By: Neil Simmons | Follow me on Twitter / X: @NSimmz
For the second consecutive spring, Mason Lohrei has been named to Team USA’s preliminary roster for the upcoming IIHF World Championships in Switzerland. The Bruins blueliner will be one of just two returning members of last year’s squad, alongside Edmonton’s Isaac Howard, who won the gold medal in Stockholm, the United States’ first in the competition since 1960.
Lohrei is heading into this year’s tournament off the heels of a much more positive regular season with the Bruins than last. He recorded 7-19-26 in 73 regular-season games, setting a new career high in goalscoring, and improved his plus/minus from -43 to +17. He was held off the scoresheet in three appearances of Boston’s first-round playoff series against Buffalo, where the Sabres won in six games.
While Lohrei will be the only returning Bruin to the Team USA roster, he won’t be the only member of the black and gold to don the red, white, and blue. Bruins rookie forward James Hagens had previously been announced to the Team USA squad at Boston’s end-of-season press conference on Tuesday.
Two notable Bruins omissions from the Team USA preliminary roster include Jeremy Swayman, the starting goaltender for the 2025 gold medal team, and forward Sean Kuraly. Swayman declined the invitation as he is expecting his first child around the same time. Kuraly was named at the press conference among the group of Bruins to participate in the tournament, alongside Joonas Korpisalo, Henri Jokiharju, and Fraser Minten, but was not included on the roster announcement.
Final rosters will be announced in the coming week, with the tournament set to begin on May 15th. Team USA will begin its gold medal defense against hosts Switzerland in Zurich.
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