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.
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