If the Red Sox were scouting for a little extra pop, they got a surprise audition from a Bruins forward on Saturday at Fenway Park.
Before the game between Boston and Kansas City, Morgan Geekie stepped into the batter’s box for batting practice and sent one over the Green Monster. The swing drew an immediate line in the sand for Jeremy Swayman, who made it clear he wasn’t about to take a turn.
"I'm not following that up," Swayman said. "Are you nuts?"
Geekie also handled first-pitch duties ahead of the game, with a few teammates watching from behind as he threw to Red Sox pitcher Payton Tolle. Afterward, Geekie said he was just relieved the throw "didn't hit the dirt."
The hockey connection at Fenway wasn’t just a one-day novelty, either. Geekie has said he once seriously entertained the idea of a baseball future before settling back into hockey. He explained that he skipped his first junior hockey camp to play baseball, calling it the final test of whether the baseball route might work out.
"I tried. I skipped my first junior [hockey] camp to go play baseball...
That was my last kind of, 'Alright, I'll try this, and if it works out, I'll go to baseball. And if it doesn't, I won't,'" Geekie said (via NHL.com).
"I played really well, I thought, and nothing transpired from that.
"So I was like, 'I'll stick to hockey, I guess. I am a hockey player.'"
On Saturday, though, the bat did the talking.
In Other News...
Dans Locmelis Is Forcing His Way Into A Bruins Debate
The Bruins rookie camp has already produced one name worth tracking, with Fraser Minten beginning to look like a player who could factor into the organizations longer-term plans after arriving from Toronto. But the more immediate buzz in camp has centered on Dans Locmelis, whose start in the Prospects Challenge has put him squarely into the conversation as one of the most intriguing young forwards on hand.
Locmelis has flashed the kind of all-around game that coaches tend to notice, contributing at both ends of the ice and making himself difficult to ignore in the early going. The question now is not whether he belongs on the radar, but how much of a path he can carve through a crowded field of prospects before the Bruins have to sort out who keeps building momentum and who gets left waiting for the next opportunity. [Read more 🡒]
Bruins Fans Suddenly Have A New Rookie Camp Name To Watch
Thomas Zocco showed up at Bruins Rookie Camp as an undrafted invite, but he did enough in a game against Buffalo to make himself part of the conversation. The 20-year-old forward flashed the offensive ability that had him standing out in camp, giving Boston a look at a player who is still early in his development but already has some tools worth tracking.
Zoccos next stop is back in major junior with the London Knights, where he will play his junior season before eventually moving on to Quinnipiac University. For the Bruins, that makes him more of a long-term name than an immediate one, but it also means his path is one to monitor as he continues to develop alongside other prospects in the organization. [Read more 🡒]
James Hagens Is Forcing A Bigger Bruins Conversation Before Camp
James Hagens arrived at the Prospects Showcase in Buffalo with plenty of buzz as the Bruins top prospect, and he left with even more of it. The offseason was spent training in Boston, where he worked with Bruins coaches on sharpening his shot and rounding out his overall game, and that preparation showed up quickly in a setting designed to spotlight young talent.
Hagens backed up the hype over two games in Buffalo, giving the Bruins a reminder that his development is moving in the right direction before training camp opens. For a team always looking to see which prospects can force their way into the conversation, his performance made that discussion a lot more interesting, even if the real test is still ahead. [Read more 🡒]