In a major development as far as 2026 NHL Draft watchers are concerned, Tynan Lawrence is leaving the USHL’s Muskegon Lumberjacks to join Boston University for the second half of the NCAA season. Lawrence is one of the top prospects for the 2026 NHL Draft and likely the No. 1 center that will be chosen next June. The move was first reported by TSN's Darren Dreger and independently confirmed by FloSports.

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Lawrence missed a significant portion of the first half of the season with an injury sustained during the preseason. He has appeared in 13 games with the Lumberjacks, producing 10 goals and 17 points including a goal and an assist last over two games against the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders just last weekend.

NCAA teams can add players at the semester break so long as they have been cleared as eligible. Lawrence was supposed to join BU next season, but will be getting started a bit earlier as he tries to push to become the No. 1 draft pick this year, which is a distinct possibility.

Last season, BU added New Jersey Devils prospect Mikhail Yegorov at midseason and he was able to help lead the team to the Beanpot title and a trip to the NCAA Men’s Frozen Four, falling just short in the national championship game.

Lawrence will join a BU team loaded with skill including first-round picks Cole Eiserman (NYI), Sacha Boisvert (CHI), Sascha Boumedienne (WPG), and highly-regarded prospects Cole Hutson (WSH) and Yegorov, among others.

By getting into the NCAA, Lawrence also will be able to be judged on equal footing with other No. 1 pick candidates like Gavin McKenna and Keaton Verhoeff, who were both playing in the NCAA already this season.

Lawrence will leave the USHL after parts of two seasons with 71 points in 69 regular-season games. He helped lead the Lumberjacks to the Clark Cup last year, earning playoff MVP honors following 18 points in 14 postseason contests.

The 17-year-old Fredericton, New Brunswick native is among the younger players in this draft class with an August birth date. He is a product of the vaunted Shattuck-St. Mary’s program that also helped train Sidney Crosby, Nathan MacKinnon and Macklin Celebrini.

BU has 16 regular-season games left including two games at the Beanpot Tournament. The Terriers have some work to do, too, if they want to reach the NCAA tournament.

Boston University is currently 9-8-1 and are at No. 23 in the NPI ratings which are used to determine the NCAA Tournament field. Adding a center like Lawrence to a talented group could certainly help their chances of strengthening their case to make the NCAA tournament.

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