The Boston Bruins have finally succeeded in one area that has plagued them for the past several seasons: development and integration of young players into the roster. While it has been an up-and-down process full of highs and lows, similar to the team’s season in general so far, it is a necessary step in getting their young players moved up to the NHL.
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Mason Lohrei, while not making the roster initially out of training camp, has gotten some solid NHL minutes so far in 2023-24 due to injuries. While he may not be ready to be a full-time NHL player yet and could use more time developing in the American Hockey League (AHL) with the Providence Bruins, there are still plenty of things to be excited about when it comes to his game.
Road to the NHL Draft
Lohrei was born on Jan. 17, 2001, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, making him the first NHL player to come out of that state. At the time of his birth, his father was the head coach of the now-defunct Baton Rouge Kingfish in the ECHL.
He spent much of his childhood and junior hockey in the Midwest. He attended Culver Military Academy in Indiana for his first few years of high school playing for their hockey team. His play got the attention of the United States Hockey League (USHL), another league his father spent some time in as a coach. In the 2018-19 season, he joined the Green Bay Gamblers. He was eligible for the 2019 NHL Entry Level Draft, but was not selected, though he did get an invite to the Vegas Golden Knights’ development camp that summer.
Leading up to the 2020 NHL Entry Level Draft, Lohrei appeared in 48 games, registering eight goals and 29 assists for 37 points. He was also a plus-5 with 26 penalty minutes. He was not particularly on the radar going into draft weekend and was the 132nd-ranked North American skater in his draft class, but the thing he had going for him was his size. The 19-year-old stood at 6-foot-4 and was 194 pounds.
Besides his size, he was also noted to be a good puck carrier with a decent wrist shot. Still, it was certainly a bit off board when the Bruins selected him at 58th overall. It was their first selection in the 2020 Draft after trading away their first-round pick in their trade with the Anaheim Ducks to get Nick Ritchie, Ondrej Kase, and shed David Backes’ contract.
Collegiate Hockey
After his selection in the NHL Draft, Lohrei played one more season for the Gamblers, this time wearing the A. It was arguably the best season of his young hockey career so far. He had a career-high 19 goals and 59 points. It was a season that demonstrated his full potential and silenced some of the doubters of the Bruins’ decision to pick him so high.
He went on to play with the Ohio State Buckeyes in the NCAA for two seasons. His first, 2021-22, saw him appear in 31 games and register 29 points. He played in 40 games in his second season and had 32 points. In both seasons though, he only scored four goals, a far cry from the 19 he had in 2020-21 with the Gamblers.
In both his seasons at Ohio, Lohrei led all defenders on the team in scoring, and established himself as the Bruins’ top defenseman prospect. He saw improvements to his offensive game while at OSU and got more and more comfortable using his size to take up presence on the ice.
With his improvements and development at Ohio, it was no real surprise when after his sophomore season came to an end in the second round of the NCAA tournament, he signed an amateur tryout agreement (ATO) with the Providence Bruins. The ATO allowed him to get some professional games under his belt while keeping open the option to potentially return to Ohio State for his junior season.
He played five games with the Providence Bruins last season, and then decided not to return to the NCAA for 2023-24, fully committing to beginning his professional career.
What Lohrei Brings to the Bruins
Lohrei put together an impressive preseason, particularly at a time when the Bruins’ weakness on the blue line was being exposed. He brings incredible size to the table while also offering great mobility and an active stick, similar to a guy like Brent Burns. While he has the potential to be a great two-way defender, at the moment, he still has room to develop in the defensive zone, which is one of the main reasons why he did not make the roster right out of training camp.
As one of the final cuts, it still felt inevitable that he’d make his NHL debut this season, and as soon as injuries started popping up on the blue line, he got one of the first call-ups of the season. His debut came on Nov. 2 in a win against the Toronto Maple Leafs. He registered an assist in his first NHL game and had over 21 minutes of ice time that night.
The offensive upside of his game was evident right from the beginning. His first NHL goal came in his third game on Nov. 6 against the Dallas Stars. But, there were still questions about his defensive skills, evidenced by the coaching staff’s reluctance to put him in when the Bruins were transitioning into the defensive zone. 60.9% of his starts began in the offensive zone, so it was not a surprise when Matt Grzelcyk was healthy again, Lohrei was sent back to Providence to get some quality minutes to develop his play in the defensive zone.
With Derek Forbort out, Lohrei was called back up again and has been up in Boston since the beginning of December. In total so far in 2023-24, he’s played 17 games in Boston and 10 games in Providence. He has five points in 17 NHL games, including two goals, and six assists in 10 AHL games.
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The month of December has not been a strong one for the Bruins, and it begins with their struggles in the defensive zone. It has been an issue throughout the blue line so far this season, save for maybe Brandon Carlo, and Lohrei continues to show that is an area he needs to develop his game further. It was particularly evident in the team’s last game before the brief holiday break, a loss to the Minnesota Wild. There were several sequences where guys, including Lohrei, could simply not get the puck out of their own zone.
Lohrei continues to be the Bruins’ top prospect, and the development of his defensive game will come. Some more time in Providence will do him well when the team can get healthy. Of course, it goes without saying, the team’s current issues go way beyond just him. The good news though is that there is still time for him to work on that area of his game. For some other members of the roster, the clock is clearly beginning to tick on their time with the organization if they can’t improve in their own zone.
