Ceci hopes to lead Stars past Oilers, former team in West Final

DALLAS -- Cody Ceci was on the other side in the Western Conference Final last season, so it's understandable if the Dallas Stars defenseman is still getting used to seeing his opponent.

"Lot of friends on that side but we've been pretty quiet the last few weeks leading up to this," said Ceci, who played for the Edmonton Oilers from 2021-24. "I think we'll be quiet until the end of the series."

So, not even a dinner with everyone?

"No. That's too weird. The stakes are too high for that," he said.

The friendly chit-chat will wait as the Stars try to reverse last year's result in Game 1 against the Oilers at American Airlines Center on Wednesday (8 p.m. ET; ESPN+, ESPN, SN, TVAS, CBC).

The Stars could pick Ceci's brain on their opponent, who eliminated them in six games in last year's conference final. Granted, some of the main challenges with the Oilers are well known to the Stars, starting with star forwards Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.

McDavid leads Edmonton with 17 points (three goals, 14 assists); Draisaitl is next with 16 points (five goals, 11 assists), each in 11 Stanley Cup Playoff games.

Asked if he has an advantage of playing against those two, given he knows them so well, Ceci said, "maybe a little bit."

"But at the same time, they're still as good as they are, and it's going to be just as tough of a job as anyone else faces," he said. "So definitely, just got to be aware of where they are and what they're up to."

But it's not just those two. Six other Oilers have seven points or more this postseason, bringing more balance to their production.

"I think this year they seem to be using more of their lineup, using their depth more and their depth has been helping them out, getting some key goals for them," Ceci said. "That's the biggest difference, is they're getting some help from everyone and everyone's just focusing a little more on defending."

The No. 15 pick by the Ottawa Senators in the 2012 NHL Draft, Ceci has 235 points (52 goals, 183 assists) in 871 career games with the Senators, Toronto Maple Leafs, Pittsburgh Penguins, Oilers, San Jose Sharks and Stars.

"I mean anywhere he plays he's going to be successful," Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner said of Ceci. "He's a big body (6-foot-3, 210 pounds) that knows how to play the game in a really smart, educated way. He just plays a really intelligent game. He's smart with the puck, makes the right decisions, great first pass, sees the open guy, he gets gritty in the corners, good guy to have on the [penalty kill]. So he really does do it all in the [defensive] zone and yeah, again, he's just really smart."

The Oilers traded Ceci to the Sharks on Aug. 18 and Dallas acquired him from San Jose, with forward Mikael Granlund, on Feb. 1. Ceci had nine assists in 31 regular-season games for the Stars and has three assists in 13 playoff games with them.

"He's been huge for us," Dallas defenseman Thomas Harley said. "Since Day 1 when he came in, he's played 23, 24 minutes a night against the opponent's top lines and he's done it really well. Him and Esa (Lindell) have become our shut-down pair. That frees me up to take some other assignments."

Ceci's made a few moves since last summer, but he's in a good place now and ready to help the Stars get back to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 2020.

"It's always tough coming into a new room but these guys have been very welcoming," Ceci said. "We have a great group, great hockey team. It's nice to get a chance to play some playoff hockey again."