Player Discussion Cody Ceci Part II

[BrawlFan]

I actually have to question if you're Mr. Mcgoo, Ceci was fantastic in OT.

I have never been so insulted in my life...

Fantastic? or just average? I can concede he had a better OT, personally I thought our whole team was trash in the OT, the Rangers were coming at us shift after shift. So I can't say he was any worse than anyone else on our team. But I still stand by my statement that he is easily our worse defenceman.

Both Ceci and Turris stepped it up in OT. They both saved goals and Turris with a good shot on the gwg. Overall they played bad but when you save a sure goal in OT usually that's reason to forgive lol

I don't remember the Ceci goal save. Any gifs?

 

[Zorf]

Ceci is a strange player. Probably because he's still young, but I find some shifts, especially in the 1st period, where I'm scratching my head wondering what the heck he's doing and then as the game progresses, he becomes a stud. 3rd period and OT is when Ceci starts to shine. Maybe he just needs to get the nerves out and once that happens he can play his game?

 

[Mark Stones Spleen]

Ceci is a strange player. Probably because he's still young, but I find some shifts, especially in the 1st period, where I'm scratching my head wondering what the heck he's doing and then as the game progresses, he becomes a stud. 3rd period and OT is when Ceci starts to shine. Maybe he just needs to get the nerves out and once that happens he can play his game?

We should probably just bench him till the third period and then never take him off.

 

[BatherSeason]

Yeah Ceci and Harpur went godmode in overtime. It was kind of out of nowhere.

I don't think either was terrible in the first 3 periods like some here but they turned it on in OT.

We have reached a point wherein Ceci makes one or two good defensive plays, and we suddenly consider him to be in "godmode".

He makes one good play and the pro-Ceci crowd goes nuts in here.

Admittedly, Ceci was better in OT, but that doesn't make up for the rest of the game where he was, as usual, lost on the ice.

Hopefully the OT was a turning point for him, but "godmode" is a pretty strong way to describe it. Out of the 6 d-men to play on Saturday, his game was the weakest of the 6.

 

[BonkTastic]

Out of the 6 d-men to play on Saturday, his game was the weakest of the 6.

Certainly the weakest for the first 40 mins, no doubt. Curiously though, one of the strongest for the last 45ish mins.

It was a weird time split in a weird game.

 

[YouGotAStuGoing]

We have reached a point wherein Ceci makes one or two good defensive plays, and we suddenly consider him to be in "godmode".

He makes one good play and the pro-Ceci crowd goes nuts in here.

Admittedly, Ceci was better in OT, but that doesn't make up for the rest of the game where he was, as usual, lost on the ice.

Hopefully the OT was a turning point for him, but "godmode" is a pretty strong way to describe it. Out of the 6 d-men to play on Saturday, his game was the weakest of the 6.

Complete game, yes, not his strongest showing. But in the overtimes alone, he was exceptionally good. Gotta give credit where it's due – he was far from our weakest defenceman when the game was on the line.

 

[Burrowsaurus]

Certainly the weakest for the first 40 mins, no doubt. Curiously though, one of the strongest for the last 45ish mins.

It was a weird time split in a weird game.

It's the second game he's done this. He thrives in OT. Maybe his condition is really really good and he can takeover battles when everyone else is a little tired. But yeah. Those first 2 periods were simply atrocious. Even by my low standards for him

 

[Burrowsaurus]

Easy, he stepped up when he knew his team was counting on him. That's what makes good players good. Some players would know they were struggling all game and they'd let it get to them, but Ceci knew and then realized he had to be better. He turned it around, and saved several goals. Future is bright for Ceci.

He's so good he's able to just switch on and off. This is where the discussion always gets silly. And it always starts with the ceci defenders.

He played bad. Then he played good. That's it. We've needed him on countless other occasions and he rarely "turned it on"

 

[JungleBeat]

I have never been so insulted in my life...

Fantastic? or just average? I can concede he had a better OT, personally I thought our whole team was trash in the OT, the Rangers were coming at us shift after shift. So I can't say he was any worse than anyone else on our team. But I still stand by my statement that he is easily our worse defenceman.



I don't remember the Ceci goal save. Any gifs?

He wasn't fantastic - above average OT though. He had two or three good defensive plays that Karlsson does every shift.

Expectations are so low for him that whenever he has a string of good playes it's viewed as fantastic.

 

[Nac Mac Feegle]

It's pretty much at the point that it doesn't matter how well Ceci plays....some folks just can't - or won't - see it.

 

[BondraTime]

It's pretty much at the point that it doesn't matter how well Ceci plays....some folks just can't - or won't - see it.

Pretty much. Watching without bias is hard.

He makes stupid mistakes skating the puck into trouble when its on his stick. He had a rough 40, then played lights out for the next 42.

 

[Knave]

I guess there are those of us who know hockey and have played at fairly high levels as defensemen and then there are others who just hate Ceci since fall 2015 and can't get over themselves. Doubling down is not always the right move.

 

[BatherSeason]

It's pretty much at the point that it doesn't matter how well Ceci plays....some folks just can't - or won't - see it.

Could say the exact same thing the complete opposite way. Ceci does one thing right and he is "godlike". He is what he is. He is currently the 6th best defenceman on this team.

 

[Nac Mac Feegle]

I guess there are those of us who know hockey and have played at fairly high levels as defensemen and then there are others who just hate Ceci since fall 2015 and can't get over themselves. Doubling down is not always the right move.

Well, I definitely can't claim to have played at high levels (most non-athletic body ever!) but I did play defense for over 10 years. It is helluva lot different that any forward position for sure. Forwards can get away with damned near any mistake on the ice....but a defensive defenseman? One tiny slip or miscalculation anywhere...angling a player slightly off, mistimed clearing pass, mistimed hit, miscommunication with the goalie, passing to a forward whose brain is in the clouds....so many things can go wrong and the smallest screwup ends up in the back of the net. Hard position to master.

 

[aragorn]

Ceci is a strange player. Probably because he's still young, but I find some shifts, especially in the 1st period, where I'm scratching my head wondering what the heck he's doing and then as the game progresses, he becomes a stud. 3rd period and OT is when Ceci starts to shine. Maybe he just needs to get the nerves out and once that happens he can play his game?

I had this very same thought about Anderson though, especially when he is trying to handle the puck behind his net. He makes some incredible saves & is usually keeping them in the game in the 3rd but more times than not ,allows an easy goal early in games & is an adventure when he tries to handle the puck behind the net.

 

[IranCondraAffair]

At this point, Ceci could cure all forms of Cancer and some posters on this board would immediately ask him why he took so long.

 

[aragorn]

Well, I definitely can't claim to have played at high levels (most non-athletic body ever!) but I did play defense for over 10 years. It is helluva lot different that any forward position for sure. Forwards can get away with damned near any mistake on the ice....but a defensive defenseman? One tiny slip or miscalculation anywhere...angling a player slightly off, mistimed clearing pass, mistimed hit, miscommunication with the goalie, passing to a forward whose brain is in the clouds....so many things can go wrong and the smallest screwup ends up in the back of the net. Hard position to master.

It's not all that long ago they used to say that it takes most defencemen 4 to 6 yrs to master playing defence in the NHL, guys were starting to finally get it around 26 yrs old. Ceci is 23 yrs old & playing against other team's top lines, of course he is going to make mistakes & of course, these top lines are going to score against him from time to time as they do against lots of other defencemen. The reason they are the top lines in the NHL is because they have been scoring against every team in the NHL including the best defencemen, so it's not just Ceci these guys are scoring on.

The best players are the best players because they can score on anybody at anytime, it's ridiculous to think he can stop everyone all the time. In these playoffs Ottawa has rarely let in more than 2 or 3 goals against because they play a shutdown defensive style & all the players have bought into the system & Ceci is a big part of that defensive game that keeps teams to a low scoring game most of the time. We have seen all of our defencemen get scored on while they are on the ice including Karlsson so it's not just Ceci. IMO Phaneuf being so slow makes Ceci work that much harder to get to pucks & try & make up for the lack of speed from Phaneuf. Often times Phaneuf can't get to a puck fast enough & the puck gets trapped in their own end because of it & then the team is forced to defend but if Phaneuf were a little faster the puck would have been shot out of their end easily. I blame Phaneuf more for the problems in their own end, more so than Ceci, although he does turn into trouble much too often with the puck.

 

[Knave]

Well, I definitely can't claim to have played at high levels (most non-athletic body ever!) but I did play defense for over 10 years. It is helluva lot different that any forward position for sure. Forwards can get away with damned near any mistake on the ice....but a defensive defenseman? One tiny slip or miscalculation anywhere...angling a player slightly off, mistimed clearing pass, mistimed hit, miscommunication with the goalie, passing to a forward whose brain is in the clouds....so many things can go wrong and the smallest screwup ends up in the back of the net. Hard position to master.

I'm just trying to needle people. It was unnecessary - you don't need to have played hockey or played as a defenseman or played at a fairly high competitive level to understand it. I think it helps you to empathize with these guys when they're out there and getting dominated possession wise... but that's about it. Someone who has never stepped foot on a rink but who has watched a lot of hockey in person and on TV can have a really good understanding of hockey.

My perspective when I was essentially emotionally blackmailed ('you're big and tall, you're a workhorse, we don't have anyone else willing') into becoming a defenseman (which I did learn to really enjoy):
You're told and taught to keep everyone to the outside. So you do that and your opponent simply cycles the puck. And then fans are wondering "WHY CAN'T CECI GET THE PUCK AND WIN THE BATTLE?".... because his first job that was drilled into him was: "keep them to the outside". It's a hell of a lot easier to win the puck that's on the outside when you are to the outside.

He clears the front of the net several times in OT, gets his stick on pucks and breaks out with it, blocks shots and was better than Karlsson in OT and all we get is "stop exaggerating" and some people who refuse to remember the game that happened.

 

[Micklebot]

Could say the exact same thing the complete opposite way. Ceci does one thing right and he is "godlike". He is what he is. He is currently the 6th best defenceman on this team.

I get some of the criticism he gets, but when you make comments like this you lose any shred of credibility you may have had in your ability to evaluate defensemen and you completely undermine those who have valid concerns about his play.

 

[BatherSeason]

I guess there are those of us who know hockey and have played at fairly high levels as defensemen and then there are others who just hate Ceci since fall 2015 and can't get over themselves. Doubling down is not always the right move.

LOL. Jeff O'Neill must know hockey more than everyone too. WAIT! Greg Millen played hockey as well, does that make him better than everyone else??

I have been watching hockey for 34 years of my life, just because you "played hockey at a high level" means you know hockey more than others?? That's the most ridiculous argument ever made.

In my 34 years of watching hockey, I have not seen too many d-men who look as lost as Cody Ceci does on a nightly basis. Why does he look lost?? Who knows, maybe he lays too many minutes, maybe he just isn't very good.

Yes, he is young, plays tough minutes, etc. BUT, he is lost. He was very good in OT on Saturday and I will admit that, he may have even saved a goal or two, but that doesn't make up all of the bad.

Will he be a good player? Hopefully, but right now he isn't.

But hey, what do I know, I only played Bantam BB.

 

[BatherSeason]

I get some of the criticism he gets, but when you make comments like this you lose any shred of credibility you may have had in your ability to evaluate defensemen and you completely undermine those who have valid concerns about his play.

How do I lose credibility? Am I really wrong. He has been better than who??

Karlson/Methot have been better and they should be
Harpur seems very calm and poised

That already brings Ceci down to at least number 4. Claesson seems to be more aware of whats happening on the ice, and Phaneuf has at least provided some offence.

That's 5 d-man that have been better than Cody Ceci.

Not sure who he is shutting down, but he is lucky Andy made some sensational stops in the second or Ceci's game would have even looked worse.

Granted in OT, he looked much better. Hopefully that continues

 

[Knave]

LOL. Jeff O'Neill must know hockey more than everyone too. WAIT! Greg Millen played hockey as well, does that make him better than everyone else??

I have been watching hockey for 34 years of my life, just because you "played hockey at a high level" means you know hockey more than others?? That's the most ridiculous argument ever made.

In my 34 years of watching hockey, I have not seen too many d-men who look as lost as Cody Ceci does on a nightly basis. Why does he look lost?? Who knows, maybe he lays too many minutes, maybe he just isn't very good.

Yes, he is young, plays tough minutes, etc. BUT, he is lost. He was very good in OT on Saturday and I will admit that, he may have even saved a goal or two, but that doesn't make up all of the bad.

Will he be a good player? Hopefully, but right now he isn't.

But hey, what do I know, I only played Bantam BB.

I think I'd give more credibility to Jeff O'Neill than you after having listened to him and after reading your posts... at least when it comes to Ceci...

 

[Erik Alfredsson]

He's so good he's able to just switch on and off. This is where the discussion always gets silly. And it always starts with the ceci defenders.

He played bad. Then he played good. That's it. We've needed him on countless other occasions and he rarely "turned it on"

If you can't be neutral and give him credit when he earns it, then your opinion holds no weight.

Ceci's problem I find is that he thinks. There's no time for thinking in the playoffs, it takes too long. When he simplifies his game, and doesn't look for the perfect play, but the safe play, he's very good at what he does, as demonstrated by overtime. But he sometimes tries to think about what to do next, when he should just be reactive towards the puck, and trust his instincts.

 

[BondraTime]

How do I lose credibility? Am I really wrong. He has been better than who??

Karlson/Methot have been better and they should be
Harpur seems very calm and poised

That already brings Ceci down to at least number 4. Claesson seems to be more aware of whats happening on the ice, and Phaneuf has at least provided some offence.

That's 5 d-man that have been better than Cody Ceci.

Not sure who he is shutting down, but he is lucky Andy made some sensational stops in the second or Ceci's game would have even looked worse.

Granted in OT, he looked much better. Hopefully that continues

Yes, you are really wrong. Yes, you do lose credibility because there are things we should be criticizing Ceci for, that's just going overboard and using hyperbole to a ridiculous extent. And I don't mean to be a dick, but you're making yourself look very uneducated/unaware of things.

Yes, Claesson has looked better in his 14 mins in a double overtime game.....while getting very sheltered.

Ceci would be better suited in a different role, no doubt. But he is in that role because we literally have no one else who can play it. How would harpur have fared with 10 extra minutes, all much harder icetime than he received?

Claesson with 15 extra minutes, all much harder icetime than he faced?

I mean, common sense.

 

[Burrowsaurus]

If you can't be neutral and give him credit when he earns it, then your opinion holds no weight.

Ceci's problem I find is that he thinks. There's no time for thinking in the playoffs, it takes too long. When he simplifies his game, and doesn't look for the perfect play, but the safe play, he's very good at what he does, as demonstrated by overtime. But he sometimes tries to think about what to do next, when he should just be reactive towards the puck, and trust his instincts.

I quite literally make it be known every time ceci does a single play I find good.