Bruins Rookie Defenseman Shines In Shootout Win

Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY Sports

Mason Lohrei has always been a workhorse defenseman. In two seasons with the Green Bay Gamblers in the USHL, the 6-foot-4, 210-pound defenseman played 96 games with 96 points and would play heavy minutes. After being named defenseman of the year in the league, Lohrei committed to Ohio State University and again would become the best defenseman while playing close to half the game every night. After registering 61 points in 71 collegiate games, Lohrei became a pro with the Boston Bruins and got his first opportunity in the NHL Thursday night against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Head Coach Jim Montgomery said before the game that Lohrei would pair with veteran defenseman Brandon Carlo and play top-4 minutes. The Bruins were shorthanded on defense rather abruptly, with Charlie McAvoy out due to suspension, Matt Grzelcyk on long-term injured reserve with an upper-body injury, and Derek Forbort out as well. It was a tough task for the 22-year-old to play in his debut against an offensively talented team like Toronto. But Lohrei showed why the Bruins loved him at pick 58 in 2020.

Lohrei played 17:34 of ice time on Thursday at 5-on-5 play, and a little over 14 of those minutes came against Toronto’s top two lines, one featuring Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner, the other with John Tavares and William Nylander. The Bruins outshot the Leafs 11-6 during Lohrei’s shifts and did not surrender a single high-danger chance, according to Natural Stat Trick. This drew praise from Montgomery, who said, “He was dynamite…he played really well. His poise with the puck in all three zones was very noticeable, and he made a lot of intelligent hockey plays.”

The Wisconsin native also collected his first career assist on Boston’s first goal scored by Pavel Zacha and was a threat offensively for much of the night. Lohrei had three shots on net, a blocked shot, and a hit and played 21:28 of ice time, with 1:43 of that being shorthanded. Lohrei held his own against a top NHL team and five Boston, another young player who is emerging from a prospect pool that has faced plenty of criticism. Matt Poitras, Johnny Beecher, and Lohrei are all on the parent club currently.

You can bet that Mason Lohrei will get another shot on Saturday in Detroit in what will be his first NHL road game against another high-powered offensive team. For now, Lohrei is proving he belongs and could make it hard for the Bruins to send him down when others return.

Season 4. Episode 38. B.C. Bruins Bruins Benders Podcast

 Join the Bruins Benders Podcast as they cover the HOTTEST topics in the Boston Bruins market, along with…- Bruins Draft Recap- How did the Bruins do on Day 1 of Free Agency?- Bruins trade for Viktor Arvidsson.- Steve Spott hired as new Assistant Coach.& Much More!Bruins Benders Premium Hoodies $55https://shop.insidetherink.com/products/get-bent-premium-hoodieBruins Benders Long Sleeve Tee $40https://shop.insidetherink.com/products/bruins-benders-long-sleeve-tee-1Bruins Benders Tee $30https://shop.insidetherink.com/products/bruins-benders-t-shirt-1For more from us, visit: insidetherink.com/bruins-bendersBoston Bruins Trade Rumors, Boston Bruins News, Boston Bruins, Jeremy Swayman, Joonas Korpisalo, Charlie McAvoy, Brandon Carlo, Nikita Zadorov, Hampus Lindholm, Mason Lohrei, Andrew Peeke, Parker Wotherspoon, Johnny Beecher, Mark Kastelic, Justin Brazeau, Cole Koepke, Trent Frederic, Matthew Poitras, Charlie Coyle, Pavel Zacha, Morgan Geekie, Brad Marchand, David Pastrnak, Elias Lindholm, Oliver Wahlstrom, Fabian Lysell, Georgii Merkulov, Joe Sacco, Don Sweeney, Cam Neely, Brandon Carlo Trade#nhl #nhlbruins #hockey #bostonbruins #nhlplayoffs #bruins #nhlhockey #nhlmemes #boston #nhlallstar #nhldiscussion #nhlnews #nhledits #nhldraft #bruinsnation #nhlawards #nhltrade #hockeylife #tdgarden #nhlhighlights #bostonsports #bruinshockey #bruinsfan #nhlblackhawks #nhlglobalseries #nhlfi #nhlleafs #nhltrades #nhltradedeadline #nhlcanadiens #nhl #nhlnews #hockey #nhlhockey #nhlplayoffs #nhledits #nhldiscussion #nhlmemes #nhldraft #nhlallstar #hockeylife #hockeynews #hockeymemes #nhlhighlights #icehockey #sports #hockeyislife #nhlbruins #hockeyplayers #hockeyfan #hockeyplayer #hockeyedits #stanleycup #nhlawards #hockeygame #hockeyboys #hockeygram #hockeyfights #nhltrade #nhltrades 
  1. Season 4. Episode 38. B.C. Bruins
  2. Season 4. Episode 37. Gimme a J. Gimme a G.
  3. Season 4. Episode 36. What's Your Vector, Victor?
  4. Season 4. Episode 35. Riding the Sturm Out.
  5. Season 4. Episode 34. Marco? Polo?

Discover more from Inside The Rink

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Leave a Reply

Montreal Canadiens Re-Sign Jakub Dobes

The Montreal Canadiens have re-signed goaltender Jakub Dobes to a two-year, one-way contract with an AAV of $965,000. This deal carries him through the 2026-27 season. Dobes played in 30 games last season, splitting his time between the Laval Rocket and Montreal Canadiens. He began the season in Laval, where he went 9-3-1 with a […]

Read More

AHL: Laval Rocket Sign Four Players

The Laval Rocket announced on Saturday that they’ve signed four players to contracts for the 2024-25 season. Three of the four players signed had spent time in either Laval or Trois-Rivières last season. One-Way Deals Laval has signed forward Xavier Simoneau and defenseman Josh Jacobs, each to one-year, one-way deals for the 2024-25 season. Simoneau, […]

Read More
Steve Yzerman, General Manager of the Detroit Red Wings

Yzerman: This Red Wings Team ‘Can Take a Step’

The Detroit Red Wings currently have $12.09 million in salary cap space after the team acquired goaltender John Gibson from the Anaheim Ducks and acquired free agent left-winger James van Riemsdyk recently. According to general manager Steve Yzerman, the team will likely stand pat right now despite having this amount of cap space. The fact […]

Read More