Cody Ceci

Cody Ceci (born December 21, 1993) is a Canadian professional ice hockey player who is a defenceman for the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League (NHL). He previously played for the Ottawa Senators, Toronto Maple Leafs, Pittsburgh Penguins, Edmonton Oilers, San Jose Sharks and Dallas Stars.

After playing junior-age ice hockey with the Ottawa 67's, Ceci was selected 15th overall in the 2012 NHL entry draft by the Ottawa Senators. He made his NHL debut in the 2013–14 season after playing for the Senators' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate Binghamton Senators.

Early life Born and raised in Ottawa, Ceci is the son of former Canadian Football League receiver and 1984 Vanier Cup MVP Parri Ceci. His younger brother Cole was a goaltender for the Oshawa Generals of the OHL, and currently plays for the Romford Raiders of the NIHL He also has an older sister Chelsea.

Cody left home at the age of 13 to attend Lakefield College School, a private boarding institution just north of Peterborough, Ontario where he graduated in 2011. After being drafted, Ceci joined the Ottawa 67's. While playing with the Ottawa 67's, Ceci attended Carleton University. So eager was Ottawa Senators' GM Bryan Murray to select Ceci that he contacted three different teams early in the 2012 draft in an effort to move up and take the defenceman before another team could. "I honestly never thought he would be available at 15," said Murray. On August 23, 2012, Ceci signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Senators.

On January 8, 2013, in an effort to overtake the London Knights in the OHL's Western Conference, the Owen Sound Attack obtained Ceci from the 67's. Ceci did not have NHL callup rights and was thus able to finish the season in junior. Once the Attack were eliminated, Ceci was called up to finish the season in the AHL with the Binghamton Senators, playing in the team's final three games of the regular season. Paired on defence with team captain Mark Borowiecki, he scored his first professional point in his second game with Binghamton and scored his first professional goal a day later in the season finale.

Professional Ottawa Senators In October 2013, Ceci was assigned to the Binghamton Senators after training camp. After a suspension to Senators defenceman Jared Cowen, Ceci was called up to Ottawa in December and played his first game in the NHL on December 12, 2013, in Ottawa against the Buffalo Sabres, a 2–1 win for Ottawa. Two games later, on December 16, 2013, at 3:59 of overtime against goaltender Brian Elliott of the St. Louis Blues, Ceci scored his first NHL goal, to win the game 3–2. He was the first teenager in NHL history to score his first NHL goal in overtime. At the beginning of the 2016–17 season, Ceci signed a two-year, $5.6 million contract extension. In the 2016–17 season, he made $2.25 million; in the 2017–18 season, he made $3.35 million. Ceci soon agreed to sign a one-year, $4.5 million contract extension with the Maple Leafs on July 4, 2019. He scored his first goal as a Toronto Maple Leaf on October 4, 2019, in a 4–1 road win over the Columbus Blue Jackets. However, after suffering an ankle injury in February, the Leafs placed Ceci on injured reserve until March 6, 2020.

Pittsburgh Penguins On October 17, 2020, Ceci signed as a free agent to a one-year, $1.25 million contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Edmonton Oilers On July 28, 2021, Ceci signed as a free agent to a four-year, $13 million contract with the Edmonton Oilers. The signing was initiated by the loss of Oilers defenceman Adam Larsson to the Seattle Kraken, which left a defensive role to be filled. In his first year with the Oilers, he managed five goals and 23 assists during the regular season. During the 2022 Stanley Cup playoffs, Ceci scored the series-clinching goal in game seven of the first-round series against the Los Angeles Kings. The Oilers were swept in the Western Conference Final series by the top-seeded and eventual Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche.

San Jose Sharks On August 18, 2024, Ceci was traded to the San Jose Sharks along with a 2025 third-round pick in return for defenceman Ty Emberson.

Dallas Stars On February 1, 2025, Ceci, with Mikael Granlund, was traded to the Dallas Stars for a first-round pick and conditional third-round pick in the 2025 NHL entry draft. Due to scheduling, Ceci played 85 regular-season games combined between the Sharks and the Stars, becoming the ninth player in NHL history to play at least 85 games.

Los Angeles Kings As a free agent, Ceci signed a four-year, $18 million contract with the Los Angeles Kings on July 1, 2025.

International play

On November 18, 2009, Ceci was selected by Hockey Canada to compete in the 2010 World U-17 Hockey Challenge for Team Ontario. After the season concluded, Ceci was one of 15 OHL players invited to attend Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team selection camp on June 11, 2010. He would again qualify to compete for Team Canada during the 2011 IIHF World U18 Championship.

On April 11, 2016, Ceci was one of 18 players selected by Hockey Canada to compete on Team Canada at the 2016 World Championships. He won a gold medal with the team in his senior debut.

Personal life Ceci owns two French Bulldogs named Zeus and Hugo In 2024, while Ceci played for the Oilers, Hugo ran in the team's annual "Ruff Ruff Relay" and won first place in the competition. Ceci is one-quarter Filipino descent.

Career statistics Regular season and playoffs Regular season Playoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 2008–09 Peterborough Minor Petes ETA 57 24 48 72 26 — — — — — 2008–09 Peterborough Stars OJHL 3 0 0 0 2 — — — — — 2009–10 Ottawa 67's OHL 64 4 8 12 12 12 0 3 3 0 2010–11 Ottawa 67's OHL 68 9 25 34 28 4 0 2 2 4 2011–12 Ottawa 67's OHL 64 17 43 60 14 18 2 13 15 4 2012–13 Ottawa 67's OHL 42 11 29 40 10 — — — — — 2012–13 Owen Sound Attack OHL 27 8 16 24 2 12 1 9 10 0 2012–13 Binghamton Senators AHL 3 1 1 2 0 3 0 0 0 0 2013–14 Binghamton Senators AHL 27 2 17 19 10 4 1 1 2 0 2013–14 Ottawa Senators NHL 49 3 6 9 14 — — — — — 2014–15 Ottawa Senators NHL 81 5 16 21 6 6 0 2 2 0 2015–16 Ottawa Senators NHL 75 10 16 26 18 — — — — — 2016–17 Ottawa Senators NHL 79 2 15 17 20 19 0 1 1 2 2017–18 Ottawa Senators NHL 82 5 14 19 12 — — — — — 2018–19 Ottawa Senators NHL 74 7 19 26 18 — — — — — 2019–20 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 56 1 7 8 20 5 1 0 1 4 2020–21 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 53 4 13 17 10 6 0 2 2 0 2021–22 Edmonton Oilers NHL 78 5 23 28 14 16 1 6 7 12 2022–23 Edmonton Oilers NHL 80 1 14 15 24 12 0 1 1 2 2023–24 Edmonton Oilers NHL 79 5 20 25 14 24 2 3 5 0 2024–25 San Jose Sharks NHL 54 4 11 15 14 — — — — — 2024–25 Dallas Stars NHL 31 0 9 9 10 18 0 3 3 2 2025–26 Los Angeles Kings NHL 82 1 8 9 16 4 0 0 0 0 NHL totals 953 53 191 244 210 110 4 18 22 22

International Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM 2010 Canada Ontario U17 6 0 0 0 0 2011 Canada U18 4th 7 0 1 1 2 2016 Canada WC 10 1 5 6 0 Junior totals 13 0 1 1 2 Senior totals 10 1 5 6 0

Awards and honours Award Year RefOHL Second All-Star Team 2012, 2013