Savoie and Geekie can be dynamic duo for Canada

Team Canada practised at the Limhamn Arena in Malmo, Sweden on Sunday. 

Generating chemistry quickly is crucial at a short tournament like the World Juniors. That shouldn't be a problem for Team Canada's top forward unit, which features Wenatchee Wild teammates Matt Savoie and Conor Geekie.

"We've been together for the last four years now, so pretty easy to know where he's going and I think he has a good idea where I'm going too," said Geekie, who was picked 11th overall by the Arizona Coyotes in 2022. 

"Our games really feed off each other," said Savoie, who was selected ninth overall by the Buffalo Sabres in 2022. "We're always looking for each other out there and it makes it really dynamic between the two of us."

Savoie and Geekie have been through a lot together since going first and second overall to the Winnipeg Ice in the 2019 Western Hockey League draft. Winnipeg moved to Wenatchee, Wash. for this season. 

"We didn't play a majority of last year or the year before together, but we had some shifts together when our team had some injuries or coach was shaking up the lines or things like that," Savoie said. "We've always clicked."

The chemistry starts off the ice. 

"We do all this stuff together, so it's kind of hard not to talk to him," Geekie noted. 

"He's just got a lot of energy," Savoie said. "He's always talking. He's really easy to be around. I'm quieter. I like to keep to myself, so I think he really  brings a different side out of me."

Both have older brothers – Boston Bruins' Morgan Geekie and Bakersfield Condors' Carter Savoie – playing professional hockey. 

"From Day 1 we've always had a lot of things in common and shared a lot of experiences together and that's what made it so close," said Savoie.

"We kind of see eye to eye on a lot of things and that makes it work," agreed Geekie. 

Their game styles are also a fit. They've played on the same line this season with the Wild. 

"Geekie's really good in front of the net and Savoie can buzz around the outside," observed London Knights forward Easton Cowan, who is the left winger on the line. 

"Our games really mesh well together," Savoie said. "We're always talking out there, always finding things that we can improve on, and I think our chemistry just grows every time we're on the ice together."

Geekie, a centre, has 20 goals and 49 points in 26 games to lead the Wild. He's really taken off since Savoie returned to the WHL with 11 goals and 26 points in 11 games.  

"He's a big guy," said Savoie of the 6-foot-4, 197-pound Geekie. "He defends off the puck well. He's really good on the forecheck. He's got a good shot. He's a do-it-all player and in big guys you don't see that too often." 

Since being reassigned to the WHL in mid-November, Savoie has racked up 11 goals and 13 assists in 11 games. The right winger leads the WHL in points per game (2.18). 

"His skating has kind of elevated to another level," Geekie noted. "Maybe in past years he'd use it too much but now he's trusting his body, trusting his game. He's really using his body more. It seems weird for a smaller guy, but he knows how to use it. He's really just trusting his edges and his skates. When a guy gets on him, he's bumping him off." 

Geekie breaks into a smile. 

"He's strong on his skates because he's knocked me over a few times."

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How can Cowan complement this dynamic duo? 

"Just working hard," the Maple Leafs prospect said. "Hounding pucks and then finding them, obviously. They're both high picks and they can put the puck in the net, so give it to them and good things will happen."

"He's been fitting in great," said Savoie. "Obviously didn't know too much of him before camp, but he's just a Swiss Army knife. He can do it all. He's really smart, skates well, shoots well. He's hard on the forecheck. He creates a lot of turnovers."

Cowan's work ethic is his calling card, but he never seemed to get up to speed during the selection camp. 

"I didn't have my greatest camp there, but I felt like ever since I got to Sweden I found my game again," the 18-year-old stressed. "I've been rolling, so got to stick with that and keep getting better."

Hockey Canada management lead Peter Anholt noted that Cowan was trying to be too "fancy" in the exhibition games against U Sports All-Stars.

"Not the greatest camp, but I feel like I had a good start to my year so just continue like how I'm playing in London and good things will come," said Cowan, a first round pick (28th overall) in June's draft. 

Cowan has posted 39 points in 23 games in the Ontario Hockey League this season. 

"He's looking more like the player we saw in the OHL," said Canada head coach Alan Letang, who is also the bench boss with the Sarnia Sting. "He brings lots of energy to practice."

Cowan, who stands 5-foot-10, 171 pounds, feels the bigger surface in Europe will suit his energetic style. 

"It's good for me," he said. "I'm a bit of a smaller player and I like to use my speed and beat defence wide and cutback down low."

The native of Mount Brydges, Ont. speaks from experience. 

"I grew playing in the London Nationals' rink for the [Elgin Middlesex] Chiefs there against the Knights and that's an Olympic size with lots of space there," Cowan pointed out. 

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Savoie and Cowan are actually rooming together, which has helped accelerate the bonding process. 

"He's a pro," observed Cowan. "He goes to bed early, gets up early, so it's good to room with him."

Savoie made his NHL debut this season playing one game with the Sabres on Nov. 10. After rehabbing a shoulder injury, he also played six games with the Rochester Americans during a conditioning stint in the American Hockey League. 

"It was huge," the St. Albert, Alta. native said. "Getting to learn from those pro guys on how they conduct themselves on a day-to-day basis and the mindset away from the rink, mindset after practice, there's so many guys that I took a lot away from."

What stood out the most? 

"They never take a day off," said Savoie. "Even if it's an off day, they're doing things to get their bodies better, get their games better, watching video. They take it to a whole other level in the NHL and even the AHL when I was there."

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Geekie is bringing a distinctive look to the World Juniors. For one thing, he wears a tinted visor. 

"It just takes away the brightness," the native of Strathclair, Man. explained. "I used to get some bad headaches and this kind of helps it out."

Geekie is also missing one of his front teeth. 

"I had to get it pulled four or five weeks ago," he said. "It got infected, and they had to pull it out. Mouth's kind of gross sometimes, I guess."

Geekie admits it's taken some time to get used to the new look. He has a flipper tooth but doesn't wear it. 

"I just can't talk with it," he said. "Got a really bad lisp with it."

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Victoriaville Tigres defenceman Noah Warren is pumped to be teammates with fellow Anaheim Ducks prospect Tristan Luneau again. They played together in the QMJHL for the last three seasons but go back even further. 

"We've known each other as kids," Warren said. "Since we were six or seven. We might've talked about it when we were kids too, you know, trying to make this team so it's amazing."

Luneau, also a defenceman, was a lock to make it this year. He started the season with the Ducks before being loaned to Hockey Canada for the World Juniors. Warren, though, was on the bubble during the selection camp. 

"It's a dream come true, but the dream's over now and the next step is to win a championship," the 19-year-old from Montreal said.

Warren has produced only two goals and three assists in 20 games this season with Victoriaville. He's not expected to produce offence in Sweden, but the 6-foot-6, 225 pounder is expected to make his presence felt. 

"He's a big guy, big size," said Team Canada assistant coach Gilles Bouchard, who runs the bench in Sherbrooke. "He's very good defensively. He's physical. He's got a good stick. It's tough to play against him. We need that type of player to have success."

Warren, who's been practising beside Saskatoon Blade Tanner Molendyk on the third pair, lists New York Rangers defenceman K'Andre Miller as his role model. 

"I'm a big guy," Warren said. "A big, physical guy, so I got to play good defensively, have a good stick, and be physical too." 

Warren's job is to make life miserable for the opposition. Geekie can only imagine what forwards in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League go through.

"It's probably so annoying," he said. "I'm so happy I have him on my team. Him and [Maveric] Lamoureux, like, every time they're so big and so long it's hard to get around them."

Lamoureux, who is even taller at 6-foot-7, has been skating on the top pair with Denton Mateychuk. 

Team Canada is hoping the reach of Warren and Lamoureux will help slow down the opposition attack on the big ice at the World Juniors. They've certainly been noticeable at Canada's camp. 

"Those two big D are really tough," said Saskatoon Blades forward Fraser Minten, who has been skating on the second line. "They're really rangy, hard to get around."

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Bouchard is overseeing Canada's power play. His main message? 

"Make sure to outwork the PK," he stressed. "The retrievals is going to be the key ... on every shot we want to finish at the net with three and four guys and be ready for rebounds."

The top unit is quarterbacked by Mateychuk and features Minten and Macklin Celebrini on the flanks with defenceman Oliver Bonk in the bumper and Geekie in front of the net. 

Bonk plays the bumper in London where he's second on the team with six power-play goals. 

"He's used to it with his team, so we'll try this, and we'll see," Bouchard said. "One day at a time."

"He's a really smart player," Geekie said. "I was telling the coach that I swear his stick is just always in the right spot. I think that's a good guy to have in the bumper."

"Plays a step ahead," noted Letang. "He just has that ability to make the little passes, the little area passes between feet, between the stick and the feet, and just calm. He's calm when the puck gets in there." 

Geekie, meanwhile, has plenty of experience in front of the net this season. 

"I've been there since the start of the year," he highlighted. "I played there during Arizona pre-season, the rookie tournament, so I've been there for a while now. Off the start it took a while getting used to, but now we're settled in and definitely like it a lot."

What's the key in that spot? 

"I put a lot of trust in my eyes," he said. "I haven't been the greatest skater growing up, so I've always used a ton of vision and now that my skating's elevated it's just all about getting to the paint and looking for those lanes. The backdoor is probably one of my favourite passes to make. So, just using my big frame and getting a lot of pucks. It's a good spot to be and maybe some teams will key on me and that opens everything else up for the rest of the guys."

The second unit is being quarterbacked by Luneau with Savoie and Dumais getting most of the reps on the flanks and Matthew Wood and Cowan operating lower in the zone. Wood replaced Kitchener Rangers forward Carson Rehkopf, who has 11 power-play goals this season, who spent time with that unit in Saturday's practice. 

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Lines at Sunday's practice: 

Cowan - Geekie - Savoie 
Minten - Celebrini - Dumais 
Rehkopf - Yager - Wood
Allard - Beck - Danielson 

Mateychuk - Lamoureux 
Furlong - Luneau 
Molendyk - Warren 
Bonk 

Ratzlaff 
Rousseau 
St-Hilaire 

Power-play units at Sunday's practice:

QB: Mateychuk
Flanks: Minten, Celebrini
Middle: Bonk
Net front: Geekie 

QB: Luneau
Flanks: Savoie, Dumais
Down low: Wood, Cowan