly just ranks first-time eligible players, and has made it into second-round consideration. We love seeing players who put in the effort to iron out weaknesses, and who manage to improve consistently. Geekie has done exactly that, which resulted in a 65-point jump compared to last season.
His biggest assets are without a doubt his offensive tools — and that includes all of them. Geekie has excellent vision and passing skills, allowing him to set his teammates up for dangerous scoring chances. In addition, he uses that vision and offensive awareness to get himself into position for dangerous scoring chances. Geekie is an extremely smart player with great playmaking skills, but he also possesses a heavy, accurate shot, making him an all-around threat in the offensive zone.
But, despite being one of his team’s top producers and power-play guys, Geekie is certainly not all about offense. He used this season to work on his defensive game as well, and with great success. He has developed a strong 200-foot game, which scouts admire.
Weaknesses
At 6-foot-2, Geekie has a solid frame to either be a power forward or a physical two-way player. So far, he hasn’t really been either. He uses his size and reach to protect the puck and create spaces for himself and his teammates, but a few summers in the weight room and a stronger desire to get his hands dirty could take him a long way.
More from Draft
- Recapping the Canucks picks from rounds five to seven
- Canucks take Daimon Gardner in fourth round
- Canucks select Elias Pettersson in third round
- Canucks select Jonathan Lekkerimäki with 15th overall pick
- Five players the Canucks could draft with the 15th overall pick
Another weakness, although it’s being worked on, is his skating. It was one of Geekie’s major issues last season, but he is consistently getting better in this regard. His stride isn’t the most powerful, resulting in a lack of speed, but that can certainly be worked on, and will likely come — at least in part — naturally with added lower-body strength.
Lastly, Geekie has no elite tools. He’s very good at quite a few things, but that might not be enough to make him a top-six player at the NHL level. Because you need to be elite to fill that role in the world’s best hockey league.
Final Thoughts
One of the most important things to consider with Geekie is his age. Some say his production isn’t that outstanding because he’s in his second year of eligibility. But being born on July 20, Geekie was actually one of the younger eligibles last season and isn’t that much older than many first-time eligibles in 2017. That’s worth considering.
The 2016 draft brought some overage surprises, like Henrik Borgstrom being selected 23rd overall by the Florida Panthers, or Yegor Korshkov going to the Toronto Maple Leafs at 31. If there’s a player who can achieve something similar this year, it’s Geekie. His chances of making the NHL should be quite good, and he has solid upside.
The question is how high he can go.
Most scouts see Geekie as a third-line center at the NHL level, which is certainly reasonable. But the past season has shown how much can change over the course of a single season. If Geekie continues to improve at a similar pace as this year, he could well become more than an average third-line forward.
Next: All 2017 NHL Draft Profiles
I mentioned Geekie in the “top-six center conversation” above, which might be a stretch. But, again, nothing’s impossible with this hard-working prospect.