Projection: Top Line Center

Projectable Skills: Puck carrying in transition, Stickhandling in tight areas, Off-puck habits, Defensive play

Development Opportunities: Continue to add strength, diversify approach off the rush

Lawrence started at #1 on our board in September and was able to hold that position all the way through thanks to his skilled and mature style of play. His offensive toolkit allows him to be the primary playdriver on whatever line he’s centring, as he demonstrates powerful crossovers in conjunction with strong skating mechanics which makes him a high-end puck carrier in transition. His agility pays dividends in the offensive zone, using a series of sidesteps and quick changes of direction to create space for himself and attack. Combine this with his nifty stickhandling ability and quick processing ability and you have a player who is very difficult to contain in the offensive zone. He uses his speed to backcheck as hard as any player in this draft class and he consistently supports his defenders down low below the hashmarks in the defensive zone as well.

One thing I would like to see Lawrence develop in the coming years is his attacking approach off the rush. He often tries, and mostly succeeds at this level, to drive wide on defenders off the rush and either make a cut to the crease or circle the net and wait for his teammates to set up. Establishing more of a delay game and relying less on his speed to beat defenders would make him a less predictable attacker and let him flash more of his high-end offensive tools off the rush.

It was a bit of a disappointment that Lawrence wasn’t able to compete for New Brunswick at the QMJHL Cup a couple weeks ago due to scheduling conflicts with Shattuck’s. It would’ve been helpful to see what he was able to do against the top players from his region’s age group. Despite this, it’s quite easy to see after watching him why he’s considered one of the top offensive talents for this year’s draft. Lawrence currently leads Shattuck’s 16U team in scoring despite being one of the team’s youngest members. He has shown to a triple offensive threat, demonstrating above-average ability with his feet, his hands and his mind. Through the neutral zone he shows a good use of crossovers to generate speed and back off defenders upon zone entries. He is a passing threat on both his forehand and backhand. His backhand passing specifically being incredibly accurate and coming off with velocity. He garners a lot of attention from the opposition but has shown an uncanny ability to draw two or three defenders towards him then slip a short area pass to an open teammate to create a numbers advantage around the net. In the offensive zone he uses his quick feet and agility to spin away from defenders to create space for himself. He has the ability to see through multiple layers of sticks and bodies and the passing acumen to put it through even the tiniest of lanes to hit a teammate in a prime scoring area. His stickhandling ability allows him to pull pucks off the board and drag it through defenders, giving him access to the middle of the ice. Even after losing the puck he shows great compete and hustle to regain possession. He provides good pressure on the backcheck and is very apt at delivering stick lifts on opponents to gain possession of the puck and kickstart the transition game. He’s shown the ability to score from distance at this level, although I’m curious if he will have the same success at the next level at this juncture of his development. He can be easily knocked off the puck along the boards, but I think this will be ameliorated as he continues to get stronger over the years. If Lawrence commits to joining a QMJHL team, I think he’ll be a very high pick come June.

Lawrence definitely demonstrated that he belonged among the top 2008-born players in the country with a strong performance in this game. He nearly scored early on in the first period by catching a hard pass in stride, blowing by a defender and just missing the far post on a forehand-backhand attempt in tight. He was making quick and accurate decisions with the puck on his stick both off the rush and the cycle, which lead to his line being able to exploit the Finnish defensive zone structure and generate scoring opportunities. He showed immense confidence with the puck as well, taking the ice that was given to him and displaying some high end 1v1 offensive ability. I even liked his play in the defensive zone where he was able to get his stick into passing lanes and break up cross-ice passing attempts. He was also very good in the faceoff dot, winning a majority of his draws.