Cam Neely Praises These Bruins For Uplifting Rookie Seasons

BOSTON — The Bruins turned to youth to determine who could emerge into greater roles in coming seasons.

Bruins president Cam Neely certainly had two players come to mind that brought unexpected production to the Bruins over the course of the year.

“In particular, I don’t think we expected Mason Lohrei to step in and play as many games as he did,” Neely told reporters during the Bruins’ end-of-season press conference on Wednesday at TD Garden. “Johnny Beecher came in and stole a job in camp. We weren’t expecting him to take a job in camp. That was a good surprise for us. Those two, in particular, I was thinking about.”

The Bruins got 10 points from Beecher in 52 games and 13 points from Lohrei in 41 games. Their roles could potentially grow depending on Boston’s offseason additions.

Both players brought extra juice to the ice on their shifts and should continue to bring a competitive edge to the ice ahead of their second season. Beecher and Lohrei each had impact plays during the postseason against the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Florida Panthers. That impact will provide a foundation to build on.