Arizona Coyotes take Conor Geekie with No. 11 pick in NHL Draft
Jul 7, 2022, 5:50 PM | Updated: Jul 8, 2022, 7:16 am
Conor Geekie #28 of Team White skates during morning skate of the the 2022 CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game at Kitchener Memorial Auditorium on March 23, 2022 in Kitchener, Ontario. (Photo by Chris Tanouye/Getty Images)
(Photo by Chris Tanouye/Getty Images)
The Arizona Coyotes took center Conor Geekie with the No. 11 pick in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft.
Arizona acquired the 11th selection in a trade with the San Jose Sharks in exchange for the No. 27 pick and two second-rounders (No. 34 and No. 45).
Geekie is the second of three players the Coyotes drafted Thursday night.
Conor Geekie fan club where you at? 🙋♂️ pic.twitter.com/ByCOMJQX7s
— Arizona Coyotes (@ArizonaCoyotes) July 8, 2022
The Coyotes used the No. 3 pick on center Logan Cooley, an 18-year-old from Pennsylvania, and the No. 29 pick on Canadian defenseman Maveric Lamoureux.
Geekie is a 6-foot-3, 196-pound forward from Manitoba, Canada.
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The 18-year-old played for the Winnipeg Ice in the Western Hockey League last year when he scored 24 goals and produced 70 points in 63 games.
General manager Bill Armstrong said on the ESPN broadcast that Geekie’s size and scoring ability were enticing traits.
Geekie’s brother, Morgan, is a center playing for the Seattle Kraken.
“I like the hot weather, too, so that’s a plus,” Geekie said on ESPN.
Well that’s one way to make an entrance into the @NHL 😂 #NHLDraft | #Yotes pic.twitter.com/LbySN9uAuz
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) July 8, 2022
Arizona received its original second first-round pick in September 2021 in a deal that sent Christian Dvorak to the Montreal Canadiens. It received the less-favorable of Montreal and the Carolina Hurricanes’ picks, which was the latter’s choice at No. 27.
The Coyotes acquired the No. 32 pick by trading goalie Darcy Kuemper for Conor Timmins on July 28, 2021. Arizona also received a 2024 conditional third-round pick in the trade that went to the Coyotes after Colorado won the Stanley Cup Finals and Kuemper appeared in 50% of the games on that playoff run.
The Coyotes traded the No. 32 pick to the Edmonton Oilers for the No. 29 pick and defenseman Zach Kassian.
The trades add to a flurry of moves made by Armstrong since he took the job in 2020.
Five trades in July 2021 alone included draft capital that was exchanged. Three more trades had picks changing hands since the calendar flipped to 2022.
The Coyotes have five picks set for Friday after trading up to No. 11, including two second-rounders.
