Tampa Bay Recalls Conor Geekie From Syracuse, Sends Down Cam Atkinson

Tampa Bay recalled forward Conor Geekie from the Syracuse Crunch, the club’s AHL affiliate, a move announced March 3 from Syracuse, N.Y., while reassigning veteran winger Cam Atkinson to the Crunch. The recall was distributed via the Syracuse Crunch news release and confirmed in team transaction feeds, with Julien BriseBois identified as the club official announcing the move.

Geekie, listed by the Crunch as a 21-year-old from Strathclair, Manitoba, stands 6-foot-4 and was listed at 212 pounds in the team release. The 2022 first-round pick (11th overall) originally selected by the Arizona Coyotes was acquired by Tampa Bay in the June 29, 2024 trade that brought him into the Lightning organization.

Syracuse’s release prioritized Geekie’s AHL production: in 47 games this season he scored 14 goals and recorded 51 points, leading the Crunch with 37 assists and finishing second on the club in overall points. The Crunch also noted Geekie has played 71 career AHL games with Syracuse, totaling 25 goals, 71 points and a plus-14 rating, and that he represented the Crunch at the 2026 AHL All-Star Classic.

The team release and supporting coverage also reflected Geekie’s limited NHL exposure this season: he appeared in six games for Tampa Bay earlier in the year, logging one assist, four penalty minutes and averaging 10:02 of ice time per game before returning to Syracuse to play heavier minutes. On a career level, the Crunch release lists Geekie with 58 NHL games, eight goals, 15 points and three game-winning goals for the Lightning franchise.

Local beat reporting framed the recall as an answer to a thinning middle lineup. RawCharge reported injuries to Gage Goncalves, Dominic James and Nick Paul as part of the context for the call-up, and emphasized development as the rationale: “His skating has improved over the last year, and that will be the biggest test he’ll face during his recall. He’s on par, or slightly better than his AHL counterparts, if he can be at least average at the NHL level, his other skills can make him an important addition to the roster.” RawCharge also noted that, after being sent back to Syracuse early in the season, Geekie flourished under increased minutes and returned to a more assertive game: “Given ice time and a mandate to play every aspect of the game, Geekie flourished. He has 51 points (14 goals, 37 assists) in 47 games and was named to the AHL All-Star roster.”

The simultaneous reassignment of Cam Atkinson to Syracuse provides Tampa Bay roster flexibility up front while Geekie joins the NHL group. RawCharge indicated the recall came ahead of a matchup with the Minnesota Wild, and suggested Tampa Bay plans to give Geekie regular shifts to test whether his size, net-front play and playmaking can translate at the NHL level during this stint.