IMAGE INFORMATION
EditRamo Peter (Ray) Ceresino - Born April 24, 1929 in Port Arthur, Ontario – Died May 1, 2015 in San Diego, California was a Canadian ice Hockey left winger.
Ceresino joined the Port Arthur Bruins as a 15-year-old star player from Northern Ontario in 1944-45. In ten games with the club, he scored a remarkable 17 goals and 23 points.
After another year in Port Arthur, Ceresino joined the Ontario Hockey Association / OHA's Oshawa Generals for the 1946-47 season. In 28 games with the Generals, he recorded 24 goals and 53 points to place 7th in league scoring. Ceresino played one more season for the Generals. He then signed a pro contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs at the age of 19, and played for their farm team, the American Hockey League / AHL's Pittsburgh Hornets during the 1948-49 season, and produced at a point per game pace over the first 22 games of 1948 before his chance to play for the Maple Leafs came.
Ceresino would have the honour of skating alongside future Hall of Famer Max Bentley in his stint with the Maple Leafs. In fact his one and only NHL goal was assisted by Bentley and proved to be the winning mark against the Boston Bruins on December 12, 1948.
Ceresino lasted 12 games with the Maple Leafs before being returned to Pittsburgh on Jan 3, 1949. He finished his rookie professional season in the AHL with 22 goals and 38 points in 47 games. He was traded at the start of the following season to the Cleveland Barons along with Harry Taylor and the loan of Tod Sloan for Bob Solinger. He remained in Cleveland for five years. His best AHL season came in 1952-53 while a member of the Barons, when he notched 23 goals and 58 points.
Ceresino was also a member of three Calder Cup winning teams in Cleveland in 1951, 1953 and 1954.
Ceresino also made brief career stops with the AHL's Providence Reds (1954-55), the QHL's Montreal Royals and the WHL's Victoria Cougars (1955-56) before finishing out his pro career with the Sault Ste. Marie Indians of the Northern Ontario Hockey Association in 1956-57.