The Boston Bruins took defenseman Mason Lohrei in the second round of the 2020 NHL Draft, let’s take a more in-depth look at this selection.
In this year’s entry draft, the Boston Bruins didn’t have a first-day selection as their first-round pick was sent over to the Anaheim Ducks along with forward David Backes in exchange for Ondrej Kase.
So, the Bruins second-round pick (58th-overall) was actually their first pick of the draft. With this pick, the B’s selected 19-year-old defenseman Mason Lohrei.
Lohrei is an American-born player from Verona, Wisconsin. His 2019-20 season was spent with the Green Bay Gamblers of the United States Hockey League (USHL).
With the Gamblers this past season, Lohrei produced 37 points (eight goals and 29 assists) in 48 games, committed 26 minutes of penalties, and had a plus/minus (+/-) of +5.
The first thing that stands out about Lohrei when you see him is his size. At 6-foot-4 and 201 pounds, the young defenseman is a mountain of a human being.
His size alone may be why the Bruins liked him enough to take him in the second round with their first pick of the draft.
However, Lohrei is anything but a defenseman with just size. He has the ability to carry the puck up ice to start a rush and also can start a rush with a very good first pass, as seen with the tweet below.
Mason Lohrei, 6’4” — 205 lbs, displays mobility, soft hands against USNTDP last Friday. Lohrei, No. 20 in black, looks over his shoulder, takes his time and turns the net with the puck. He makes a shifty move on the break out and goes end-to-end, driving towards goal. #NHLBruins pic.twitter.com/SvgZqziGb8
— Bruins Network (@BruinsNetwork) October 26, 2020
On the defensive side of the game, Lohrei takes pride in his ability to defend against any situation. Offensively, he enjoys jumping in on the rush and has shown an ability to score — as seen by his eight goals and 29 assists this season.
What grade do the Boston Bruins get for this pick?
Lohrei was draftable last year but sadly went overlooked and undrafted. Even with putting up very good offensive numbers as a defenseman, Lohrei was still ranked only as 132nd of the North American skaters.
With that being said, this pick was a clear reach from the Bruins. Lohrei definitely would’ve been available in the later rounds of the draft and the B’s could’ve picked him then.
However, I think this pick was ultimately good. Lohrei’s ceiling is still unknown as he’s only played one full season in the USHL. This upcoming season and the one after that will show Lohrei’s true potential, as he’ll have another full season in the USHL and then is committed to at least one season in college for Ohio State.
You can never have too many defensemen and with the Bruins uncertainty at left D right now, this pick was needed — even with Lohrei most likely not seeing the NHL for another four to five years.
I think Lohrei will be a solid regular defenseman for either a second or third pairing and will be able to play on the second unit of the penalty kill and power play.
With the Bruins reaching for Lohrei and him having a middle-level floor but an unknown ceiling, I think this pick gets a grade of a B-.
Grade: B-
Like I said before, Lohrei won’t be in the NHL for at least another four or five years and won’t be in the AHL for at least another two years. Depending on how his plays in his next season in the USHL and in college will determine his ceiling, which will also change how this selection will look.
Let us known what you think of this selection and the grade you would give it with a comment below.