Along with his physical traits, Lohrei’s hockey characteristics make the 24-year-old one of Boston’s most intriguing young veterans.
Lohrei made a big jump as a sophomore pro last season, suiting up for 77 games — he played 41 as a rookie, plus 11 in the playoffs — and averaging nearly 20 minutes of ice time.
It was clear from the latter stages of his first season through training camp that Lohrei’s growth had the Bruins excited and that he was part of the plan for 2024-25.
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However, injuries forced the Bruins to give Lohrei several battlefield promotions. His workload and responsibilities grew when the club lost Hampus Lindholm to a fractured kneecap in November and then Charlie McAvoy to a right AC joint injury and subsequent infection in February.
Neither top-pair defenseman returned, and it led to an increase in minutes for Lohrei, who also eventually assumed quarterback duties for the club’s top power-play unit. Critics will point to Lohrei’s minus-43, which obviously must improve, but the experience gained in all situations should prove beneficial over the long haul.
“First of all, it sucks for our entire group when you lose anybody, but especially the caliber of the players that we did lose for those amounts of time,” said Lohrei, who led Boston defensemen in assists (28), points (33), and power-play points (16).
Lohrei’s switch from forward to defense during his days at Culver Military Academy are well documented, but it’s worth a reminder that despite his rapid ascension, growing pains are still to be expected.
“I think being a young guy and being able to step up into those roles, that’s the role I want to play in this league and that experience is just so invaluable to be able to go through it and go through the ups and downs of it and just learn and then go into the summer with that hungry mentality to continue to get better and be able to play that role to the best of my ability,” he said.
Though the Bruins went without a playoff berth, Lohrei was able to extend his season with an invite of a different sort. This one came from Uncle Sam.
Lohrei was part of an American squad that won IIHF World Championship gold for the first time since 1933. Coincidentally, it was the first time Lohrei, who played for Green Bay in the USHL and for Ohio State before turning pro, had represented the United States.
“My agent first said [officials at USA Hockey] were thinking about inviting me, and then at the end of the year, I was like, ‘What’s the deal here?’ ” Lohrei said. “Then right before my [Bruins] exit meetings my agent said, ‘I don’t think it’s happening this year. They’re like, they appreciate your willingness to go but,’ ... And then they called, and they were like, ‘Hey, we actually want you to come.’ I was like, ‘Yeah, let’s do it.’ ”
Lohrei saw action in five games for the US, collecting a goal and a pair of assists.
“It was a great experience,” said Lohrei, who celebrated with fellow Bruins Jeremy Swayman and Andrew Peeke. “Obviously, we won, so it was pretty unbelievable to be over there and be able to wear that jersey for the first time.”
Lohrei also formed some lifelong bonds while in Denmark and Sweden in May.
“You’re together all the time and, we are a young group and obviously all American guys, so we clicked pretty easily,” said Lohrei. “Just a lot of similarities and a lot of the guys knew each other already just previously playing together, but I only knew Peeker and Sway, but really by the end, I had friendships with all those guys. They’re awesome. I still keep in contact with a lot of them.”
Lohrei said new Bruin winger Mikey Eyssimont was among those he got to know well and he’s “excited we got him.”
Shortly after returning from Europe, Lohrei signed a two-year extension through 2026-27 with an annual salary cap hit of $3.2 million. He acknowledged at the end of the season that he was confident a deal would get done.
“Honestly, I wasn’t super hands-on with [negotiations] or anything,” he said. “I talked to my agent, I don’t know, probably three times and just going back and forth and stuff and I have a lot of trust in them. They do a great job and we got it done and I’m just super happy and excited to be here for another two years.”
Lohrei has quickly gone from a fresh-faced rookie to a stable and steady presence in the locker room.
“I think with my personality and stuff, I get kind of comfortable pretty early. Even last year I was really comfortable just around the group and walking into the rink and stuff,” he said. “It feels like home now.”
A diehard Milwaukee Brewers fan — “They’re hot right now” — Lohrei’s summer schedule has included a lot of skating.
“I’ve been trying to challenge my feet a lot. Skating and explosiveness and a lot of that stuff helps with one-on-one defending against all the best players,” he said. “It’s such a great skating league and guys are so quick and so I’ve been able to do all that as a reaction. I’ve been working on that stuff and then just getting stronger and then obviously that helps everywhere with all the battles. And then obviously I still love to work on all the offensive stuff, whatever it’s stickhandling and shooting and working on my scoring touch a little bit.”
Lohrei will be on his third coach after learning under Jim Montgomery and Joe Sacco. He’s had minimal contact with Marco Sturm — the coach called Lohrei shortly after he was hired — but has gotten some info from other sources.
“One of my best buddies in college [Tate Singleton] played for Coach Sturm last year in Ontario a bit and he had great things to say,” said Lohrei. “And then another, Jake Wise, he’s in Colorado now with the Eagles, but he was with LA in Ontario for their training camp. And same thing, he said, ‘This guy’s awesome, you guys are going to love him.’ So, we had a good conversation. I’m excited to have him here.”
