Faced with the decision of playing Division 3 hockey in the United States or at a Canadian college near his hometown, Jonathan Ceci took the no-brainer.
The former Estevan Bruin has earned a scholarship from Simon Fraser University, located in Burnaby, B.C.
The 21-year-old North Vancouver native will study business at SFU and said the school's academic reputation factored into his choice.
"It took a while there to figure out what I wanted to do and where I wanted to go. I had a couple of options and this was the best fit for me," said Ceci.
The Clan is coming off a British Columbia Intercollegiate Hockey League championship and looking south.
"They're trying to get their hockey program up and going into the NCAA and it's close to home for me, so it's exciting," Ceci said.
SFU's varsity programs have already joined the NCAA at the Division II level, the result of a 2008 decision allowing Canadian schools to apply for membership.
The school hasn't yet decided to enter its hockey program into the NCAA, but that could happen in the next few years.
Ceci said he had some offers from Division 3 schools as well as some club teams.
The playmaking centre is the latest in a group of SJHL stars not to receive Division 1 scholarships this season.
"The SJ in general doesn't have the type of scouting that the BCHL has, for whatever reason," he said.
That said, Ceci is looking forward to playing a key role for the Clan.
"They think I'm going to fit in nicely. Obviously nothing's going to be handed to me, but they think I'll jump into an offensive role and hopefully I can put up some numbers."
Ceci is the fifth former SJHL player to commit to Simon Fraser this off-season. The others are Taylor Piller (La Ronge), Trevor Milner (Notre Dame), Tony Oak (Battlefords) and Tyler Mah (Flin Flon).
