The Ottawa 67's have been out of it for weeks, and didn't shy away from telegraphing a move like this was possible. Days ago Tyler Graovac was moved to Belleville, and this afternoon Cody Ceci was traded to the Owen Sound Attack:
Cody Ceci, Steven Janes, and 3rd round pick have been traded to Owen Sound for Jacob Middleton and Joseph Blandisi >>> ow.ly/gBY7A
— Ottawa 67's (@Ottawa67sHockey) January 7, 2013
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Ceci played 238 games for the 67's through four seasons, scoring 41 goals, 105 assists and added 20 points in 34 postseason contests.
The Ottawa native taken 15th overall by the Senators in the 2012 draft and was named co-captain of the 67's with Sean Monahan in September. And while Ceci's production has been solid – 40 points in 42 games, the team around him has struggled (this graph gives you some idea just how bad a possession team they are), the 67's currently sit last in the OHL. There was also some surprise when Ceci was not invited to the Canadian WJC camp, a decision that puzzled many inside and outside Ottawa.
A trade to a contender was the best thing that could of happened for his development. In comments to the Citizen today, Ceci relayed the Senators were expressing the same sentiment:
"I talked with the Senators about the potential for a trade and they seemed to think it was better for me to play on a contender than finish here so I'm happy that a lot of people agree on that."
The London Knights are the class of the OHL, but Owen Sound is right there in the next tier. Ceci will give them a boost and vice versa. Unfortunately the Senators 2012 third-round pick Jarrod Maidens remains out of the Attack lineup, so it's unlikely we'll see them playing together during this stint.
There was some question whether the Senators would invite Ceci to a shortened training camp (likely to start Saturday), though Bryan Murray in comments to the Team1200 today said he would be attending.
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