The 26-year-old joins the Stars after spending three years in the Elite League with Edinburgh Capitals and Coventry Blaze, where he often showed off his impressive skillset against the Stars.
Lawrence most recently iced with Dunkerque in the French second division last season but only played in eight games, where he recorded 11 points (4G, 7A).
The Canadian also spent three years at Boston University in the NCAA league and after a year out in 2016 -2017, he joined the Caps to begin his professional career.
The Toronto-born centerman is a NCAA Champion with Boston and won the Hockey East Championship and Regular Season Championship in the 2014/2015 season.
The British-Canadian also played alongside former Stars, Duncan Speirs during his time at Edinburgh and Charlie Corcoran in Coventry.
Stars General Manager and Head Coach, Omar Pacha was delighted to get Dillon on board and on his side for the upcoming season, he said: “Dillon has come along in the league over the last few years.
“First in Edinburgh and then in Coventry for the last two seasons and I thought last year, he showed a lot of spurts of being an explosive offensive player, especially against us.
“He had a lot of success against the Stars and we wanted him to start having that success with us.
“Dillon is able to add offence but also play well defensively, he has a great shot and he sees the ice really well.
“We believe that he is a guy that has grown so much in the league that we expect him to be even better this year and to probably have his best year yet in the Elite League.”
Pacha continued: “We wanted to add more size in the middle this year and he is strong on the puck, he is also versatile, so his natural position would be in the middle but he can also play out on the wings.
“He is a big strong kid and he is still very young, so he has a lot of potential and what I liked about him last year in Coventry, was that he was able to stick out from the rest and especially against us, he was a key player for the Blaze.
“You always want to add players with big upsides and for Dillon, he has a lot of upside, you can see how much he has improved every year, from his first season with Edinburgh and through his two years in Coventry.
“So, if his momentum keeps on going and he keeps on improving, he will be a key player for us this year.”
After signing his contract, a thrilled Lawrence said: “I have been in touch with the team the last couple of off-seasons, and if not for COVID cancelling the Elite League last year, I probably would have been with the Stars for 2020-2021.
“I have been on the phone several times with Omar about expectations on both ends, and I think they align very well.
“I have been happy with how I have progressed since entering the league, trying to make significant jumps each season, but feel I still have a lot more to show.
“That seems to be something that Omar agrees with me on, which is important for me as a player.
“That played a big part in my decision making and is why I see it as such a good opportunity here.”
Having already experience living in Scotland and playing at the DIA, Dillon also mentioned how the fans and game night atmosphere played a big part in his decision to sign with the Stars.
He explained: “I always liked the atmosphere playing in Dundee and always found that it was a great environment at the rink.
“So, of course it will be nice to have that crowd cheering for you rather than against and I was lucky enough to play in Edinburgh for that final season and get a chance to live in Scotland.
“I really enjoyed that experience as well, so I am happy for the chance to be coming back there again.”
Lawrence has also reached out to his former teammates who have played in Dundee to find out about their experiences in the City of Discovery.
He said: “I played with Charlie Corcoran last year in Coventry, so he gave me a bit of an idea.
“He had a lot of good things to say and had a great time that season, also he said good things about the staff, which has been reinforced by my own conversations.
“Chuck was a great guy and had the same to say about the group there that year, so that is something I am confident to see again this season.
“A funny story as well about how small the hockey world is, I played an offseason down in Melbourne in the Australian Ice Hockey League and there are a handful of Canadians that live down in Australia that play there.
“One of my teammates there, Scott Corbett, played for the Stars back when it was the British National League in the 2004-2005 season.
“I know he will be excited to learn that I will be heading to Dundee as well.”
The Canadian-born forward then discussed the difficulties of not being able to play a full year of hockey but also the silver linings he has found in it.
Lawrence said: “I wanted to make sure I could keep playing and progressing as a player, which has been my main focus since entering the league, and why I ended up going to France once the season was cancelled in the UK.
“COVID complicated things there as well, but the best thing for me has been the chance to spend more time with my family.
“It is something you can easily take for granted and being away for the majority of the year for hockey means you do not get as much time as you would like with them.
“It ended up being a nice balance for me, as I got to train and play some games, as well as getting some extra time back in Canada.”
Dillon’s career started back in 2010, when he was playing for the Toronto Eagles U18 AA side and after two seasons, he moved to Greater Toronto Hockey League club, Toronto Nationals U18 AAA.
In his only season with the Nationals, the 6-foot-3-inch forward scored 15 goals and assisted 21 times in 33 appearances before adding seven more points (3G, 4A) in 10 playoff matches.
Then in 2013, Lawrence committed to Boston University for the next three seasons and during his NCAA career, the left-handed, 201lbs centerman played 37 matches and scored one goal.
Following a year out from hockey, Dillon made his professional debut in 2017, when he joined Edinburgh and played 39 times for the Caps in his first Elite League season.
After notching six points in his rookie year, Lawrence then headed down under and joined Melbourne Ice in the Australian summer league, where he collected 33 points (17G, 16A) from 21 matches.
The forward then returned to the Elite League with Coventry Blaze for the 2018-2019 campaign and posted 16 points (8G, 8A) in 54 games, before signing up for a second year in the West Midlands.
Dillon then netted 10 more goals in the shortened 2019-2020 season and added 13 assists in 44 regular season matches.
Then, in his latest campaign, Lawrence bagged four goals and seven assists during his eight appearances with Dunkerque in the French second division.
Therefore, in his career so far, Lawrence has featured in 265 matches, scored 61 goals, assisted 75 times and has collected 160 penalty minutes.
Dillon is our ninth signing of the summer and joins Drydn Dow, Craig Garrigan, Kris Inglis, Alexandre Ranger, Connor Sills, Craig Moore, Brett Orr and Kyle Haas on the roster for next season.
You can get your season tickets to watch these nine players and the rest of the team in the 2021-2022 campaign by contacting: [email protected]
Lawrence will wear the #18 Stars jersey next season.
To view Dillon’s career stats on Elite Prospects click HERE.
Banner Image: Scott Wiggins
Feature Image: Derek Black
