NHL Notebook: Bruins bring Lohrei in on tryout, sign Kuntar to entry-level deal

Another busy week on the collegiate front with lots to get to. Let’s empty the notebook…

Mason Lohrei signs ATO, reports to Providence

The Bruins announced Friday that 2020 second-round pick (58th overall) Mason Lohrei signed an amateur tryout (ATO) with the Providence Bruins. The 22-year-old defenseman reported to the P-Bruins to officially make the jump to professional hockey.

The former Ohio State Buckeye put up four goals and 28 assists for 32 points in 40 games as a sophomore, leading OSU to an NCAA tournament appearance. He posted 29 points (4g, 25a) in 31 games last season as a freshman. 

The 6-foot-4, 209-pound blue-liner landed on the Bridgeport Regional all-tournament team after a goal and two assists in the 8-1 semifinal win over Harvard. He had seven shots and three blocks in the two games. 

Lohrei drew a lofty comparison from Quinnipiac head coach Rand Pecknold after the Bobcats knocked the Buckeyes out.

“He’s a special player. He’s elite. He should probably be in the NHL right now and probably will be in about a day or two, is my guess,” Pecknold told reporters last Sunday. “A player of that stature and that caliber, going back to when Cale Makar played at UMass and we played them all the time, you’ve got to defend guys like that in layers. You can’t just be 1-on-1.”

Bruins general manager Don Sweeney told NESN’s Adam Pellerin on Friday, “Rand was obviously effusive in his praise of Mason. Especially with the puck offensively, he’s a gifted player. He’s got a lot of poise, and you know can really change the game. He’s got a long reach. It’ll be an adjustment, systematically, but we’re excited about his upside and development path.”

Lohrei is a converted forward, which is evident in how confident he is with the puck in transition and offensive situations, playing a huge role in the Buckeyes’ power play as well. He had 96 points (27g) in 105 USHL games before college. 

“It’s been a pretty big upward trend here,” Sweeney said. “Mason was a forward not too long ago before moving back to play defense. His dad’s a coach, so I think he probably helped along the way. Obviously a great development program at Ohio State. His offensive prowess in the USHL was really meteoric between one year and the next, and our guys did a tremendous job identifying him and the upside. Obviously there’s a big, long frame there. A gifted player with a real good hockey sense.”

By signing the ATO, it allows Boston and Lohrei to push signing a full entry-level deal into the offseason. It will be a two-year deal when it eventually gets done, due to his age. 

The tryout path was the initial plan for Charlie McAvoy in 2017, but Boston eventually rushed him up due to injuries severely depleting the blue line. 

"We’re excited that Mason has made the decision to leave Ohio State,” Sweeney said. “He’ll sign the ATO and jump into games with Providence in the playoffs. Because he’s on our reserve list, not unlike Charlie, it does leave a bit of a window there, but again, not to get ahead of ourselves and allow him to get comfortable acclimating to the pro level. Then we’ll see where it goes.

“We got some contract stuff down the road we need to work out with him, but he’s taking the first step.”

Lohrei joined the P-Bruins on Sunday for his first practice. He said turning pro was already on his radar. 

"My plan going into the year was to make the jump [at] this time,” Lohrei said, according to Mark Divver. “The decision’s hard no matter what just because I loved it at school and have a bunch of my best friends there. I had a great time over two years, but it’s time to move on and make the next jump, and I’m really excited for it.”

Lohrei will be getting into games soon. He’s prepared to meet the new challenge head-on.

“We’ll see what happens, but I feel I’m ready to make that next step,” Lohrei said. There are going to be growing pains no matter what, but I’m confident in myself and I know I can play at this level.”

Here’s the full thread of Lohrei’s comments:

Trevor Kuntar signs entry-level contract

The Bruins put pen to paper with another collegiate prospect this week, signing former Boston College center Trevor Kuntar to a two-year entry-level contract on Wednesday, which will begin in the 2023-24 season. 

Boston selected Kuntar 89th overall in the third round of the 2020 draft. 

Kuntar put up career-highs in goals (13), assists (16) and points (29) in 34 games as a junior for the Eagles this season. He improved his goal and point output in each of his three seasons in Chestnut Hill, combining for 28-31–59 in 93 games. 

At 6 feet, 200 pounds, Kuntar is a heavy body, hard to knock off the puck and difficult to battle with in the dirty areas. He has a hard shot, capable of beating goaltenders clean from different spots on the ice, and plays with a lot of energy. He’s sometimes crossed the line, as Hockey East saddled him with two separate one-game suspensions this season. The Buffalo, N.Y., native played in every situation for BC, too.  

A fun player with a style that should translate to the pros. Maybe he puts himself in a position to compete for some NHL games next season. 

College free-agent wingers Boston could target

Some more college free agent forward options have come off the board already, whether it be Minnesota State’s Ondrej Pavel, Colorado College’s Hunter McKown and last week’s focus, Jason Polin.

Still, the forward market is pretty robust. Here are some wingers that could be worthwhile:

Collin Graf (RW), Quinnipiac – Graf has had an interesting path to his breakout season with the Bobcats. The 20-year-old sophomore is third in the nation with 56 points (20g, 36a) in 39 games, leading QU to a third Frozen Four appearance. He had a solid freshman season with lowly Union in 2021-22, putting up 22 points (11g, 11a) in 37 games after coming out of the Boston Jr. Bruins of the NCDC, where he had 101 points (35g, 66a) in 91 games over two seasons. 

“He's definitely popped this year,” Pecknold said Tuesday. “I think a couple things happened. One of the things, when he committed to us was, I wanted to make sure he came in over the summer, spent some time with his teammates and got acclimated to our weight program and our culture.   

“He's worked on his skating. It’s improved. I think the biggest thing that Collin has done this year is work on his defensive side of the game. He’s become a much better defensive hockey player. When you do that and you hunt pucks better, you get to play more offense. He has a lot of confidence right now. He's one of the best players in the country, and we feel really fortunate to have him."

Graf thinks the game well and is a good passer with a quick release on his own chances. He’s got a pretty average frame at 6 feet, 181 pounds, so maybe the Lincoln, Mass., native opts for another year in school to continue to physically mature. Either way, he should be on the B’s radar. He’s slated to attend Nashville’s development camp if he does not sign a contract. 

Matt Brown (LW/RW), Boston University – Brown has always been an intriguing free agent, going back to his freshman and sophomore years at UMass Lowell. He has always been a solid producer, but has popped as a senior with 46 points (16g, 30a), which ranks 10th in the NCAA. Sees the ice very well to make plays and create opportunities for himself. Undersized at 5-foot-9, 190 pounds, but has a bit of an edge. Brown attended Boston’s development camp in 2019. 

“He’s been arguably our best forward all year long,” BU head coach Jay Pandolfo said Tuesday. “Give him a ton of credit. He’s been huge for us.”

Ryan McAllister (LW/RW), Western Michigan – McAllister stepped right in as a 21-year-old freshman with 49 points (13g, 36a) in 39 games, driving up his stock after one of the most productive seasons in the AJHL in four decades with 139 points (57g, 82a) in 60 games. Stands at just 5-foot-10, 183 pounds, but is a very smart, creative winger. Skated at Toronto’s development camp last offseason. 

Ondrej Psenicka (LW), Cornell – The 22-year-old Czech is a big, big boy, listed at 6-foot-6, 209 pounds. Solid contributor for the Big Red with 8-7–15 in 34 games as a sophomore. Had a very strong freshman season with 12-9–21 in 32 games before earning an invite to New Jersey’s development camp last summer. Made a living around the net and in the slot for Cornell, doing a good job of finding loose pucks and open space. 

Brendan Furry (LW), Minnesota State – The 24-year-old had 28 points (9g, 19a) in 39 games as captain of the Mavericks this season. It was a bit of a step back from his breakout 44 points in 44 games en route to a national runner-up finish last year, but still a strong season. Given his age, you wonder how much development is left. Could still be a good flyer to take. He was at St. Louis’ development camp last summer. 

Boston has also had Riese Gaber (North Dakota), Jamie Engelbert (Providence), Tyler Pacquette (Penn State), Tyler Gratton (Penn State) and Matthew Kopperud (Arizona) as development camp invitees in the past. Gaber is the best of the bunch, and perhaps any free-agent winger, with 37 points in each of the last two seasons (20 goals this year). But the 23-year-old opted to return to UND. Keep an eye on him next spring. 

College free-agent defenseman the Bruins could target

A good portion of this market has dried up already with Minnesota State standouts Akito Hirose and Jake Livingstone inking entry-level deals elsewhere, in addition to Cornell’s Sam Malinski and Travis Mitchell, among others.

Regardless, there are still some solid options out there: 

Zach Metsa, Quinnipiac – Metsa is one of the NCAA’s best offensive defensemen with 70 points since the start of 2021-22. Only two blue-liners have more points in that span, Michigan’s Luke Hughes (maybe you’ve heard of him) and Denver’s Mike Benning, a fourth-rounder to Florida in 2020. Metsa has captained the Bobcats to the Frozen Four with 33 points in 38 games. It was a surprise to see him return for a fifth year instead of signing a pro deal, but he continues to do a lot of winning at college. Undersized blue-liner (5-foot-9) was at Buffalo’s development camp last summer. 

Dylan Anhorn, St. Cloud State – Anhorn was one of Division I’s most productive blue-liners before a lower-body injury in January cost him his season. SCSU coach Brett Larson said at the time it won’t impact his career long-term. Had 25 points (5g, 20a) in 23 games before going down, and his 1.09 points per game were third among defensemen. Helped anchor the Huskies’ top pair and was a fixture on the power play. The Calgary native attended the Flames’ development camp in the offseason. 

Zak Galambos, Western Michigan – Certainly not the most heralded collegiate prospect, but morphed himself into a very productive defenseman at AIC before transferring to Western, where he kept it up in a much stronger conference. Already 25 years old, but had 29 points from the blue line each of the last two seasons. 

Ryan Siedem, Harvard – Third on the Harvard depth chart behind Henry Thrun (now of San Jose) and Ian Moore. Solid numbers in three seasons with 45 points (7g) in 99 games, including 17 points as a junior. Effective at creating shots from the point and getting them to the net for rebounds. Confident with the puck and moves it well in transition. Siedem attended Washington’s development camp in 2022. 

Olson opts for fifth year at Minnesota Duluth

Center prospect Quinn Olson will return to UMD for his fifth and final year of collegiate eligibility. 

Boston selected Olson in the 2019 third round (92nd overall). The 21-year-old plays both the middle and the wing, and put up 7-17–24 in 37 games in a down year for the Bulldogs. He has 75 points (23g, 52a) in 138 NCAA games.

Olson is a crafty playmaker with a solid two-way game. He has found his way onto highlight reels a few times in Duluth and has also had promising showings at development camps.

Once his season is over in 2024, he could either sign with Boston or hold out until Aug. 15 to become an unrestricted free agent. Something to keep an eye on. 

Pastrnak catching fire at the right time

Jim Montgomery said in Carolina last Sunday that David Pastrnak "put the team on his back" in the 4-3 shootout win. Pastrnak picked up his 50th and 51st goals of the season.

His strong run has continued, picking up No. 52 against Nashville and 53 against Columbus. A hat trick in Boston’s 4-3 win over Pittsburgh on Saturday, including the game-winner with 2:26 left in regulation, brought him up to 56 on the year. He reached the century mark with the first goal, carding the first 100-point season of his career to join Brad Marchand and Joe Thornton as the only Bruins to do it since the turn of the century. 

“It’s crazy. I said many times I’d probably take 50 goals,” Pastrnak told reporters in Pittsburgh. “I’m very happy, and a big thanks to my linemates and teammates. Obviously, things have been going well. I feel good out there.”

Pastrnak shouldered more of the attention from the Hurricanes' defense with Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron out of the lineup in Carolina. Bergeron was also out against the Penguins.

Coming out of the Carolina game, Pastrnak was on a 57-goal pace over 82 games. Hitting 60 wasn’t out of the question at the time, assuming more multi-goal booms were in store. Saturday’s hat trick puts him on an 82-game pace for exactly 60. He’d become the second B’s skater to ever hit the mark, joining Phil Esposito, who did it four times. 

Pastrnak’s 56 goals are the most in a season by any Boston skater since Esposito’s 61 in 1974-75. 

“I had no clue. It’s amazing … especially with an organization like the Bruins with so much history,” Pastrnak said. “Definitely feel honored. I love Boston, and I’m happy I can play in this organization.”

Since the start of March, the Czech winger has 14 goals and eight assists for 22 points in 16 games. With 74 points (30g, 44a) in 70 career playoff games, Pastrnak is heating up at the perfect time with six games left in the regular season.

Walsh draws a line in the sand 

NHLPA executive director Marty Walsh met with the media for the first time on Thursday since taking over his new post. Walsh mentioned that he and NHL commissioner Gary Bettman briefly met for about a half hour in New York earlier in the week.

Among the discussion topics was Bettman’s smoke signal regarding the salary cap at the general managers’ meetings earlier this month. Essentially, with the way revenue projects, if the players are willing to play ball, the salary cap could increase by more than $1 million this summer.

“It could be a discussion,” Bettman said at the time. “We’re hearing around the bend from players and others that there may be interest in having that, but one thing to keep in mind if we’re going to raise the cap and the escrow hasn’t been paid off, is then we’re going to have to look at raising the escrow rates. …The two are inextricably tied together.”

Increasing escrow from the cap of six percent for the next three seasons would be unpopular among the union. 

Walsh made his stance clear.

“The commissioner, in our meeting … he brought that up, and certainly, we’re open to any conversation,” Walsh told reporters. He later clarified, “We’re open to any conversation, but we’re not open to changing the escrow.”

Elliotte Friedman reported on the latest "32 Thoughts" podcast that he spoke to some teams and agents that told him there could be “a deal to be made on the cap,” believing there is “wiggle room” to raise the cap by $2 million without touching the escrow rate. We’ll see.