Height: 5’11”
Weight: 182 pounds
Date of birth: June 19, 1998, Toms River, NJ
Position: Defence
Shoots: Left
OHL Draft: Round 11, 214th overall, 2014 OHL Priority Selection
Don’t be deceived by the low draft pick in the OHL draft.
Dineen received a scholarship from Yale University and in November of 2013 had a verbal agreement to join them for the 2016-2017 season. With that commitment, OHL teams were doubtful whether Dineen would commit to the OHL and thus the low pick. By comparison, in 2014 he was a first round pick, 3rd overall in the USHL Futures Draft.
With his commitment to the Battalion, Dineen relinquished his NCAA eligibility.
Last season, Dineen played for the New Jersey Rockets of the Eastern Hockey League. There, he scored 11 goals and added 30 assists in 39 games and was named the EHL Rookie of the Year, led all defencemen in scoring and was named an all star. He also appeared in 3 games for Tri-City Storm of the USHL. He was a member of Team USA at the Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament contributing 2 assists in 4 games.
Dineen, in an interview on the Rocket’s web site had this to say about his signing with the Battalion:
“It was a hard decision to make because of my commitment and opportunities with Yale and Tri-City. But I truly believe the OHL, and North Bay, is where I need to be. It was the right decision for me, considering the competition and style of play.”
Just past the halfway mark of this his rookie OHL season, Dineen leads all defencemen in points on 6 goals and 27 assists in 37 games. Earlier this month, I named him draft eligible player of the month for December. A few days later, he was named OHL rookie of the month and OHL defenceman of the month for December. He’s also tied for second with Max Jones for points by a rookie, trailing only Alexander Nylander.
Once he appeared at the North Bay Battalion prospect’s camp, Dineen knew the OHL is where he wanted to be. As with almost all defencemen at this level, playing defensive hockey is almost always one area that needs improvement. The advantage that comes with playing in North Bay is that there may not be a better coach in the Canadian Hockey League than Stan Butler when it comes to teaching the defensive side of the game.
There is no questioning Dineen’s offensive game. He is one of the top defenders in the league at starting the rush. He can make a very good first pass out of the zone or he can skate it out with his quickness and agility. He possesses an almost effortless ability at jumping into the rush. Despite being a defensive coach, it appears that Butler has the utmost confidence in his abilities and has given him the green light.
Dineen is a very good powerplay quarterback. He sees the ice extremely well. He gains the zone with relative ease and can make tape to tape passes. If there is one thing he could do more of its shoot the puck. He can get the puck through bodies and it’s accurate and when he does shoot, it’s with a purpose.
Dineen may be considered a tad undersized, but if you believe the NHL is moving towards his type of defenceman, then Dineen has to be up there. He added some bulk and muscle in the offseason and trends to get stronger, which will help him more defensively.
Dineen was ranked as a C prospect on NHL Central Scouting’s preliminary list of players to watch and their updated November list. A C-prospect is considered a 4th, 5th or 6th round pick. That could change when the NHL releases its rankings later this month. He’s garnering attention and opening eyes.
Dineen wears number 4 in North Bay. He’s represented by Orr Hockey Group. Coincidence?
Cam Dineen first OHL goal
OHL Writers 