The Devils have inked right winger Cam Squires to his entry-level contract, the team implied in an X post on Friday. It’ll be a three-year deal for the 19-year-old.
Squires has spent the past three seasons as one of the better offensive options for the QMJHL’s Cape Breton Eagles, where the Prince Edward Island native has totaled 79 goals and 91 assists for 170 points in 197 games. The 6’0″, 170-lb forward broke out for 30 goals and 64 points in 67 games in his draft year and improved to 33 goals and 72 points in 66 games last season.
New Jersey snagged Squires a tad later than some expected him to go in last year’s draft, taking him with their lone pick in the fourth round (No. 122). TSN’s Craig Button had him as the No. 87 prospect in the class, while FC Hockey had him at No. 95. In their 2023 NHL Draft Guide, Elite Prospects’ David St-Louis called him “an intelligent player, one who can intercept opposing plays and transform them into offense, make imaginative passing plays, fakes, and who can find openings in goalie’s coverage.” The scouting site listed his puck protection game and his overall agility as his biggest weaknesses.
Squires is still too young for a full-time AHL assignment, per the NHL’s transfer agreement with the CHL. He’s not projected to make a push for a roster spot out of camp in the fall, so he’ll likely be loaned back to Cape Breton for his final season of junior hockey. As such, his ELC will slide to 2025-26 and expire in the 2028 offseason, at which point he’ll be an RFA.