Devils 2026 NHL Draft Target: Tynan Lawrence
Could Tynan Lawrence make the most sense for the New Jersey Devils if they hold on to the 12th overall pick?
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Welcome to NHL Draft Week, everyone.
The New Jersey Devils hold the 12th overall pick in this year’s draft. While I’d lean toward them trading it, they could decide to use the pick at the draft.
The Devils have several options if they keep their pick, but one prospect we haven’t talked about is Tynan Lawrence.
Lawrence’s rankings slipped a bit this season as he transitioned from the USHL to NCAA hockey mid-year, but there’s still a very intriguing prospect if he’s still on the board when the Devils make their selection.
Tynan Lawrence Rankings
Elite Prospects: 16
TSN/Craig Button: 21
THN/Ferrari: 6
McKeen’s Hockey: 13
Daily Faceoff: 11
Sportsnet/Bukala: 11
SMAHT Hockey: 4
Lawrence’s hockey sense and skating are among his standout traits. First: his hockey sense. He makes great reads off the puck, and he’s always playing at full speed. Although, as Will Scouch mentions, Lawrence would benefit from slowing down from time to time.
Second: his skating. Lawrence moves around the ice quite well, especially in transition. He shows plenty of upside as a puck carrier, and Scouch’s data shows he was one of the best puck carriers in the NCAA as a 17-year-old.
Lawrence also shows plenty of play-driving potential, partly because of his upside as a puck carrier. He has a good motor and two-way upside, all traits you want in a center.
The question marks with Lawrence are about his offensive upside. He did not have a great season with Boston University production-wise. He totaled just seven points in 18 games, but BU were a mess this season. That may be a product of the team more than anything else.
Still, there are some concerns with Lawrence. He’s not the best passer or shooter, or at least he didn’t show the shooting upside at BU that he did in the USHL. Those are two areas he’ll need to improve as he develops at BU; his passing may already be progressing, for what it’s worth.
That’s why there are questions about his offensive upside and why his draft rankings are a bit all over the place.
However, Lawrence is also one of the youngest players in NCAA hockey and this draft class. He doesn’t turn 18 until August, so one would have to think that he could be in for a big jump as a sophomore.
It’s also worth noting that Lawrence was considered one of the top prospects of the 2026 draft before the 2025-26 season began. His metrics in the USHL were nothing short of excellent:
Lawrence reminds me a bit of Dylan Holloway, who was a draft-eligible prospect in 2020. Holloway did not have a great freshman season in his draft-eligible year, but he broke out as a sophomore, totaling 35 points in 23 games for the Wisconsin Badgers.
It wouldn’t shock me if Lawrence has a similar jump as a sophomore next season, so he might be worth the gamble if he’s still available with the 12th pick.
Lawrence’s Fit With the Devils
What has been an issue for the Devils lately? Center depth outside of Nico Hischier and Jack Hughes. They also don’t have much center depth in their prospect pool.
Time will tell how Conrad Fondrk and Gustav Hillström develop, but Lawrence would easily become the Devils’ top center prospect.
Depending on what you think of him, he could be a steal with the 12th pick. I’m not sure I’m that high on Lawrence, but he could at least be the best player available if the Devils end up making that selection.
Lawrence is probably a year or two away from being an NHL contributor, but he could be the perfect third-line center behind Hughes and Hischier while he’s on his ELC.
And say the nightmare scenario of Hughes leaving for another destination in free agency occurs once Lawrence’s ELC expires, the Devils will still have Hischier and Lawrence to build around.
Will Lawrence ever come close to Hughes? I highly doubt it, but it wouldn’t shock me if he becomes something similar to Hischier, perhaps a Hischier lite if you want to make that comparison.
In the short term, Lawrence would give the Devils a much-needed blue-chip center prospect. And in the medium term, he could give the team a very formidable 1-2-3 punch down the middle with Hughes and Hischier. He should be high on the Devils’ draft board if they don’t trade the pick beforehand.
Quotables
“Lawrence has the label of a second-line centre that can be reliable in any situation. He’s an absolute monster at five-on-five while also being a threat on the power play and penalty kill. His smarts and awareness alone make him a centre that teams would love to have on their roster and piece that can be a contributing factor sooner than later. The offensive consistency needs to show and elevate against tougher competition, but I believe that will come in time as he already has some of that experience under his belt.” - Peter Baracchini, The Hockey Writers
“Lawrence has a natural release, getting pucks off his stick quickly after an intentional move to the inside or a pass into his catch-and-release (though he can overhandle it at times). He’s a good, strong skater who plays with pace and can make plays off the rush as well as inside the offensive zone. He plays pucks into space and under sticks a ton and wants to take the play to the slot. He moves into the middle of the ice and stays around the action…” - Scott Wheeler, The Athletic
“Lawrence is an elite transition driver with a speed and skill combination unlike arguably anyone in the class, huge offensive creation numbers on a team that struggled to finish chances he creates, a very strong defensive presence at both ends of the ice, improving shot selection skill, and all-in-all, just playing like arguably the most purely competitive team-driver in the entire class.” - Will Scouch, Scouching
Okay, special extra report today??? Good trade or not and what is Mehta up to?