North Bay Battalion rookie defenceman Cam Dineen is having a great season to say the least.
Dineen has been named both the Rookie of the Month and the Defenceman of the Month for December, the Ontario Hockey League announced Wednesday.
Dineen, 17, leads OHL defencemen in scoring with 33 points, on six goals and a league-high 27 assists among rearguards, from 36 games. He’s tied for second place in rookie scoring, with left winger Max Jones of the London Knights, behind right winger Alexander Nylander of the Mississauga Steelheads.
“It’s obviously a huge honour to receive these awards,” said Dineen to battalionhockey.com.
“There are many great players this year and in the past that have earned this recognition. My coaches have pushed me to be the best I can be, and my teammates have taken me in and treated me great.
“There is still a long way to go, but I’m very happy and proud to get these awards.”
A resident of Toms River, N.J., Dineen registered two goals, 12 assists and 14 points in 10 December games, including a four-point performance with one goal and three assists in a 6-2 home-ice win over Mississauga last Thursday.
He is also expected to be the first Battalion player taken in this summers NHL Entry Draft.
Dineen, who had at least one point in eight games during December, helped North Bay's power play rise to seventh-ranked in the league, as six points came with the man advantage. He’s tied for fourth place in the league with 16 power-play assists.
The five-foot-11, 182-pound blueliner saw a seven-game points streak, during which he scored one goal and earned nine assists, end in a 4-2 loss Dec. 29 to the host Owen Sound Attack.
Dineen was an 11th-round choice, 214th overall, in the 2014 OHL Priority Selection from the New Jersey Rockets program.
