On Wednesday afternoon, and much speculation on whether it would actually happen, Boston Bruins’ defenseman Mason Lohrei got the call he’s been waiting for his entire life: a call saying he was headed to the NHL.
Mason Lohrei on being called up: "Great to be back...ready to get to work. Obviously since I got the call up there's been nerves, but that's all part of it...that's what makes it so special and so fun.” pic.twitter.com/zIgwHa6821
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) November 1, 2023
After the injury the Matt Grzelcyk seemingly cleared the way for Lohrei to get the call-up from Providence to make his NHL debut on Thursday against the Toronto Maple Leafs, there was some uncertainty whether he would actually get the call given his inexperience in the league.
Fortunately for Lohrei, head coach Jim Montgomery was very happy with what he saw in training camp and helped general manager Don Sweeney make the easy decision to call him up.
"“He’s just getting better and better since the season started, which is a sign of a guy that is a good hockey player,” Montgomery said. “In camp he was excellent, so we feel he can go in and do a really good job for us.”"
In nine games with the P-Bruins, Lohrei has not been able to notch a goal yet, but has assisted on four of them himself, all while collecting a +4 plus/minus rating. Despite being only 12 games into his professional career, he will be tasked with filling the void left by Grzelcyk.
During the preseason, Lohrei collected a goal during the preseason while spending time on both the power play and on the penalty kill and averaging over 19 minutes of ice time per game. Watch for him to eat up minutes, and give other veteran players some rest.
Other Bruins’ notes:
The Bruins also announced on Tuesday that 19-year-old, rookie standout Matthew Poitras will be sticking with the team following his nine-game run where they could have elected to send him back to junior hockey.
Poitras has played in all nine games thus far this season, amassing three goals and two assists in his time with Boston all without committing a single penalty.
The Bruins are back in action on Thursday when they take on the Maple Leafs, puck drop is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.