Senators snag D Cody Ceci with 15 overall pick

Most Ottawa Senators fans were hoping the team would draft a defenceman with their first-round choice in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, and they weren't to be disappointed on Friday night as the Ottawa Senators picked local boy Cody Ceci from the Ottawa 67s.

Ceci is bound to be a popular choice among local fans, both as an Ottawa native (he's from Orleans) and as someone local fans are very familiar with after his time with the 67s. He's an offensively-oriented defenceman who's got good size, and should fit in well on a blue line with Erik Karlsson. Ceci has been compared, stylistically at least, to Keith Yandle of the Phoenix Coyotes and to Michael Del Zotto of the New York Rangers.

After the jump, some videos featuring Ceci interviews and highlights, and more on what it means for the Sens...

Ceci, as you can see, grew up as a Senators fan--his photo with Daniel Alfredsson makes me jealous (when I was a kid, I had to take photos with Alexei Yashin, Alexandre Daigle, and Spartacat).

Ceci was a late riser in the draft rankings, and finished sixth overall among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting thanks to his 60P (17G, 43A) in 64GP this past season. And thanks to plays like these (sorry about the Billy Talent, you might want to hit mute)...

Although the Senators have a few holes on the back-end and Ceci has good size, it seems pretty unlikely he'll crack the Ottawa Senators lineup this season--although he'll still be playing at Scotiabank Place, so there's a chance he could make his NHL debut sooner rather than later (he might even get a nine-game tryout this season). I expect he'll play for the 67's during the season, compete for a spot on the Canadian junior team, and work on getting ready for a roster spot with the Sens as early as next season.

Even if he's not on the Sens' roster, Ottawa fans will get to see plenty of him, and that's bound to be popular.

If you're a 67s fan, how would you describe Ceci's game?

How do you feel with the Ottawa Senators drafting Cody Ceci?