A standout off the ice, Bruins defenseman Mason Lohrei continues to grow his game on it

Boston Globe

2 days ago

Along with his physical traits, Lohrei's hockey characteristics make the 24-year-old one of Boston's most intriguing young veterans.
Lohrei made a big jump as a sophomore pro last season, suiting up for 77 games — he played 41 as a rookie, plus 11 in the playoffs — and averaging nearly 20 minutes of ice time.
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It was clear from the latter stages of his first season through training camp that Lohrei's growth had the Bruins excited and that he was part of the plan for 2024-25.
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However, injuries forced the Bruins to give Lohrei several battlefield promotions. His workload and responsibilities grew when the club lost
Hampus Lindholm
to a fractured kneecap in November and then
Charlie McAvoy
to a
Neither top-pair defenseman returned, and it led to an increase in minutes for Lohrei, who also eventually assumed quarterback duties for the club's top power-play unit. Critics will point to Lohrei's minus-43, which obviously must improve, but the experience gained in all situations should prove beneficial over the long haul.
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'First of all, it sucks for our entire group when you lose anybody, but especially the caliber of the players that we did lose for those amounts of time,' said Lohrei, who led Boston defensemen in assists (28), points (33), and power-play points (16).
Lohrei's switch from forward to defense during his days at Culver Military Academy
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'I think being a young guy and being able to step up into those roles, that's the role I want to play in this league and that experience is just so invaluable to be able to go through it and go through the ups and downs of it and just learn and then go into the summer with that hungry mentality to continue to get better and be able to play that role to the best of my ability,' he said.
Though the Bruins went without a playoff berth, Lohrei was able to extend his season with an invite of a different sort. This one came from Uncle Sam.
Lohrei was part of an American squad that won IIHF World Championship gold for the
'My agent first said [officials at USA Hockey] were thinking about inviting me, and then at the end of the year, I was like, 'What's the deal here?' ' Lohrei said. 'Then right before my [Bruins] exit meetings my agent said, 'I don't think it's happening this year. They're like, they appreciate your willingness to go but,' ... And then they called, and they were like, 'Hey, we actually want you to come.' I was like, 'Yeah, let's do it.' '
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Lohrei saw action in five games for the US, collecting a goal and a pair of assists.
'It was a great experience,' said Lohrei, who celebrated with fellow Bruins
Jeremy Swayman
and
Andrew Peeke
. 'Obviously, we won, so it was pretty unbelievable to be over there and be able to wear that jersey for the first time.'
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Lohrei also formed some lifelong bonds while in Denmark and Sweden in May.
'You're together all the time and, we are a young group and obviously all American guys, so we clicked pretty easily,' said Lohrei. 'Just a lot of similarities and a lot of the guys knew each other already just previously playing together, but I only knew Peeker and Sway, but really by the end, I had friendships with all those guys. They're awesome. I still keep in contact with a lot of them.'
Lohrei said new Bruin winger
Shortly after returning from Europe, Lohrei signed a
'Honestly, I wasn't super hands-on with [negotiations] or anything,' he said. 'I talked to my agent, I don't know, probably three times and just going back and forth and stuff and I have a lot of trust in them. They do a great job and we got it done and I'm just super happy and excited to be here for another two years.'
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Lohrei has quickly gone from a fresh-faced rookie to a stable and steady presence in the locker room.
'I think with my personality and stuff, I get kind of comfortable pretty early. Even last year I was really comfortable just around the group and walking into the rink and stuff,' he said. 'It feels like home now.'
A diehard Milwaukee Brewers fan — 'They're hot right now' — Lohrei's summer schedule has included a lot of skating.
'I've been trying to challenge my feet a lot. Skating and explosiveness and a lot of that stuff helps with one-on-one defending against all the best players,' he said. 'It's such a great skating league and guys are so quick and so I've been able to do all that as a reaction. I've been working on that stuff and then just getting stronger and then obviously that helps everywhere with all the battles. And then obviously I still love to work on all the offensive stuff, whatever it's stickhandling and shooting and working on my scoring touch a little bit.'
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Lohrei will be on his third coach after learning under
Jim Montgomery
and
Joe Sacco
. He's had minimal contact with
Marco Sturm
— the coach called Lohrei shortly after he was hired — but has gotten some info from other sources.
'One of my best buddies in college [
Tate Singleton
] played for Coach Sturm last year in Ontario a bit and he had great things to say,' said Lohrei. 'And then another,
Jake Wise
, he's in Colorado now with the Eagles, but he was with LA in Ontario for their training camp. And same thing, he said, 'This guy's awesome, you guys are going to love him.' So, we had a good conversation. I'm excited to have him here.'
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Lohrei made a big jump as a sophomore pro last season, suiting up for 77 games and averaging nearly 20 minutes of ice time.
Matthew J. Lee/Globe Staff
LONG HAUL
Bruins good fit
for Bancroft
Dalton Bancroft's
first professional road trip is one he'll never forget.
Not long after Cornell was eliminated from the NCAA Tournament in March, Bancroft, a big man on campus for the Big Red, had a decision to make. Should he stay or should he go pro?
Bancroft chose to leave school and
Then came the roadie to remember.
'We got back from the regional [in Ohio] on, I think it was Sunday, and I was in a five-hour Uber ride down to Providence on Thursday,' Bancroft said after wrapping up Bruins development camp last month.
A quick price check last week revealed a trip from Lynah Rink in Ithaca, N.Y., to Amica Mutual Pavilion in Providence runs just short of $500 — before tip.
'It was three [games in] three days that weekend for Providence,' said Bancroft. 'So, it was a quick schedule change than what we're used to in college, but I think that's the best way to learn is to get thrown into the mix of things and then you'll know what to expect. And I think it's a little bit of a head start going into next year, the pace and the people you're playing with, stuff like that.
'It was really cool for them to do that for me.'
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Bancroft, who turned heads at Boston's Development Camp last year, signed a one-year entry-level deal with a $950,000 salary cap hit and played five games for AHL Providence, scoring one goal.
'I think they preach the blue-collar mentality here. That's kind of the same thing we had going at Cornell. We were never going to be the highest skilled team in the NCAA, but we were going to be teams with grit and physicality. And that kind of played right into the way I play,' said Bancroft, explaining his decision to sign with the Bruins.
At 6 feet 3 inches, 207 pounds, Bancroft is a physical player who showed steady improvement at Cornell, where he collected 36 goals and 79 points in 103 games. He acknowledged
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Prior to his time at Cornell, Bancroft was MVP of the Ontario Junior Hockey League in 2021-22, when he amassed a league-high 92 points (37 goals) for Trenton.
Bancroft has good instincts and uses his frame and strength to shield the puck and beat opponents one-on-one. He does a nice job anticipating the play, delivering soft passes and deceptively stinging one-timers.
'I'd say probably the best part of my game would be my physicality. I have the goal scoring touch, too, I like to think. Maybe not as much as some of the higher skill players, but I think that's kind of the big reason they brought me in was I have that mentality, the gritty physical, not afraid to get in there and get my nose dirty,' said Bancroft. 'I think this was kind of the perfect fit.'
If the Bancroft name sounds familiar, diehards might remember his dad,
Steve
, who played for the Calder Cup-winning Providence Bruins in 1998-99.
'Obviously I lean on him a lot for advice. He had an extremely long career,' said Dalton, whose Dad played almost exclusively in the minors from 1990-2006. 'Also, it's kind of fun now too, he might tell me some of the stories that he wasn't allowed to tell me when I was a bit younger.'
Bancroft collected 36 goals and 79 points in 103 games at Cornell.
Adrian Kraus/Associated Press
ETC.
Players in limbo
after acquittal
The fate of the five players
Although
Michael McLeod
,
Carter Hart
,
Alex Formenton
,
Dillon Dube
, and
Callan Foote
are officially unrestricted free agents, they have yet to be cleared to resume their NHL careers.
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McLeod, Hart, Dube, and Foote were active NHLers when they were arrested in 2024. Formenton has not been in the league since 2022.
'The allegations made in this case, even if not determined to have been criminal, were very disturbing and the behavior at issue was unacceptable,' the NHL said in a statement. 'We will be reviewing and considering the judge's findings. While we conduct that analysis and determine next steps, the players charged in this case are ineligible to play in the league.'
Not surprisingly, the players' union disagrees and is pushing back.
'After missing more than a full season of their respective NHL careers, they should now have the opportunity to return to work,' the NHLPA said in a statement. 'The NHL's declaration that the players are 'ineligible' to play pending its further analysis of the court's findings is inconsistent with the discipline procedures set forth in the CBA. We are addressing this dispute with the League.'
It'll be interesting to see if the league makes a decision before NHL camps open next month.
Loose pucks
Quiz time: With
Zdeno Chara
set to enter the
Cole Spicer
, who was originally set to play for Arizona State this season but instead will not play for the Sun Devils, according to a report from the Grand Forks Herald. A Bruins fourth-round pick in 2022, Spicer played two seasons at Minnesota Duluth before playing for Dubuque of the USHL last season. Spicer, a physical forward with a penchant for finishing his checks, has dealt with concussions and wrist injuries. It's unclear why he is not moving forward with his commitment to ASU ... If you're feeling pretty good about your golf game, don't chat up Islanders forward
Mathew Barzal
because his summer on the links has been better than pretty good. Barzal buried his first two holes-in-one
Marat Khusnutdinov
, who
Brad Marchand
hosted a Stanley Cup party this past week and it sure looked like fun. A lot of
Adam McQuaid
and
Chris Kelly
as well as fellow Nova Scotian stars
Sidney Crosby
and
Nathan MacKinnon
.
Trey Daerr
, who
Bobby Orr
was inducted in 1979 at 31 years old. Oh, what could have been.
Jim McBride can be reached at