Geekie organizes UMH 68 Manitoba Showcase

When the father of two National Hockey League players thinks he has spotted the next frontier in the development of young players, it may be worth a listen.

Former Brandon Wheat Kings defenceman Craig Geekie, whose oldest son Morgan plays with the Boston Bruins and youngest son Conor skates with the Tampa Bay Lightning, is the Manitoba program director for the UMH 68 Manitoba Showcase, which takes place in the Keystone Centre at the Enns Brothers and Flynn arenas from May 29 to June 1.

“It’s the fact of the being mentally strong that really, really caught my eye, and it’s something that’s not even talked about in a lot of cases, especially with young kids,” Geekie said of the program. “The further up you get, the more mentally strong you need to be and it’s something that is missing in these kids as they’re being taught the game of hockey or win life in general.

“It’s something that’s overlooked in my eyes.”

UMH is the brainchild of Geekie’s former Western Hockey League teammate in 1993-94 with the Spokane Chiefs, Jason Podollan, who graduated as Spokane’s all-time leading scorer, won gold with Canada at the 1996 world junior championship and played 41 NHL games.

He subsequently set up his coaching program in 2022 and started a podcast.

When Podollan reached out to him about taking on the job of organizing in Manitoba, Geekie eventually agreed after deciding to step away from coaching.

He also ran power-skating sessions in his hometown at the Strathclair Arena for the last three years after holding a free hockey school in town for about a decade.

His family, which also includes middle son Noah — a Calgary Hitmen draft pick who left hockey to play American college baseball — and wife Tobi, has always used a form of what Podollan is extolling.

“The reality is that I love the whole mindset,” Geekie said. “What Tobi and I tried to do with our three boys was exactly that. Give them the belief and the work ethic, but be mentally strong. Whether someone disagrees with you or doesn’t like the way you’re dressing or playing, who cares at the end of the day?

“It’s your belief and your strength that is going to get you through. It doesn’t matter if it’s work, doesn’t matter if it’s school, doesn’t matter whether it’s sports, and he really focuses on that. “That’s the thing that sets it apart.”

The program is invitation-only as they try to create a best-on-best showcase for the top 68 players in Manitoba. This year it’s focusing on 2011-born players, who are in their first year at the U15 level and one year away from being eligible for the Western Hockey League draft.

Geekie did a lot of scouting to try to find the top players, but there is a watch list that players can be added to as well.

The event also includes NHL alumni coaches, a player banquet with guest speakers, player and parent educational workshops, mindset training with Podollan, one practice, five games and a livestream. Previous camps have drawn WHL scouts. Since it’s in its first year in Manitoba, the final details are still being ironed out

“We’re going to give these kids an opportunity to listen to some pretty amazing people, but also give them the tools to be able to handle a mistake or handle criticism or handle the big pressure moments,” Geekie said. “You can speak about it all you want, but if you at least walk away with some tools to be able to start that journey of being mentally strong, then to me that’s what it’s all about.”

He said development, education and competitiveness are the goals.

In an age when so many young players are getting skills development and the level of the game is constantly increasing, Podollan’s lessons can be a fundamental building block, Geekie said.

“It’s going to set you apart,” Geekie said. “You can have the skills to play the game, but you need the mental fortitude, whether it’s getting cut or getting benched or getting sent down to the minors or catching hell for a mistake that cost you the game. What are you going to do? Are you going to crumble or whine or pout?

“That to me is a massive tool to be able to put in your repertoire along with skating, stick handling, shooting, reading plays. It’s part of it, and it’s a very undervalued tool in today’s game for sure.”

The hockey industrial complex — to co-opt a phrase used by American President Dwight D. Eisenhower — has grown steadily in recent decades as prep schools, spring and summer teams and all forms of specialized coaching and personal training have taken hold.

Geekie noted it is a crowded marketplace.

“The development key and the education key hopefully set it apart,” Geekie said. “If you look across Canada in the western provinces, it’s crazy. Some of these kids are already booked into Chicago, which I believe is a CCM tournament.

“Being the first year, we want to make a statement that we’re here to stay and really want to give these kids an opportunity to attend locally. It’s going to be in the Keystone Centre, which to me is one of the most underrated facilities in Canada with the hotel and rinks and a restaurant there.

“I think the facilities and what we have to offer will set us apart.”

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