Aiming to take the next step: Cody Ceci excited to join Stars in Cup pursuit

When it comes to hockey heartbreak, Cody Ceci has certainly experienced his fair share.

It all started with the Ottawa Senators in Game 7 of the 2017 Eastern Conference Final. With a trip to the Stanley Cup Final on the line, Pittsburgh’s Chris Kunitz delivered the dagger in double overtime to send the Senators home and set the Penguins up for their second consecutive Cup.

Seven years later, Ceci was in Sunrise, Florida for Game 7 of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final. Manning the blue line for the Edmonton Oilers, the veteran defenseman launched a pretty stretch pass to set up Mattias Janmark for a breakaway goal that tied the winner-take-all contest at 1-1 in the first period. But Sam Reinhart had the last laugh as the Panthers clinched their first-ever Cup with a narrow 2-1 win that sent the Oilers packing.

And after a summer of recovery and preparation for another run at the Cup, Edmonton traded him to the rebuilding San Jose Sharks on Aug. 18. Just a little over five months later, he was dealt once again on Feb. 1. This time, he landed in Dallas.

Talk about an unexpectedly drastic swing in emotions in a short time span.

“It’s been very crazy,” Ceci said. “Going on that run last year was a lot of fun, and then getting traded late in the summer. It was tough to just wrap my head around it, try to get down to San Jose and get sorted out. Then to get traded again when you’re just kind of settling down is tough.”

The new union seems a tad poetic. After all, the Stars have endured a hefty dose of heartbreak over the past five seasons. From falling to Tampa Bay in the 2020 Stanley Cup Final, to a Game 7 overtime loss in the First Round against Calgary in 2022, and finally being the Western Conference runner-up in each of the past two seasons. They know the feeling of “almost there” as well as any team in the NHL.

That might just make them a perfect fit for Ceci.

“It definitely helps,” Ceci said when asked about joining a team going through the same trials as him. “It’s exciting to be on those teams that do have a chance. You need a lot of things to go your way in playoffs, and unfortunately sometimes they don’t in those Game 7s. But it’s a big accomplishment just getting there, and hopefully we can give ourselves that chance.”

They’ve made some solid progress in that regard. Through 55 games this season, Dallas is third in the NHL standings and second in the Western Conference overall. And while thriving in the regular season has been a consistent theme for the team since 2022, this season’s mantra has been defense. The Stars sit fourth in goals against per game, first in penalty kill and fifth in team save percentage.

That certainly bodes well for a defensive defenseman like Ceci. The 31-year-old has played 844 career NHL games, spanning across six different teams. In addition to 52 goals and 227 points, he’s posted 1,355 blocked shots and 1,173 hits. The 15^th overall pick in 2012 has also averaged 20:43 time on ice per game, including 2:36 shorthanded.

He’s logged 100 or more blocks in 9 of the last 11 seasons, including an even 100 through 54 games with the Sharks to lead the team prior to the trade.

All valuable skills and attributes to add to a Stars blue line that is finding level ground after losing top defenseman Miro Heiskanen on Jan. 28 to a knee injury that leaves him sidelined month-to-month. Even so, Dallas is 3-1-1 in his absence and seems to have found a new flow in the back end with Ceci in the fold.

That’s been apparent since his Dallas debut on Feb. 2 against Columbus. Ceci skated 22:16, logging two hits and one block in the process. Pretty steady for a guy that had just landed in Texas less than 24 hours prior.

“It’s the first time being traded in-season for me,” Ceci said after the win. “It definitely all happens really fast, especially with today being a 5 o’clock game. There were no meetings or anything this morning, so we just flew in and came right to the game.”

“This is a really good hockey team,” he added. “It’s fun to be a part of and fun to win games, so it was nice to get a win in our first one here.”

After tacking on his first road trip with the Stars that propelled them into the 4 Nations Face-Off break, Ceci is four games into his Stars tenure. He has one assist, five blocks and 10 hits in 20:59 average time on ice. That includes 43 seconds of average shorthanded time.

“Much better now,” Ceci said about his comfort level following the Feb. 4 game against Anaheim. “Still a bit surreal, and obviously there’s a lot of stuff I have to figure out life-wise like getting my wife and kid to Dallas. Hockey-wise, things are starting to feel more normal.”

“We have a lot to talk about over the break, but we’re slowly figuring things out,” Ceci added about navigating the change with his family. “It’ll be nice to take a step back and relax for a little bit during the break. Then we’ll get back at it when we return to Dallas.”

As the break comes to an end and the Stars restart play with another three-game road trip up north, Ceci will look to be an integral piece of the puzzle. He’s been to the Stanley Cup Playoffs in each of the last five seasons (with Toronto, Pittsburgh and Edmonton) and has logged 88 career postseason games. That’s a hearty amount of experience adding to an already battle-tested group.

“It’s great,” Ceci said about playing for a contending team. “That’s what we’re all playing for. To get a chance to play for it again is awesome. The structure is incredible and the way they play with speed is fun. I’m looking forward to the rest of the year.”

And as the final 27 games unravel, Ceci will have a chance to get further acquainted with the city, the organization, its members and its systems. It’s all in an attempt to take another stab at history, in hopes that both he and the Stars will end up on the favorable side of it this time around.

“We’re just kind of embracing the challenge,” Ceci said. “It’s been a lot of moving, but it’s always fun to play on a Cup-contending team.”

This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.

Josh Clark is a writer for DallasStars.com. Follow him on X @Josh_Clark02.