The Michigan Daily

Fantasy Summary

Secure, well-rounded bottom-pairing defenseman with upside to become a number four guy.


Observations

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March 2019 – After Michigan’s season came to an end, the Dallas Stars signed 2015 fifth-round pick Joseph Cecconi to a two-year entry level contract. Cecconi will report to Texas (AHL) and finish the season on an amateur tryout with the Stars. In his fourth season with Michigan, Cecconi registered three goals and 20 points in 36 games. He is a large defender who plays a stay-at-home style. While on a pairing with Quinn Hughes, Cecconi played a much more defensive role which allowed Hughes to jump into the play offensively. He has a good active stick and is strong on the penalty kill. In 2016-17, he played a large role on the gold-medal winning United States World Junior team. His defensive skills are intensified by his strong hockey IQ and he has the ability to predict plays and intercept passes. He also displays strong positioning which helps him in the defensive zone. If he continues to develop, he has the potential to play in the Stars’ top four. Brandon Floyd

April 2018 – Joseph Cecconi made the University of Michigan roster as an 18 years old. At the time, only 4 other NCAA defensemen were younger then him. Pretty impressive for a 5th round pick but not that surprising considering how his game was described in his draft year. Cecconi was said to be a reliable mobile stay-at-home defenseman known for staying calm with the puck and his high hockey IQ. The potential and the skills were there to hope for more offensively from him if given the opportunities. The Youngstown NY native had a very good 2016-2017 campaign and he was rewarded by representing his country at the WJC. Following his sophomore season, he was awarded the Vic Heyliger Award for Michigan’s most outstanding defenseman. Since then, his confidence grew quite a bit and his game has evolved more into a two-way type defenseman. When Quinn Hughes came back from the WJC, they were paired together and the rest is history. Hughes benefited from Cecconi presence and exploded in the second half of the season. The same can be said for Cecconi. He tripled his production from the previous season. From mid January to the end of the calendar, he recorded 13 pts in 15 games while averaging 2.7 shots per game. Jean-Philippe Macoul

Attributes
Fantasy Upside 4.5
NHL Certainty 6.0
Country USA
Position D
Roster Type Minors
Shoot/Glove Right
Date of Birth May 23, 1997
Height 6‘2”
Weight 209 lbs
Drafted 2015 Round 5; Overall: 133

Stats

 Season Team League GP G A TP PIM      Playoffs GP G A TP PIM 
 2012-2013 Buffalo Jr. Sabres 16U AAAT1EHL 16U40 1 89 14|Playoffs4 1 01
  Buffalo Jr. Sabres 18U AAAT1EHL 18U4 0 00 2|Playoffs3 0 00
 2013-2014 Buffalo Jr. Sabres 16U AAAT1EHL 16U34 10 919 31|        
  Muskegon Lumberjacks USHL28 2 46 8|        
 2014-2015 Muskegon Lumberjacks USHL60 3 1417 35|Playoffs12 0 22
  Team Orange USA-S175 0 22 -|        
  USA U18Hlinka Gretzky Cup5 0 00 4|        
 2015-2016 Univ. of MichiganNCAA38 0 77 16|        
 2016-2017 Univ. of MichiganNCAA33 1 78 18|        
  USA U20WJC-207 0 22 0|        
 2017-2018 Univ. of MichiganNCAA40 5 2227 43|        
 2018-2019 Univ. of MichiganNCAA36 3 1720 26|        
  Texas StarsAHL8 0 22 0|        
 2019-2020 Texas StarsAHL54 0 55 14|        
 2020-2021 Texas StarsAHL37 3 58 30|        
 2021-2022 Texas StarsAHL65 1 1516 52|Playoffs2 0 00
 2022-2023 Texas StarsAHL12 0 22 10|        
  Rochester AmericansAHL41 3 58 20|Playoffs14 2 35 22 
 2023-2024 Rochester AmericansAHL53 1 910 43|        

Highlights