Winnipeg Ice's Conor Geekie, Matt Savoie living a dream after being drafted to NHL

ConorGeekie and MattSavoiehugged and then beganseparate NHL journeys this week though as they haveso many times in their young hockey careers, the Prairie boys will still be skating similar paths.

Both players joined the Winnipeg Ice the same year, after beingdrafted first (Savoie) and second (Geekie) overall in the 2019 Western Hockey League bantam draft.

They were the newest recruitson a rebuilding team that relocated from Cranbrook, B.C., to Winnipeg before the2019-20 season, both playing centre.

They helped carry the team from the bottom of the WHLstandings to the peak of not only that league, but the entire60-team Canadian Hockey League(which includes theOntario Hockey Leagueand Quebec Major Junior Hockey League).

On Thursday, the two 18-year-olds both had their names called in the first round of the 2022 NHL draft.

Savoie, from St. Albert, Alta., was selected ninthoverall by the Buffalo Sabres andGeekie, from Strathclair, Man., was taken11th overall by theArizona Coyotes.

As Buffalo announced their pick, "when I heard 'Winnipeg Ice'I never thought I'd get so nervous so quick,"Geekie said during a Zoom conference with media on Friday.

"Me and Sav looked at each other because we didn't know what was happening. Obviously, he went there, which is super exciting."

Television cameras caught the former teammates hugging in the stands.

"It was awesome to have Geeks right there alongside me," Savoie said in a separate Zoom call Friday. "Supporting each other through every step of the way was pretty special to go through it with a teammate and a guy like that."

After a couple of years of virtual NHL drafts due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Savoie was thankful for a liveexperience and at the Bell Centre in Montreal, a hotbed of hockey and home to one of the NHL's original six franchises.

"It was definitely buzzing in there last night," he said. "Walking [on] that stage and putting on the jersey, it was a great experience and just a dream come true, for sure."

The experience was a whirlwind, said Geekie, whotried to stay focused and soak it in alongside his family.

"My mom helped me with that a little bit," he said.

So did his two older brothersNoah, 22, and Morgan, 23. The latterwent through it allin 2017, draftedby the Carolina Hurricanes67th overall.

3 Manitoba-born picks

Geekie was one of three Manitoba-born playersdrafted on Thursday.The Columbus Blue Jackets chose defenceman DentonMateychuk, from Dominion City, immediately after Geekie's name had been called.

The Pittsburgh Penguins then selected St. Adolphe's Owen Pickering with the 21st pick.

"It's a proving point that Manitoba is an easy place to play hockey and good players can come out of Manitoba, too, not just the bigger provinces," Geekie said.

"We're all pretty very proud, actually to come out of there."

Coincidentally,the last time hewas in Montreal was withMateychukand Pickering in 2017, they wereteammates on Manitoba's squad at the13U national baseball championships.

"And this time we're at the NHLdraft, so very cool, and just very honoured to go through it with them," he said.

Thoughheaded in different directions now, Savoie and Geekie are once again on parallel and familiar paths,going to teams in the rebuilding stage.

The Sabres and Coyotes have been in the NHL's cellar for a few seasons, drafting young players they hope will become solid foundations for growth.

"I guess you could say I'm used to it in a way," Geekie said, headed to an Arizona team that was31st inthe 32-team NHL this past season. "But [I'm] super excited, ready to be a part of their organization and their rebuild."

Buffalo finished 24ththis season.

"There's a huge opportunity here. It's a really young roster, a young core group of guys," Savoie said of his new club. "I think time-wise and age-wise, it kind of lines up perfectly for me."

Manitoba connections

Both he and Geekie have been contacted and congratulated by a number of their new teammates. For Savoie, that includesformer Winnipeg Ice teammate and captainPeyton Krebs.

"Gonna be good to get down there and see Krebsy again. Haven't seen him in a couple years," he said, noting they onceroomed together when they were with the WHL team.

Krebs, who also hails from Alberta (Okotoks),was drafted 17th overall by the Vegas Golden Knights in 2019 but remained with the Ice through part of the 2020-21 season. Later that year, he wastraded to Buffalo.

Geekie's new team also has a Manitoba connection. Former Jets captainAndrew Laddis there and the team is actually theoriginal Jets club, which left Winnipegin 1996 and relocated to Phoenix.

But the player he's most interested in meeting on the ice is his brother, Morgan, whonow plays for the Seattle Kraken.

"It'll be something pretty cool really looking forward to that moment," he said, adding the brotherly competition has been taken to a new level.

"I hope he gives up sometime soon, though, because I might have to keep proving him wrong."

Mikey Milne, another Ice alumnus and teammate of Savoie and Geekie, also has a new jersey. The 19-year-old from Abbotsford, B.C., was drafted Friday by the Minnesota Wild, 89th overall.