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With the Twelfth Pick in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, Buffalo Selects...

June 15, 2012, 3:06 PM ET [27 Comments]
Brian Huddle
CHL and NHL Prospects • RSSArchiveCONTACT



13. Brendan Gaunce
14. Zemgus Girgensons
15. Olli Määttä
16. Tom Wilson
17. Sebastian Collberg
18. Matt Finn
19. Andrei Vasilevski
20. Slater Koekkoek
21. Henrik Samuelsson
22. Derrick Pouliot
23. Tomas Hertl
24. Hampus Lindholm
25. Nicolas Kerdiles
26. Scott Laughton
27. Ludvig Bystrom
28. Cristoval 'Boo' Nieves
29. Oscar Dansk
30. Malcolm Subban

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After so much promise, Buffalo saw two different seasons as they struggled out of the gate before falling short of the playoffs. With a big budget in place, and an owner willing to do anything or spend anything to win, Buffalo has promise, which includes the likes of core players in Tyler Myers, Ryan Miller and the promising Cody Hodgson.

"With the twelfth pick in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, Buffalo is proud to welcome, from the Ottawa 67's of the Ontario Hockey League: Cody Ceci."



The development of Ceci has been unreal this past season, going from an afterthought to one of the most touted prospects and one of the best defenders in the entire OHL. Standing at six-foot-two (and a half) and 210 lbs, Ceci has NHL size to go with his arsenal of two-way abilities. When describing Ceci, all you can say is "steady as she comes."

Ceci's skating has improved tenfold this year, become a mobile skater in all directions and focusing on his footwork and speed. He's aggresive with the puck and will skate it out of danger and begin a transition on the offense, using the rush to do some damage.

Offensively, Ceci has also grown a lot this year. He posses a very heavy and accurate shot from the point and clocked in quite a few goals with it. He shows good puck skills and can handle the puck well in thwarting checkers. From the point he's shown more offensive awareness and can create opportunities for his teammates. That being said, he's not overly dynamic and creative, just a very opportune offensive defender.

Defensively Ceci is a rock, utilizing his large frame and an active stick in angling opponents properly. He maintains gaps and doesn't give his opponents much time before it's off their stick and onto his own. Physically Ceci needs to get meaner. He tends to lay off destroying opponents when presented with the opportunity. While it's admirable to see... a "killer instinct" could go along way with him.

While some question if his offensive abilities will translate at the rate he's shown in junior, Ceci still brings a lot of nice tools to the table defensively to think he'll play in the NHL one day.
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