Lohrei: ‘I Want to be a Big-Time Player for this Team’ in Third NHL Season

BOSTON –– While Mason Lohrei is entering his third NHL season, head coach Marco Sturm views this year as a new beginning for the Boston Bruins defenseman.

“I told him that I don’t care what happened in the past,” Sturm said. “I want to move forward with him. He should move forward.”​

Lohrei has maintained a first-pair standing alongside Charlie McAvoy throughout training camp and is looking to make an impact in all three zones as the regular season nears. Despite his offensive upside, Lohrei has been focusing on his defensive details as the foundation of his game.

“I want to be a big-time player for this team and play big minutes and do a lot of stuff. It starts with defending hard and then it goes from there,” Lohrei said. “That’s kind of the message first – worry about defending and being hard in the D-zone and then just letting instincts take over on the other end of the ice.”

The 24-year-old finished last season with 33 points (five goals, 28 assists) in 77 games, and had to take on heightened responsibility with the absences of McAvoy and Hampus Lindholm due to injury. For Lohrei, it's been a bonus having those veteran blueliners back and healthy, especially McAvoy, with whom he has played for the better part of three years.

“First of all, just a great friend. Great guy to be around and have in the locker room,” Lohrei said. “To be able to just learn from him and his experiences, watch him every day on and off the ice, it’s been really beneficial for me. Looking forward to being around him more.”

The power play, led by assistant coach Steve Spott, has been a point of emphasis for Boston in the latter half of camp. Lohrei has had consistent slotting on the second unit’s elbow as Lindholm runs things from the point. It is one of the many new systems the Bruins have learned in the past few weeks.

“Obviously, at first, maybe you’re second-guessing yourself a little bit sometimes because it is all new. But I think that is what preseason is for – kind of get it under your belt,” Lohrei said. “Everything we do, there’s intent to everything. It’s something you can really appreciate. You go out there, and you’re not wasting a minute. Everything we do is snappy out there.”

As camp and exhibition games have progressed, Lohrei and his teammates have begun to establish the Bruins’ defensive identity for the 2025-26 campaign.

“Being hard and being inside and keeping guys outside. And then we have a lot of big bodies up front who are going to get to the net, and us defensemen have to get pucks there,” Lohrei said.

As a 6-foot-5, 218-pound offensive defenseman, Lohrei is an asset to Sturm’s backend, and the head coach knows the ceiling is high. He is ready to push Lohrei to be the best version of himself and, in hand, strengthen the team.

“Now we just have to simplify his game more,” Sturm said. “I am going to be on it, and we will help him and guide him to get to the next level.”