DALLAS 鈥� Cody Ceci's on the other side now.
The Dallas Stars defenceman and the Edmonton Oilers are frenemies in the NHL's Western Conference final.
Ceci was a key cog on the back end and prime penalty killer for the Oilers in their run to Game 7 of last year's Stanley Cup final against the Florida Panthers.
The 31-year-old from Ottawa helped the Oilers reach the conference final in two of his three seasons in Edmonton.
"It'll definitely be weird playing against that group," Ceci said Wednesday before Game 1 at American Airlines Center.
"We've spent a lot of time together the last few years and went on some deep runs, so it will be a little weird, but I've just got to stay focused on the task."
Ceci was traded to the San Jose Sharks in August for a draft pick and defenceman Ty Emberson, shortly after Stan Bowman took over as Edmonton鈥檚 general manager.
The Stars acquired Ceci and forward Mikael Granlund from San Jose at the March 7 trade deadline for a first-round pick and a conditional third-rounder.
"It's been a crazy year, moving twice, and it's been kind of a whirlwind but it's nice to end up on a playoff team and get this opportunity," Ceci said.
The six-foot-three, 210-pound defenceman was a key part of Edmonton鈥檚 penalty kill, which posted a 94.3 per cent success rate in the 2024 playoffs that ended with a Game 7 loss to the Panthers.
That run included holding Dallas to zero power-play goals on 14 chances to take the Western Conference final in six games.
Ceci now brings those skills to a Dallas penalty kill that ran at 86.1 per cent through the first two rounds. He also averaged nearly 22 minutes of ice time per game.
"He is a huge part of our kill that's been great and just defends super well," said Stars centre Wyatt Johnston. "He's even able to get up into the play and create some chances as well."
Ceci says he'll put friendships with Oilers players on hold during the conference final, and former partner Darnell Nurse plans to do the same.
"I'm not going to pump up Cees too much here," Nurse said. "He's on the other team here, but he was a great partner to play with.
"He's having success here, and good for him. Hopefully that doesn't carry on through the series."
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ROAD WARRIORS: After dropping their first two games of the playoffs in Los Angeles, the Oilers won four straight away from Rogers Place, including a sweep of the Vegas Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena.
Oilers forward Zach Hyman says that's a product of a third conference final appearance in four years, and the Oilers being the oldest team left in the final four with an average age of 30.7 years.
"It comes with experience, just being able to play in those environments," Hyman said. "Playoffs bring out the best in everyone, in the fans as well, and it's louder the further you get, so having the experience to know that you've been there and you know how to play those environments, I think helps."
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RESTRICTING RANTANEN: Containing Stars forward Mikko Rantanen, who led all post-season scorers with nine goals and 10 assists entering Game 1, was among Edmonton鈥檚 top defensive priorities to start the conference final.
When asked how to contain the big, skilled Rantanen, Oilers forward Evander Kane replied, 鈥淧lay big, powerful, and skilled.鈥�
"He's a big body out there and a great set of hands," Kane continued. "Like any player, you want to play them hard, whether that's Rantanen, whether that's Tyler Seguin or Cody Ceci.
"You want to play them hard. At this time of the year, both teams understand that. It's going to be a battle with everybody in their lineup and with everybody in our lineup. He's had a great playoffs. Hopefully, we can play him hard."
Rantanen鈥檚 first game as a Dallas Star came the day after the March 7 trade deadline 鈥� a 5-4 loss to the Oilers in which he had a goal and an assist.
Rantanen鈥檚 knee caught Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner in the head during a March 26 rematch, sidelining Skinner for eight straight games.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 21, 2025.
Donna Spencer, The Canadian Press
