Brian Lawton

{{Infobox ice hockey player

| image =Brian Lawton North Stars.jpg

| caption = Lawton with the Minnesota North Stars in 1985

| played_for = Minnesota North Stars
New York Rangers
Hartford Whalers
Quebec Nordiques
Boston Bruins
San Jose Sharks

| position = Centre

| shoots = Left

| height_ft = 6

| height_in = 0

| weight_lb = 180

| ntl_team = USA

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1965|6|29|mf=y}}

| birth_place = New Brunswick, New Jersey, U.S.

| draft = 1st overall

| draft_year = 1983

| draft_team = Minnesota North Stars

| career_start = 1983

| career_end = 1993

}}

Brian Robert Lawton (born June 29, 1965) is an American former professional ice hockey player, agent and general manager, who played 483 regular season games in the National Hockey League (NHL) between the 1983–84 and 1992–93 seasons. Drafted first overall by the Minnesota North Stars in the 1983 NHL Entry Draft, Lawton played for the North Stars, New York Rangers, Hartford Whalers, Quebec Nordiques, Boston Bruins and San Jose Sharks, and was the Tampa Bay Lightning general manager. He was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey and raised in Cumberland, Rhode Island.

Playing career

After playing for the U.S. Junior Hockey Team at the World Junior Ice Hockey Championships in 1983,{{cite web|title=Brian R. Lawton|url=http://www.legendsofhockey.net/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/SearchPlayer.jsp?player=10911|work=Legends of Hockey|publisher=Hockey Hall of Fame|access-date=18 April 2011}} and leading his high school, Mount Saint Charles Academy in Woonsocket, Rhode Island,{{cite news|last=Sullivan|first=Robert|title=A New England High School Has All The Right Stuff|url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1119073/1/index.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121104051629/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1119073/1/index.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=November 4, 2012|access-date=18 April 2011|newspaper=Sports Illustrated|date=21 January 1985}} to consecutive championships, Lawton was the first overall draft pick by the North Stars in the 1983 NHL Entry Draft. Lawton is noted for being both the first US-born and first non-Canadian hockey player drafted first overall in the NHL draft.{{cite news|title=Kane becomes second straight U.S.-born player selected first|url=https://www.espn.com/nhl/draft2007/news/story?id=2913585|access-date=18 April 2011|newspaper=ESPN.com|date=23 June 2007}} He was also the first and, as of 2022, the only US high school hockey player to be drafted first overall.{{cite web|title=Hockey in the United States|url=http://www.nhl.com/futures/unitedstates.html|publisher=NHL.com|access-date=18 April 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121023221142/http://www.nhl.com/futures/unitedstates.html|archive-date=2012-10-23|url-status=dead}}

Lawton was ranked by the NHL Central Scouting Bureau as the top prospect for the 1983 Entry Draft. His NHL career included 266 career points in 483 games. Lawton played his first couple of years in Minnesota, and split his second season between the North Stars and their American Hockey League affiliate, the Springfield Indians.{{cite web|title=Brian Lawton|url=http://www.nhl.com/ice/player.htm?id=8448689|work=player search|publisher=NHL.com|access-date=18 April 2011}} In 1983, Lawton was training with the U.S. National Hockey Team,{{cite news|last=Quazzo|first=Marco L.|title=Fuscos Chosen for U.S. Hockey Team|url=http://www.thecrimson.com/article/1983/7/6/fuscos-chosen-for-us-hockey-team/|access-date=18 April 2011|newspaper=The Harvard Crimson|date=6 July 1983}} but unlike other North Stars prospects, Lawton was encouraged to turn professional ahead of the 1984 Winter Olympics, and though he did later play in the 1984 Canada Cup, missed the extra experience playing in Sarajevo would have afforded him. Lawton also later played for the United States team at the 1987 Championships.

Prior to Jesse Puljujärvi, Mikhail Sergachev and Connor Bedard, Lawton was the only NHL player to ever wear the number 98, which he chose during his rookie season{{cite web|last=Kreiser|first=John|title=Some of hockey's best players from No. 67 to No. 99|url=http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=536802|work=History|publisher=NHL.com|access-date=18 April 2011}} but changed to number 8 after two seasons owing to unwelcome comparisons to Wayne Gretzky's number 99.{{cite news|last=Falla|first=Jack|title=The North Stars Are Going South|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121104051616/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1119192/2/index.htm|url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1119192/2/index.htm|access-date=18 April 2011|newspaper=Sports Illustrated|archive-date=4 November 2012|date=4 March 1985}} Lawton set a mark for the North Stars franchise for fastest two goals scored by a rookie, at 19 seconds, in 1983.{{cite web|title=Brian Lawton|url=http://www.hockeydraftcentral.com/1983/83001.html|work=1983 ENTRY DRAFT|publisher=Hockey Draft Central|access-date=18 April 2011}} After five seasons with Minnesota, Lawton had not scored more than 44 points in any season, and the North Stars apparently washed their hands of him, attempting to assign him to their affiliate in Kalamazoo, Michigan. When Lawton refused to report, the North Stars traded him to the New York Rangers in October 1988. Halfway through the 1988–89 NHL season, the Rangers traded him again, to Hartford, and Lawton would go on to play in eight different cities over the next four years. Lawton would later say that being moved around as often as he was, was a factor in his performance over the years, and an aspect of the game that he never enjoyed.{{cite news|last=Cristodero|first=Damian|title=New detailer goes to work on Lightning|url=http://www.tampabay.com/sports/hockey/lightning/article752898.ece|access-date=18 April 2011|newspaper=tampabay.com|date=2 August 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121015033410/http://www.tampabay.com/sports/hockey/lightning/article752898.ece|archive-date=2012-10-15|url-status=dead}}

Post-playing career

Lawton retired as a player in 1993, after being traded to the New Jersey Devils by San Jose, yet never playing for the Devils. He started his company, Lawton Sport and Financial, right away, and at the time of the company's purchase by Octagon Athlete Representation in 1998, represented 12 players in the NHL.{{cite web|title=Octagon vaults to top of hockey|url=http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Journal/Issues/2000/10/20001009/No-Topic-Name/Octagon-Vaults-To-Top-Of-Hockey.aspx|publisher=Sports Business Journal|access-date=18 April 2011}}{{cite news|last=Goode|first=Jon|title=Taking the high Rhode|url=http://www.boston.com/sports/hockey/articles/2004/05/02/taking_the_high_rhode/|publisher=Boston.com|access-date=18 April 2011|date=2 May 2004}} At times representing players such as Mike Modano, Sergei Fedorov and Ryan Malone,{{cite news|last=Russo|first=Michael|title=Agent-turned-exec Lawton hits the ground running|url=http://www.startribune.com/templates/Print_This_Story?sid=26160094|access-date=18 April 2011|newspaper=Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune|date=1 August 2008}} Lawton became Octagon's managing director for hockey,{{cite web|title=Brian Lawton Named Vice President of Hockey Operations of Tampa Bay Lightning|url=http://lightning.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=484602|publisher=Tampa Bay Lightning|access-date=18 April 2011}} helping Octagon expand their hockey client base and becoming the second-largest hockey agency in the NHL.

Lawton left Octagon in 2008 in order to pursue management opportunities in the NHL, having known since his playing days that he ultimately wanted to be in management. After interviewing for management positions with a number of teams, caught the attention of then-new Tampa Bay Lightning owners Len Barrie and Oren Koules, by approaching them with a prepared 46-page proposal for how to improve the then-last place team. On June 25, 2008, Lawton was named Vice President of Hockey Operations for the Lightning, and while Jay Feaster remained in the position of general manager until resigning in July, it was Lawton, along with Koules and Barrie, who were making the decisions.{{cite web|title=Lawton Named Bolts General Manager|url=http://www2.tbo.com/content/2008/oct/23/sp-lawton-named-bolts-general-manager/sports-lightning/|publisher=Tampa Bay Online / Tampa Bay Tribune|access-date=19 April 2011}} Feaster himself indicated in his official announcement that Lawton had already been running the team with Koules and Barrie.{{cite web|title=Lightning General Manager Jay Feaster Resigns|url=http://lightning.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=484635|publisher=Tampa Bay Lightning|access-date=19 April 2011}} Lawton was officially named as general manager and executive vice president on October 2, 2008.{{cite web|title=Brian Lawton Named Vice President of Hockey Operations of Tampa Bay Lightning|url=http://lightning.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=484602|publisher=Tampa Bay Lightning|access-date=19 April 2011}} Among the earliest moves Lawton made with the Tampa organization were hiring Tom Kurvers and Greg Malone to front office positions, and acquiring and signing Gary Roberts and Ryan Malone,{{cite web|title=Lightning Acquire Rights To Ryan Malone, Gary Roberts|url=http://lightning.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=484608|publisher=Tampa Bay Lightning|access-date=19 April 2011}} the latter of whom is the son of Greg Malone, and was also a client of Lawton's when he was an agent.

Lawton was dismissed as general manager on April 12, 2010, and replaced, on an interim basis, by Tom Kurvers, a Lawton hire.{{cite web|title=General Manager Brian Lawton and Head Coach Rick Tocchet to Be Replaced|url=http://lightning.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=525039|publisher=Tampa Bay Lightning|access-date=19 April 2011}} Ultimately, Steve Yzerman, a former client of Lawton's and drafted three picks behind him, was named as the new general manager.{{cite web|title=Yzerman named Lightning GM|url=https://www.espn.com/nhl/news/story?id=5217529|work=ESPN.com|access-date=19 April 2011|date = 2010-05-25}}

In 2018, Lawton was inducted into the Rhode Island Hockey Hall of Fame. He is currently an on-air analyst for the NHL Network.

He married Angelina Lawton, formerly Angelina Rahn in 1992. They currently reside in Minneapolis, Minnesota and have three children. Angelina is the CEO of sports/tech agency, Sportsdigita.