Tynan Lawrence
2026 NHL Draft Eligible
Position: C, Shoots: L
H/W: 6-foot-0, 185 pounds
Date of Birth: 2008-08-03
Tynan Lawrence is a coach’s dream. He’s a mobile, responsible, two-way center that can play in any situation – exactly the kind of player that teams covet early in the draft. Yet, in the middle of the most important season of his young career, Lawrence made a bold decision that could affect just how high he gets picked.
Lawrence turned heads last year as a 16-year-old in the USHL. He piled up 54 points in 57 games during the regular season, before leading his team to a championship with 18 points in 14 playoff games. The sky seemed to be the limit for a player who only turned 17 last August.
Except, certain limits started to set in. Lawrence had a solid Hlinka Gretzky showing, and the hype train stayed in motion. However, a pre-season injury kept him out of the lineup for weeks to start his draft year. Lawrence looked like himself when he came back – a transition machine that simply out paces the opposition – but a new reality began setting in. Was Lawrence being adequately challenged in a diminished USHL thanks to the ripple effects of NCAA eligibility expansion?
Enter Boston University. The Terriers announced just 13 games into Lawrence’s USHL season that he would be joining them. In an instant, Lawrence went from a dominant force in the USHL, to an extremely young freshman facing competition that is more mature in age and in physicality.
The decision yielded mixed results. Lawrence’s gifts remain obvious: an intelligent, supportive center that B.U. trusted immediately. The 17-year-old was outmatched despite the significant increase in competition, and that alone is noteworthy. Other draft eligibles making the leap to college also needed time to adapt this season.
Time is now of the essence, though. While others shined with more experience, Lawrence’s stock has dipped as his production did. Whether this was all an adaptation period, or a sign of things to come remains to be seen. Lawrence will likely have one final chance to prove his worth and hype at the upcoming U18’s; he should be a go-to player for Canada at the event. Through it all, there remains a very intriguing prospect worthy of further analysis.
Skating
Lawrence currently grades as an average skater, but with time, he could become above average.
The freshman pivot is a unique skater. He mainly uses forward cross-overs – where one skate “crosses over” the other – to get around the ice. Consequently, he expends less energy, allowing him to stay fresh late into shifts. He easily accesses both his inside and outside edges, which gives him a seemingly effortless glide. These mechanics allow Lawrence to be in near-constant motion, an important trait as a center.
Yet, the basics of Lawrence’s skating are not as advanced. He rarely gets into his forward stride, and when he does, it lacks depth and power. In tight areas, he has not shown the quick stop-and-start ability needed to evade contact. His NCAA footage already reveals that this lack of power makes it harder to separate against bigger and faster competition, where the margins are much smaller. Pro hockey will present the same issues.
The strengths in Lawrence’s skating ability are uncommon, while the weaknesses can, and are likely to improve. Time spent working on his strength and power should remedy the current lack of explosiveness. With the proper development program, this should be an area of strength for him down the line.
Lawrence is number 11 with the white stick in all clips.
As the trailer on the power play, Lawrence is able to exploit flat footed penalty killers thanks to this speed.
Lawrence is able to quickly build up speed with crossovers, but this fades as he gets into his forward stride.
Another example of how Lawrence’s forward crossovers allow him to attack in unconventional patterns.
Lawrence builds up speed here, but doesn’t have the agility to punch turn, instead settling for a glide.
Grade: 55
SHOT
Lawrence’s shot currently grades as average, and unlike his skating, has less obvious upside.
The now BU center found clever ways to get his shot off in the USHL. He would feint before receiving the puck, freezing his defender and allowing him to step into an open shooting lane. Off the rush, he favors hesitation sequences to unload, cutting to the middle before popping the puck into open space. These shot patterns should translate to the NHL and allow Lawrence to get shots through, though likely not at the same rate as in the USHL.
Lawrence’s shot selection can be problematic. He loves to challenge goalies short side from the left side of the ice, trying to pick the smallest corner. The issue here is that Lawrence does not have the pinpoint accuracy needed to justify these low value shots, which often end up as “reverse breakouts” for the other team.
The shot also isn’t the most fluid. Lawrence doesn’t get much twitch on his release and rarely looks to change the angle of his shot from a standstill position. His hands often appear locked into his hip, preventing him from really getting proper flexion on his shaft.
Shooting coaches are so widespread nowadays that Lawrence should improve a bit in this category, but the overall mechanical deficiencies and poor shot selection likely prevent him from being more than an average shooter in the NHL.
Lawrence does well to sell a shot fake before stepping into more dangerous ice, but lacks the quick twitch on his shot to get it through sticks.
Smart shot by Lawrence here as he recognizes traffic in front, and unloads a powerful shot that hits the outside of the frame. However, there’s not much deception in his release point.
Lawrence forces a shot through traffic, doing little to sell the shot before changing the angle. This was in the USHL when time and space was much more available than in the NCAA.
Grade: 52.5
SKILLS
Lawrence’s skills are mostly average, though his skating allows him to make use of them at a higher rate than most other prospects.
The issues with Lawrence’s skills mirror those in his shot mechanics. His hands seem “locked” together, as he rarely has both hands out in front of his body, which allows for greater dexterity and range for puckhandling. Instead, his top hand is closer to his hip, which limits what he can do with the puck.
He rarely breaks down defenders one-on-one, with the majority of his one-on-one success in the USHL being driven by his skating. To his credit, he can take clever angles off the rush, selling an attack in one direction before cutting back the other way.
That being said, Lawrence does have a nice array of “quiet” skills. He is adept at receiving passes in movement, seemingly able to kick the puck up to his stick from any angle. Further, he can make quick handling plays in traffic, getting pucks over to teammates. The pace at which he plays allows him to get pucks into the slot at a higher rate than most. Even if those passes don’t always succeed, he’ll make defensive structures sweat with his relentless attack.
Lawrence is unlikely to dazzle with his skill in the NHL, but his softer skills are going to be appreciated by his future teammates and coaches and will allow him to be an important connective piece on any line.
Lawrence attempts a simple loose puck deke in a crowd of defensemen, immediately turning it over. This worked for him in the USHL, not so much in the NCAA.
Lawrence does well here to sell the outside lane before cutting back inside on a flat-footed defender.
Lawrence shows poise and quick touch ability here as he weaves into middle ice before making a play to a teammate. This was a defining trait of his in the USHL, and the extent to which he brings it back into his game will go a long way in boosting his projection.
Once again, Lawrence shows an ability to handle in tight before feeding a teammate for a finish.
Lawrence shows off a Crosby-esque skate-to-stick pass reception before attempting a touch into middle ice. His pass receptions are above average and bolster his transition game.
Lawrence sidesteps a defender with one hand on the stick thanks to his speed. A play that is unlikely to translate in the NHL.
Lawrence does well here to seal off the wall, intercepting a pass. He then picks up the loose puck on his backhand and finds a teammate in the slot for an all-important go-ahead goal in the third period.
Lawrence makes a simple, but important quick-handle play in the neutral zone here, which allows him to spring a teammate on his backhand for a clear attacking lane, eventually leading to a goal.
Lawrence wins a puck battle along the wall, then makes a deft stickhandling maneuver to exit the zone. Maybe a risky play, but this is another one of those "connective" plays that teammates love.
Grade: 55
SMARTS
Lawrence projects as an average thinker of the game from an offensive standpoint, but as an above average one defensively. He excels in the small details, but the higher level, creative playmaking is where he’s currently struggling.
With the puck, there are two sides to the coin. Lawrence excels at making the smaller, connective plays. He can make the quick touch pass to get out of the defensive zone, or a deft backhander while slicing through the neutral zone. These are the kind of plays that help drive transition success in the NHL. Late in games, when teams need a zone entry to get set, there’s a ton of value in having a player who can easily cross the offensive blueline. Once again, this solidifies his projection as a potential play-driving center in the NHL.
Yet, when it comes time for the bigger ideas, such as manipulating space to create a passing lane, or finding teammates in dangerous areas, Lawrence falls short. He often ignores open teammates in the slot or will face a play into the middle off the rush without anyone there. The BU power play is a steady stream of Lawrence making simple passes, trying low percentage shots, and generally not creating dangerous offense.
Off-puck positioning is usually a problem area for players this young. Not for Lawrence. Even as a 17-year-old in the older NCAA, he’s almost always in the right spot without the puck, filling lanes, not overcommitting, and protecting the middle.
Where he really shines, though, is in his ability to apply back pressure and pick-pocket opponents. Listen to any NHL coach talk for any period of time, and the term “back pressure” will likely come up. It’s an integral part of modern defending, and Lawrence’s ability to do so should augment his future NHL team’s defensive game. Couple that with his transition ability, and it’s a very tantalizing skill set.
Lawrence is undoubtedly a smart player, but don’t expect the kind of next-level play-making sequences you’d usually see from a center ranked this high in the draft. That doesn’t mean he can’t be an overwhelmingly positive factor for his team thanks to his smarts, though.
Lawrence does well to gain some separation out wide, but forces a backhand pass into the middle despite two Providence defenders in the lane. The idea is fine, but there’s a lack of recognition of the risk involved.
Lawrence negates a PK exit, and then smartly floats a puck cross-ice to a teammate, who immediately regains the zone.
Lawrence opts for a low-percentage short side attempt when he has an open teammate in the slot.
Lawrence makes a clever hook pass here on entry and then fans out as a shooting option. The entry was nice, but he’s not threatening once he gives the puck up.
Lawrence settles for a bad angle shot while having an open teammate in the slot. Unclear if he saw him.
Lawrence does well to gain the zone but then negates the advantage by throwing the puck on net without support.
Another low percentage play.
Forces a play instead of moving the puck to an open teammate.
Nice initial entry, but wastes it with a low percentage backhand.
Lawrence hustles back despite being fatigued and applies just enough pressure to slow down his opponent. This allows his teammate to get a stick on the puck, and he eventually turns the play.
Lawrence uses his crossover speed to get back into the neutral zone, lift the stick of his opponent, recover possession, and immediately turn the play back the other way.
Another sequence where Lawrence uses his closing speed to break up an opposing rush and turn the play the other way.
Grade: 57.5
PHYSICALITY/COMPETE
Lawrence projects as average from a physicality standpoint, but his competitiveness grades out as a touch above average.
He does not have the size or physical tools to really dominate the game from a sheer physicality standpoint. Nor does he often seek to initiate contact, which is an area that must improve as he climbs up the ranks.
However, Lawrence’s competitiveness cannot be questioned. What he lacks in physicality, he makes up for by being consistently engaged, using his skating ability to find himself in the middle of the action. He’s not quite a dog on a bone like a Carter Bear type, but he certainly does not shy away from getting into the thick of things.
As Lawrence matures physically, this area should be a net positive for him.
Lawrence chips a puck in, pursues with speed, ties up the defenseman, and eventually strips the puck to make a play to the middle.
Great F1 tracking, closes the distance and recovers possession.
Smart stick to break up a play, makes a play to the middle.
Cuts off an opposing sequence, feeds the breakout.
Lawrence gets into a shooting lane, recovers possession, and eventually feeds a breakout. This sequence shows both his compete and his smarts to make a play to the middle.
Grade: 55
OFP: 55.25
A note on the 20-80 scale used above. We look at five attributes (skating, shooting, puck skills, hockey IQ and physicality) for skaters and six for goalies (athleticism/quickness, compete/temperament, vision/play reading, technique/style, rebound control and puck handling). Each individual attribute is graded along the 20-80 scales, which includes half-grades. The idea is that a projection of 50 in a given attribute meant that our observer believed that the player could get to roughly NHL average at that attribute at maturity.