Mason Lohrei Has Perfect Description For New Bruins Teammate

BOSTON -- Bruins general manager Don Sweeney has assembled one of the deepest blue lines across the league. It boasts top talent in Charlie McAvoy and Hampus Lindholm, shutdown defensemen Brandon Carlo and Andrew Peeke and the emergence of young defenders Mason Lohrei and Parker Wotherspoon.

If those bodies weren't imposing enough, Sweeney added veteran Nikita Zadorov during the offseason. Standing 6-foot-6 and 248 pounds, Zadorov is undoubtedly an imposing body on the blue line, and Lohrei couldn't be more thrilled to have the behemoth as his teammate.

"He's such an incredible player," Lohrei told NESN.com. "I think when we played against him last year, maybe the first word that comes to mind is scary. It's good to have him on our side and not have to play against him.

"You watch his game, and he's just so strong and physical and so good defensively. For somebody so big, he does have a lot of skill and makes really smart plays."

Although he may not be as enormous as Zadorov, Lohrei, at 6 feet 5 inches and 211 pounds, brings a special blend of offense and skating ability. The 23-year-old tallied four goals and nine assists in 41 games for the Bruins last season and is looking to build on that success heading into the 2024-25 campaign.

"I think one of the big things I tried to work on (this summer) was acceleration in the first three steps, getting quicker and faster," Lohrei said. "And then, being in the weight room, that's such a big part. It's just taking care of your body and becoming stronger. Trying to put on weight and put on muscle. It'll help me win battles. Be faster, be stronger and have a harder shot."

Even with his success last season, Lohrei said he used the confidence he had built as a motivator heading into camp this year.

"Just being able to come up last year and play with confidence in some of the biggest moments (for the Bruins) helps my confidence coming into this year," he said. "And then, a huge motivator. It was a huge motivator for my summer to go in and continue to improve my game and come back and try and be even better."