Blues select Tynan Lawrence No. 11 overall in 2026 NHL Draft
A rising centerman has heard his name called.
On Friday night, the St. Louis Blues selected forward Tynan Lawrence, 17, with the 11th overall pick of the 2026 NHL Draft at KeyBank Center in Buffalo.
Lawrence’s status compared to other prospects in the draft might have slipped thanks to a split season between junior and college hockey, but he still has a strong upside. Daily Faceoff analyst Steven Ellis had the youngster 11th in his final rankings, while NHL Central Scouting had him listed as the No. 7 North American skater.
Lawrence started the 2025-26 campaign with the Muskegon Lumberjacks, the team he helped win its first Clark Cup the year prior. After an impressive start, scoring 10 goals and seven assists for 17 points in 13 games, he enrolled at Boston University during the semester break. While the Fredericton, N.B. native has many abilities that can translate to the NCAA, Lawrence struggled to make the adjustment right away, scoring just two goals and five assists for seven points in 18 appearances. Many expect that a full season with the Terriers will allow him to develop into an even greater prospect in the near future.
In his two seasons with the Lumberjacks, Lawrence posted 35 goals and 36 assists for 71 points in 69 career games. Along with winning the championship in 2024-25, he was named the Clark Cup MVP, having posted 18 points in the playoffs.
Lawrence also has some hardware from his time on the international stage. He won gold with Canada White at the 2024 Under-17 World Hockey Challenge, and bronze at the 2025 Hlinka Gretzky Cup. He posted six points at the 2026 IIHF Under-18 Men’s World Championship, though Canada was shockingly eliminated in the quarterfinals.
Ellis says that Lawrence isn’t overpowering with his size, but his awareness and skill make him an intriguing prospect.
“Lawrence is one of the smartest forwards in the draft class,” Ellis wrote. “He reads open ice exceptionally well and consistently makes the right passes through traffic. Lawrence isn’t massive at six feet and 185 pounds, but he plays with a ton of power. He plays a solid two-way game, and he boasts a boatload of energy, too. If you’re not moving quickly enough, Lawrence will swarm you instantly and make you pay. Nobody will mistake him for a burner. But Lawrence is a highly competent skater who should have no issue adjusting to the big leagues in that regard.”