Mason Lohrei sent to Providence during final roster cuts
Mason Lohrei should have made the Bruins final roster, unfortunately he was part of the final roster cuts and was assigned to the Providence Bruins.
“Mason has made our decisions really difficult. He’s played well,” general manager Don Sweeney said Monday to reporters. “Again, we’ve put him in similar situations with (Matt) Poitras and playing them up and down the lineup and in situations that again, on the back end, you’re going to get hit and you’re going to get exposed. He’s logged a lot of minutes. We continue to work on his habits without the puck.”
The 22-year-old will be able to play meaningful minutes for the P-Bruins, whereas if he were in Boston, his playing time would have been greatly reduced.
Lohrei was strong during the preseason working well with his different skate mates on the blue line. The 6-foot-4 defenseman will work on his skills in Providence before he gets his opportunity to play in Boston.
“I feel good about the camp I had,” Lohrei said Monday to reporters. “I know there’s more to give, more to learn. Just showing up every day and climbing the ladder and showing what I can do. But that’s what I’m probably most excited about. I’m fortunate to still be here. It’s a blessing to be in this position and be able to practice everyday with these guys. I’m just trying to show up to the rink everyday and have that mentality of I’m going to go out there and keep earning my spot.”
Lohrei will look to work on his puck handling skills, decision making and how he’ll handle better competition physically while in Providence.
The Bruins will look to accelerate the young defenseman’s development, but with their depth on the blue line, he should only be needed if someone struggles or gets injured early on in the season.
Despite not making the Bruins final roster Charlie McAvoy was impressed with Lohrei’s play during camp and in the preseason.
“It’s been really fun to watch. His patience with the puck is probably the biggest thing. He has a lot of confidence in himself, and that’s certainly one of the biggest things you need to have — a belief that you belong here,” McAvoy said Monday. “He’s been doing great, had a great camp. I’m really happy for him to make a push, and he’s a great kid. The sky’s the limit for him. You can see him becoming an outstanding player, and he’s already taking strides there. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for him.”
The Bruins will open with McAvoy, Kevin Shattenkirk, Hampus Lindholm, Matt Grzelcyk, Derek Forbort, Brandon Carlo and Ian Mitchell as the team’s No. 7 defenseman on the blue line.
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