This Day in Hockey History – June 8, 1983 – Lawton is First to First

Jun 8, 2019

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In such a Canadian sport, it took until the 1983 Entry Draft for a U.S.-born and trained player to be picked first overall. At the Montreal Forum, on June 8, Brian Lawton became not only the first American but also the first (and only) U.S. high schooler drafted first. In fact, 1983 was the first time the top five draftees included three Americans. On a side note, this was the only entry draft in which a franchise did not participate, a result of the NHL blocking the St. Louis Blues from relocating to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

Lawton, born in New Brunswick, New Jersey, attended Mount Saint Charles Academy in Woonsocket, Rhode Island. The hockey team, the Mounties, had a 121-3-2 record and won the Rhode Island High School championship all four years he played. He scored 85 goals and 86 assists in the final two seasons, becoming the Rhode Island high school points leader in both. As a senior, he co-captained the team and won R.I. High School Athlete of Year from USA TODAY. Upon graduating (with a 3.2 GPA), he planned to play for Providence College but chose instead to turn pro.

Meanwhile, he also represented the U.S.A. In 1983, he skated with the national teams at both the IIHF World Junior Championship (in Leningrad) and the IIHF Men’s World Championships (in Tokyo).

With all of these accomplishments, the NHL Central Scouting Bureau ranked Lawton as the top prospect while the Hockey News draft preview issue ranked him fifth for the 1983 NHL Entry Draft. The Minnesota North Stars had first pick after a trade with Pittsburgh. Their general manager, Lou Nanne, claimed that he traded center Mike Eaves to Calgary to make room. Many teams were looking to cut deals for a shot at the top players, but Nanne did not think they were good enough offers. “’We were looking for a forward line or a lot of draft choices. We wanted a lopsided deal. You don’t make even deals when you’re picking No. 1.” Nanne then talked to young Lawton, who said, “I had talked to Mr. Nanne, and he had given me an indication he would take me if there wasn’t a trade.” Naturally, he felt it “a thrill” to be the first American chosen first.

Upon selecting Lawton, Nanne commented, “’We just picked the best player available.” Then he explained their plan for Lawton, “’We’ll bring him along slowly. We’ll use four lines all year and not use him too much at the beginning of the year. That should take the pressure off him and let him play.” Lawton initially had some concerns noting, ‘It will be tough but it’s probably better to get drafted by a strong team. A weaker team might be looking for a franchise player and that would have been a lot tougher on me.” The two of them also discussed whether Lawton would play for the U.S. Olympic team or join the North Stars right away. Nanne said, “He’s got plenty of time. I think the best thing would be for him to go to the Olympic camp and then come to ours. It’s fine with us, if he wants to come with us or go to the Olympic team and join us in February.” Lawton had not decided at that point but ultimately chose to play for Minnesota.

Lawton’s time with Minnesota did not go as either hoped. They only made it to the playoffs three times, and Lawton failed to produce as expected. He even played under three different jersey numbers. When he refused to report to their affiliate in the International Hockey League (IHL) in 1988, they assented to his wish to be traded. The New York Rangers took the trade but two months later shuffled him off to the Hartford Whalers. In late 1989, he was claimed on waivers by the Quebec Nordiques, with whom he played only 14 games. He moved, voluntarily, twice more in 1990, first to the Boston Bruins and then the Los Angeles Kings. Lawton signed with the San Jose Sharks in 1991, and although they traded him to New Jersey in 1993, he retired instead. He never wore the same number for more than one team. Lawton had played in a mere 483 NHL games, scoring 112 goals and 154 assists for 266 points.

After his playing days, Lawton started his own company (Lawton Sport and Financial). By the time Octagon Athlete Representation bought it in 1998, he represented 12 NHL players. Lawton became the managing director leading the second-largest hockey agency in the NHL. Having had his eye on a management position in the NHL, Lawton served as acting general manager of the Tampa Bay Lightning from 2008 to 2010. He then became an on-air analyst for the NHL Network.

Considering Lawton’s career and the careers of his entry-draft class, Minnesota probably deeply regretted their draft pick. The top ten included three hall-of-famers and four other All-Stars. Draftees two through nine were: Sylvain Turgeon (Hartford), Pat LaFontaine (NY Islanders), Steve Yzerman (Detroit), Tom Barrasso (Buffalo), John MacLean (NJ), Russ Courtnall (Toronto), Andrew McBain (Winnipeg), and Cam Neely (Vancouver). Drafted in later rounds, the soon-to-be-superstars included Claude Lemieux, Bob Probert, Esa Tikkanen, Vladislav Tretiak, Viacheslav Fetisov, Dominik Hasek, and Sergei Makarov.

The 1983 draft seemed to favor the Americans. Lawton was the first of 58 drafted that year. In the first round alone, a record-setting five U.S.-born skaters were selected. The press stated that this was “a sign that U.S. hockey programs have reached maturity.” Within the top five, three Americans were taken. Following Lawton, the New York Islanders drafted Pat Lafontaine third overall and the Buffalo Sabres nabbed Tom Barrasso fifth. Thus far, 1983 held the only draft to feature three Americans in the first five. Since then, six more U.S. players have been drafted first overall – Mike Modano (1988), Bryan Berard (1995), Rick DiPietro (2000), Erik Johnson (2006), Patrick Kane (2007), and Auston Matthews (2016).