Mason Lohrei

Mason Lohrei
Lohrei with the Boston Bruins in 2023
Born (2001-01-17) January 17, 2001 (age 23)
Baton Rouge, Louisiana, U.S.
Height 6 ft 4 in (193 cm)
Weight 209 lb (95 kg; 14 st 13 lb)
Position Defence
Shoots Left
NHL team Boston Bruins
NHL draft 58th overall, 2020
Boston Bruins
Playing career 2023–present

Mason Lohrei (/ˈloʊraɪ/; born January 17, 2001) is an American professional ice hockey defenseman currently playing for the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League (NHL). He previously played college ice hockey for Ohio State University in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). He is the first player in NHL history to have been born in the state of Louisiana.

Playing career

Early life and Amateur

Lohrei was born in Baton Rouge while his father, David, was head coach of the East Coast Hockey League's Baton Rouge Kingfish. He moved with his family as a child first to Pennsylvania and then Wisconsin where he grew up.[1] He attended Middleton High School in Middleton, Wisconsin but transferred after his freshman year to Culver Academies in Culver, Indiana. As a sophomore at Culver, he made the decision to switch from forward to defense in order to get more playing time.[2]

Lohrei playing for the Ohio State Buckeyes in a January 2023 game at the Kohl Center

Lohrei committed to playing college ice hockey for the Ohio State University during the 2021–22 season. Lohrei had an impressive first season with the Buckeyes, leading the team with 25 assists. As a result, he was named to the All-Big Ten Freshman Team.

Lohrei decided to return to the Buckeyes for the 2022–23 season. He finished second on the team in assists, and third in total points, with 28 and 32, respectively. Ohio State would make the NCAA tournament, but would lose in the second round to the eventual champion Quinnipiac Bobcats.

Professional

Boston Bruins

On March 31, 2023, the Providence Bruins announced that they had signed Lohrei to an amateur tryout contract for the remainder of the 2022–23 season, ending his collegiate career.[3] He played in five regular season games with the club, registering one assist. He would also play in three playoff games, before the Bruins were eliminated by the Hartford Wolf Pack.

Lohrei started the 2023–24 season with Providence.[4] However, it would not take long for him to receive a call-up to the NHL, as injuries to the Bruins defense corps caused him to make his NHL debut on November 2, 2023, against the Toronto Maple Leafs, where he also recorded his first NHL point, an assist on a goal by Pavel Zacha. With his debut, Lohrei became the first NHL player born in the state of Louisiana. He would score his first NHL goal a few games later against the Dallas Stars on November 6, 2023. Lohrei impressed in his first NHL stint, but was sent back down to Providence on November 25, 2023, following the injury recovery of Matt Grzelcyk.[5] It wouldn't take long for him to return to the NHL club, however, as he would return on December 7, 2023. Lohrei stayed with Boston until being sent down on January 20, 2024, once again due to Bruins defense Derek Forbort being fit to play.[6] In his return to the NHL on February 21, 2024, Lohrei scored three assists against the Edmonton Oilers. Lohrei was once again sent back down to the AHL on April 12, 2024.[7] On April 23, 2024, Lohrei was called back up to the Bruins, and made his NHL playoff debut in Game 3 of the first round against the Toronto Maple Leafs,[8] and scored his first NHL playoff point in the following game, an assist on a goal by James van Riemsdyk. After the Bruins eliminated the Leafs in seven games, Lohrei scored his first NHL playoff goal in Game 1 of the second round against the Florida Panthers.

Career statistics

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2018–19 Green Bay Gamblers USHL 9 0 0 0 4 — — — — —
2019–20 Green Bay Gamblers USHL 48 8 29 37 26 — — — — —
2020–21 Green Bay Gamblers USHL 48 19 40 59 74 2 1 1 2 0
2021–22 Ohio State University B1G 31 4 25 29 20 — — — — —
2022–23 Ohio State University B1G 40 4 28 32 26 — — — — —
2022–23 Providence Bruins AHL 5 0 1 1 2 3 0 0 0 0
2023–24 Providence Bruins AHL 21 1 15 16 14 — — — — —
2023–24 Boston Bruins NHL 41 4 9 13 18 11 1 3 4 10
NHL totals 41 4 9 13 18 11 1 3 4 10

Awards and honors

Award Year
USHL
USHL Most Assists by a Defenseman 2020, 2021
USHL Second All-Star Team 2020
USHL Most Goals by a Defenseman 2021
USHL Most Points by a Defenseman 2021
USHL Defenseman of the Year 2021
USHL First All-Star Team 2021
College
All-Big Ten Freshman Team 2022 [9]
All-Big Ten Second Team 2023 [10]

References

  1. ^ Avery, Keymonte (November 3, 2023). "Baton Rouge native debuts in professional hockey game". BRProud.com. Retrieved March 20, 2024.
  2. ^ Palzewic, Rich (April 5, 2021). "Lohrei thriving with Green Bay Gamblers". The Press Times. Retrieved March 20, 2024.
  3. ^ "Providence Bruins Sign Mason Lohrei To ATO". NHL.com.
  4. ^ Bruins, Providence. "PROVIDENCE BRUINS ANNOUNCE OPENING NIGHT ROSTER | Providence Bruins". www.providencebruins.com. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
  5. ^ Ryan, Conor. "Jim Montgomery explains Mason Lohrei's return to Providence". www.boston.com. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
  6. ^ "Bruins To Activate Brandon Carlo And Derek Forbort". Pro Hockey Rumors. January 20, 2024. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
  7. ^ Ounpraseuth, Jason (April 12, 2024). "Bruins Assign Defenseman Mason Lohrei To Providence". NESN.com. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
  8. ^ Ryan, Conor. "Bruins rookie Mason Lohrei set to make playoffs debut in Game 3". www.boston.com. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
  9. ^ "Mason Lohrei". Ohio State Buckeyes. August 23, 2021.
  10. ^ "Big Ten Hockey Postseason Honors Announced". Big Ten Conference. February 21, 2024. Archived from the original on March 14, 2023. Retrieved March 17, 2024.