Prospect Info: Cam Squires (#122 Pick - 4th round - 2023 Draft)

[StevenToddIves]

Who has the better shot at making it to the NHL, though? Him or Ham'N Eggers(I mean Hameenaho)?

I'd say Squires right now because he's at least an average skater. Devils drafted Squires a bit later than he deserved to go, but Hameenaho was probably drafted about 70-80 picks too early. I like them both because they're both really smart, character kids. But you also need to look at a player's upside and chances of reaching the NHL.

 

[devilsblood]

Little something on Cam.

Devils May Have Struck Gold With 4th Round Pick Cam Squires - The Hockey Writers New Jersey Devils Latest News, Analysis & More

The New Jersey Devils may have struck gold and found a real hidden gem with 2023 fourth-round pick Cam Squires.

thehockeywriters.com

Point production rates mirroring Mercer's in their respective first 2 years in the Q is interesting. Edit: That was Mercer's D-2 and D-1 years, but Cam's D-1 and draft year. So not apple's to apples, but Mercer was 6 months older.

 

[My3Sons]

Little something on Cam.

Devils May Have Struck Gold With 4th Round Pick Cam Squires - The Hockey Writers New Jersey Devils Latest News, Analysis & More

The New Jersey Devils may have struck gold and found a real hidden gem with 2023 fourth-round pick Cam Squires.

thehockeywriters.com

Point production rates mirroring Mercer's in their respective first 2 years in the Q is interesting. Edit: That was Mercer's D-2 and D-1 years, but Cam's D-1 and draft year. So not apple's to apples, but Mercer was 6 months older.

Our own @Jason MacIsaac is quoted in that article. Who knew we had a second published author among us?

 

[devilsblood]

Our own @Jason MacIsaac is quoted in that article. Who knew we had a second published author among us?

Good catch, I missed it, will have to reread.

 

[Jason MacIsaac]

Little something on Cam.

Devils May Have Struck Gold With 4th Round Pick Cam Squires - The Hockey Writers New Jersey Devils Latest News, Analysis & More

The New Jersey Devils may have struck gold and found a real hidden gem with 2023 fourth-round pick Cam Squires.

thehockeywriters.com

Point production rates mirroring Mercer's in their respective first 2 years in the Q is interesting. Edit: That was Mercer's D-2 and D-1 years, but Cam's D-1 and draft year. So not apple's to apples, but Mercer was 6 months older.

In Canada you play with your birth year all the way up minor hockey. Squires draft year and Mercer's D-1 should be compared to one another much more than both their draft years. I can't say for certain if it is the same in Europe.

 

[StevenToddIves]

In Canada you play with your birth year all the way up minor hockey. Squires draft year and Mercer's D-1 should be compared to one another much more than both their draft years. I can't say for certain if it is the same in Europe.

Nice article, though I hate when they compare players based on stats alone. Mercer and Squires have very little in common aside from elite hockey IQs and very good shots.

 

[devilsblood]

In Canada you play with your birth year all the way up minor hockey. Squires draft year and Mercer's D-1 should be compared to one another much more than both their draft years. I can't say for certain if it is the same in Europe.

I'd say it's somewhere in the middle.

But because Squires does have a birthday on the other side of the new year, he, unlike Mercer is not eligible to play in the AHL after his "junior" year in the Q. Which the article kind of alludes to.

Though I don't think it matters as Squires, given his slight frame, will likely benefit for 2 more years in the Q, plus at least a year in the A.

The article didn't answer the question in your tweet though? Did you dig into it at all?

Nice article, though I hate when they compare players based on stats alone. Mercer and Squires have very little in common aside from elite hockey IQs and very good shots.

Well it didn't, so don't sweat it.

 

[Jason MacIsaac]

Our own @Jason MacIsaac is quoted in that article. Who knew we had a second published author among us?

I'd say it's somewhere in the middle.

But because Squires does have a birthday on the other side of the new year, he, unlike Mercer is not eligible to play in the AHL after his "junior" year in the Q. Which the article kind of alludes to.

Though I don't think it matters as Squires, given his slight frame, will likely benefit for 2 more years in the Q, plus at least a year in the A.

The article didn't answer the question in your tweet though? Did you dig into it at all?


Well it didn't, so don't sweat it.

Not really, Toffoli was around 15% in his draft year and I stopped the search there haha

 

[devilsblood]

Not really, Toffoli was around 15% in his draft year and I stopped the search there haha

Easton Cowan, RW who went late in the first round of this years draft had 20 goals, good for 6th on the team, I don't know the % of team goals but I doubt it's higher then Squires.

Ritchie who went one spot ahead of Cowan, scored 24 in 59 games, good for 4th on the team. So again I doubt it's higher(at least significantly) then Squires.

Both those guys were in the OHL.

So yeah Squires does compare well in that regard to a couple late first rounders.

Gauthier, early 2nd, also in the Q, had 30 in 66, like Squire good for 3rd on the team, but Gauthier had a couple team mates in the 40's, where as the team leader for Cape had 33. So again, on this comparison Squires fares well.

 

[StevenToddIves]

I'd say it's somewhere in the middle.

But because Squires does have a birthday on the other side of the new year, he, unlike Mercer is not eligible to play in the AHL after his "junior" year in the Q. Which the article kind of alludes to.

Though I don't think it matters as Squires, given his slight frame, will likely benefit for 2 more years in the Q, plus at least a year in the A.

The article didn't answer the question in your tweet though? Did you dig into it at all?


Well it didn't, so don't sweat it.

No, actually it did. From the article posted -- the article had it in boldface, not me:


"Dawson Mercer, Freshman QMJHL Season: 26 Points in 61 GP (0.43 P/G)
Cam Squires, Freshman QMJHL Season: 34 Points in 64 GP (0.53 P/G)
Dawson Mercer, Sophomore QMJHL Season: 64 Points in 68 GP (0.94 P/G)
Cam Squires, Sophomore QMJHL Season: 64 Points in 67 GP (0.95 P/G)
Dawson Mercer, Subsequently in QMJHL: 95 Points in 65 GP (1.46 P/G)
Cam Squires, Subsequently in QMJHL: TBD"

Also, from the same article:

"There are good reasons that Squires could be a breakout candidate, like Mercer once was. First, he has yet to gain substantial muscle mass and will likely train hard this offseason to work on that. Additionally, he has been overlooked on a very poor Eagles team that has gone 44-81-7-4 since he arrived. Despite that, the Eagles were able to sneak into the playoffs this year but got swept by Nico Hischier’s former squad, the Halifax Mooseheads. Still, Squires led the team in playoff points, with six points in four games.

It would not be surprising to see the club make a better run at the playoffs next season with Squires at the forefront. If it’s anything like Mercer’s 17-point postseason run in 2021, it will be a thing of beauty. It also makes you wonder how many points Squires could have put up on a better team, such as Halifax."

The article also begins by lauding Squires' statistical output with Cape Breton, so there's that.

If you want to debate my opinions, that's cool. I'm far from flawless in my many hockey observations and projections. But let's try to keep attempted take-downs of me factual, so as not to confuse anyone, and if it's factual I promise not to sweat it.

 

[OmNomNom]

if our QMJHL scout identified mercer, then i'll trust him on squires for now

 

[devilsblood]

No, actually it did. From the article posted -- the article had it in boldface, not me:


"Dawson Mercer, Freshman QMJHL Season: 26 Points in 61 GP (0.43 P/G)
Cam Squires, Freshman QMJHL Season: 34 Points in 64 GP (0.53 P/G)
Dawson Mercer, Sophomore QMJHL Season: 64 Points in 68 GP (0.94 P/G)
Cam Squires, Sophomore QMJHL Season: 64 Points in 67 GP (0.95 P/G)
Dawson Mercer, Subsequently in QMJHL: 95 Points in 65 GP (1.46 P/G)
Cam Squires, Subsequently in QMJHL: TBD"

Also, from the same article:

"There are good reasons that Squires could be a breakout candidate, like Mercer once was. First, he has yet to gain substantial muscle mass and will likely train hard this offseason to work on that. Additionally, he has been overlooked on a very poor Eagles team that has gone 44-81-7-4 since he arrived. Despite that, the Eagles were able to sneak into the playoffs this year but got swept by Nico Hischier’s former squad, the Halifax Mooseheads. Still, Squires led the team in playoff points, with six points in four games.

It would not be surprising to see the club make a better run at the playoffs next season with Squires at the forefront. If it’s anything like Mercer’s 17-point postseason run in 2021, it will be a thing of beauty. It also makes you wonder how many points Squires could have put up on a better team, such as Halifax."

The article also begins by lauding Squires' statistical output with Cape Breton, so there's that.

If you want to debate my opinions, that's cool. I'm far from flawless in my many hockey observations and projections. But let's try to keep attempted take-downs of me factual, so as not to confuse anyone, and if it's factual I promise not to sweat it.

The article mentioned their size and hockey iq as well. It wasn’t a pure stat comparison.

 

[Guttersniped]

No, actually it did. From the article posted -- the article had it in boldface, not me:


"Dawson Mercer, Freshman QMJHL Season: 26 Points in 61 GP (0.43 P/G)
Cam Squires, Freshman QMJHL Season: 34 Points in 64 GP (0.53 P/G)
Dawson Mercer, Sophomore QMJHL Season: 64 Points in 68 GP (0.94 P/G)
Cam Squires, Sophomore QMJHL Season: 64 Points in 67 GP (0.95 P/G)
Dawson Mercer, Subsequently in QMJHL: 95 Points in 65 GP (1.46 P/G)
Cam Squires, Subsequently in QMJHL: TBD"

Also, from the same article:

"There are good reasons that Squires could be a breakout candidate, like Mercer once was. First, he has yet to gain substantial muscle mass and will likely train hard this offseason to work on that. Additionally, he has been overlooked on a very poor Eagles team that has gone 44-81-7-4 since he arrived. Despite that, the Eagles were able to sneak into the playoffs this year but got swept by Nico Hischier’s former squad, the Halifax Mooseheads. Still, Squires led the team in playoff points, with six points in four games.

It would not be surprising to see the club make a better run at the playoffs next season with Squires at the forefront. If it’s anything like Mercer’s 17-point postseason run in 2021, it will be a thing of beauty. It also makes you wonder how many points Squires could have put up on a better team, such as Halifax."

The article also begins by lauding Squires' statistical output with Cape Breton, so there's that.

If you want to debate my opinions, that's cool. I'm far from flawless in my many hockey observations and projections. But let's try to keep attempted take-downs of me factual, so as not to confuse anyone, and if it's factual I promise not to sweat it.

It’s kind of amusing lined up:

That’s a weird coincidence, only one other player has ever had that stat line in the QMJHL according to my search in Elite Prospects. (It was the 18 year old Francis Verreault-Paul in 2005-06.)

It’s just 0.96 in the QMJHL at 17, which is nice but just points to a guy with a good chance to play pro hockey at some level.

Here’s where he was playing in the line up.

Spoiler: Here’s where he’s been in the line-up

Now sign Ivan Ivan Fitz/Dan for Utica! We deserve nice things.

Spoiler: Goals! Goals! Goals! 13 under here

 

[My3Sons]

It’s kind of amusing lined up:


View attachment 727748


That’s a weird coincidence, only one other player has ever had that stat line in the QMJHL according to my search in Elite Prospects. (It was the 18 year old Francis Verreault-Paul in 2005-06.)

It’s just 0.96 in the QMJHL at 17, which is nice but just points to a guy with a good chance to play pro hockey at some level.

Here’s where he was playing in the line up.

Spoiler: Here’s where he’s been in the line-up

Now sign Ivan Ivan Fitz/Dan for Utica! We deserve nice things.

Spoiler: Goals! Goals! Goals! 13 under here

Look at how Mercer just took off after that trade. It's a tall order asking Squires to replicate that despite his pacing Mercer in the past.

 

[Guadana]

 

[evnted]

nifty little move on the OT winner for his 2nd of the game

 

[Devs3cups]

Here’s his first goal, lmfao

 

[PizzaAndPucks]

10 points in 8 games to start the year so far. Not bad. Let's see how he does this year. For a 4th round pick I'm liking this one so far.

 

[PizzaAndPucks]

Scored this beauty on Friday

 

[Devs3cups]

Squires wins it in the SO!

 

[evnted]

also caught the cape breton game today. ive seen a decent amount of squires in passing while looking at a couple 2024 eligibles and have largely been happy with his game, including earlier in the season when the points were coming more sporadically. i anticipated a full game viewing being just as good.

- all the calling cards of his game are still very apparent. lots of smart reads and decision making with the puck, good engagement, 200ft effort, willing to get in the mix physically and play the dirty areas, a pretty effective playmaking game
- i think his top speed is a bit faster (still not amazing overall) and his handling has shown improvement. seems more willing to try a move off the entry for example (as opposed to, say, just powering up the boards)
- i can tell when hes out there most shifts. that isnt to say hes having some profound impact every time he touches the ice, but inevitably ill see him make some sort of positive play like a nice defensive stick. he doesnt really slip into the background
- puck movement seems extra crisp today. generally tape to tape, willing to slip it through traffic. good mix of short/small area movement and more abitious stretch pass attempts. linemates arent doing much with it but hes getting pucks off quickly. lots of good ideas esp off the rush. cape breton lacks a true catalyst up front and squires is trying to play the part of one
- stick checking has also stood out. seems like hes constantly getting a touch on the puck when he gets near an opposing puck carrier
- feels like squires has gotten the immediate next shift after every goal, for or against, except for the gwg (which he was out for). i dont know if this is coincidence or even a thing, but i thought i saw it happen enough to call out. nice endorsement from the coaching staff if true, shows they trust him to either flip momentum or maintain it
- couple near misses, both by his team and himself, kept him off the scoresheet today. game was better than his stat line would indicate
- if im finding something to complain about, i think he can unlock an even higher compete level. im always hesitant to suggest something like this because its far from an issue (there was really only one halifax attempt he got kinda lax on), but a player like this can only be benefitted by having his motor dialed that much higher, particularly off puck.

the reason i emphasized his character in my original writeup is that i like to believe kids who are grounded and really care will find a way to hit in some capacity. we dont get the benefit of coach/teammate interviews as hobbyists, so this this type of stuff (along with something like body language) is about as close as we can get to personality scouting. im seeing someone who is willing to chip in wherever he can to help his team out, and i like that we bet on that

should note the eagles are BAD bad offensively this year, like one of the lowest scoring teams in all of the canadian junior leagues. squires hovering around 1ppg again might not look like great progress, esp in the Q, but factoring in his teams drop off in scoring from last year, i think theres still reason to be pretty happy. not to mention, he does pass the eye test. all things considered, i think this pick is tracking well so far

 

[Hockey Sports Fan]

should note the eagles are BAD bad offensively this year, like one of the lowest scoring teams in all of the canadian junior leagues. squires hovering around 1ppg again might not look like great progress, esp in the Q, but factoring in his teams drop off in scoring from last year, i think theres still reason to be pretty happy. not to mention, he does pass the eye test. all things considered, i think this pick is tracking well so far

I’ve been trying to keep an eye on Squires (and Filmon) this season cuz i feel like they’ll have good shots to be depth forwards when the Devils are forced to make some tough cap decisions in the near-ish future.

One thing i noticed from box score-watching is that Squires is leading Cape Breton in points per game despite the team being pretty weak offensively. Both Cape Breton’s top two forwards from last season went pro, and it doesn’t look like they brought in anyone else with game breaking talent.

So it can be a good sign that Squires is standing out despite not being as skilled as most other teams’ best scorers, or you can wonder if he should be putting up more points getting the sort of opportunities he’s getting. He won’t be able to go pro for a few years, it’ll be interesting to see if he gets traded to a better team before he’s AHL eligible.

 

[devilsblood]

I’ve been trying to keep an eye on Squires (and Filmon) this season cuz i feel like they’ll have good shots to be depth forwards when the Devils are forced to make some tough cap decisions in the near-ish future.

One thing i noticed from box score-watching is that Squires is leading Cape Breton in points per game despite the team being pretty weak offensively. Both Cape Breton’s top two forwards from last season went pro, and it doesn’t look like they brought in anyone else with game breaking talent.

So it can be a good sign that Squires is standing out despite not being as skilled as most other teams’ best scorers, or you can wonder if he should be putting up more points getting the sort of opportunities he’s getting. He won’t be able to go pro for a few years, it’ll be interesting to see if he gets traded to a better team before he’s AHL eligible.

Goal leader by a decent stretch as well(he has 18, next is 12).

So the goals have ticked up slightly yoy, which is good, and while the assists have ticked down slightly, the lack of capable goal scorers on his team certainly plays into that.

All in all context helps explain why his overall point production has not ticked up yoy.

 

[evnted]

I’ve been trying to keep an eye on Squires (and Filmon) this season cuz i feel like they’ll have good shots to be depth forwards when the Devils are forced to make some tough cap decisions in the near-ish future.

One thing i noticed from box score-watching is that Squires is leading Cape Breton in points per game despite the team being pretty weak offensively. Both Cape Breton’s top two forwards from last season went pro, and it doesn’t look like they brought in anyone else with game breaking talent.

So it can be a good sign that Squires is standing out despite not being as skilled as most other teams’ best scorers, or you can wonder if he should be putting up more points getting the sort of opportunities he’s getting. He won’t be able to go pro for a few years, it’ll be interesting to see if he gets traded to a better team before he’s AHL eligible.

yes definitely. feels like hes being asked to shoulder a bit more of the offensive load than youd really anticipate for a player of his style/skillset, and again, its not to say he isnt trying to live up to that role. saw a stat last week that he has one of the highest percentage of team goals in the Q, factoring in on about 1/5 of them (or maybe a smidge lower now since he didnt pot one in that 4-2 win)

 

[PizzaAndPucks]

Back to back game winning goals for the Eagles. This overtime goal from yesterday was nice.

His offensive production is pacing roughly the same as it was last year but I take it his team isn't very great.