Mason Lohrei Admitted This About Playing Next To Bruins Defenseman 

Mason Lohrei played 41 games for the Bruins throughout the regular season. The young defenseman scored four goals and nine assists while averaging 16:57 minutes of ice time.

As he grew throughout his first NHL season, the thing that amazed the Louisiana native the most: playing alongside Charlie McAvoy.

"I was telling him the other day that every time I look up at the board and I see my name next to his, I have to pinch myself still," Lohrei said, per The Hockey News' Belle Fraser. "He's such an incredible player…I've taken so much stuff from his game."

McAvoy laughed when he was asked about the exchange.

"That sounded weird when he was telling that. It made me feel old," McAvoy told reporters. "I certainly don't see myself like that. I feel like I'm a kid just out there having fun too. Playing with him and watching the things that he's doing I feel the same way looking at him.

"I had a great time playing with him. He works extremely hard. His foundation is great. He works every single day, and I cannot wait to see the strides he takes. I keep telling him the sky's the limit for him. I see where he can go, and it's really massive for us to see the strides that he can take. Watching him come into his own ... I'm excited that I'm going to be here for that and help him any way I can. I look forward to the relationship that we're going to build."

Lohrei's hard work and strong play in all three zones earned the 23-year-old a call-up from Providence for the playoffs.

Lohrei played in 11 of the Bruins' 13 postseason games. He tallied one goal and three assists. He registered 14 shots on goal, 17 blocks and 12 hits in 17:12 minutes of ice time.

The postseason helped build Lohrei's confidence within the Bruins' organization.

"Yeah, it's been incredible. I was just telling my parents that it's the most fun I've had playing hockey with the playoff run we had," Lohrei told reporters at Bruins breakup day at Warrior Ice Arena, per team transcript. "Being able to come in and jump into a role and run with it is huge for confidence going into the summer. It gives me a lot of motivation to stay at it."

As McAvoy said, the sky is the limit for Lohrei and his play in the playoffs will probably earn him a spot on the roster in September.