Ohio State Professional Athletes

Through the first week of the 2026-27 NHL season, the most compelling Ohio State story isn't in a goalie crease or a power-play unit — it's on the Boston Bruins' blue line, where Mason Lohrei is quietly building a case that he belongs in the starting lineup for the long haul.

Lohrei's week doubled as a highlight reel. On Thursday, he put his name on the scoresheet as the Bruins dismantled the Utah Mammoth 6-1, part of a six-goal offensive explosion that saw Boston lead 6-0 through two periods. David Pastrnak stole most of the headlines with two goals and two assists, but Lohrei's contribution underscored his growing role in the lineup.

Then came Saturday, and Lohrei did it again.

The Ohio State product scored and posted a +2 rating in Boston's 5-1 throttling of the Philadelphia Flyers — a Bruins squad that improved to 4-2 on the season. Fraser Minten led the way with a goal and two assists, but Lohrei's steady two-way effort in the win was impossible to overlook. Boston has now won back-to-back games, and Lohrei has been a contributor in both.

It's not just the points. Per observations from Boston.com following the Bruins' first road trip of the season, Lohrei is actively making "a valid case to remain in the Bruins' starting lineup" — the kind of editorial notice that doesn't get written about fringe players. At the NHL level, that distinction matters. Roster spots on a Bruins team with Stanley Cup aspirations don't come cheap, and Lohrei is earning his.

For Ohio State alumni tracking former Buckeyes across the NHL, there are 12 names scattered across the league this season — from Jakub Dobes tending goal for the Montreal Canadiens to Dakota Joshua and Cole McWard suiting up for the Toronto Maple Leafs. But right now, none are generating the kind of week-over-week momentum that Lohrei is building in Boston.

The sample size is small — six games into an 82-game season — but trends reveal themselves early, and what Lohrei is putting together is a trend worth watching. A defenseman who can produce offensively, hold his own rating-wise, and stick in the lineup on a contending team is exactly the kind of player NHL rosters are built around.

Ohio State's pipeline to the NHL has never been richer. The question is whether any of its other active alumni can match Lohrei's early-season urgency. For now, the Bruins' blueliner from Columbus is the Buckeye to watch.

Dakota Joshua and the Leafs' Pre-Season Headache

Ohio State's most prominent NHLer this week isn't making headlines for his play — he's making them for what he can't do. Dakota Joshua, the Toronto Maple Leafs' depth center, is dealing with a core injury that has him firmly on the outside looking in as the 2026-27 season approaches. The club listed him as day-to-day, but the optics aren't encouraging: Joshua has been skating with the Marlies group during training camp, a reliable signal that a player's spot on the NHL roster is anything but guaranteed.

The injury adds an uncomfortable layer of uncertainty to Joshua's status in Toronto. Speculation has already begun circulating that he could find himself on what Leafs fans grimly refer to as "Robidas Island" — a metaphor for the team's long-term injury list, named for the Leafs' history of forwards lost to prolonged ailments before contributing meaningfully. For a depth forward trying to carve out a defined role, the timing couldn't be worse.

Joshua isn't the only concern in Toronto's camp. Max Domi is also sidelined, leaving the Leafs short-handed at forward depth as they attempt to build momentum ahead of opening night. Two injury clouds over the bottom-six heading into the season is the kind of problem that tends to stress-test roster construction decisions made over the summer.

Dobes Competing for Montreal's Starting Crease

Across the league, another Buckeye is generating quieter but significant buzz. Jakub Dobes, who re-signed with the Montreal Canadiens this offseason as part of a flurry of extensions, is in a genuine three-way competition for crease time alongside Samuel Montembeault and prospect Jacob Fowler. The Canadiens took Montembeault and Dobes to Trois-Rivières earlier in camp — a pairing that has some observers reading as a potential opening-night tandem signal.

Montreal's goaltending depth is a legitimate organizational strength heading into 2026-27. Dobes' re-signing was part of a broader effort by the Canadiens to lock up core pieces as their contention window edges open, and the Ohio State product will need to hold off the rising Fowler to cement his place atop the depth chart. Camp performances have drawn notice: Kaapo Kähkönen, also in the mix, publicly acknowledged Fowler's sharp play — a sign the competition is real, not ceremonial.

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For Ohio State alumni watching the NHL this week, the contrasts are stark. Joshua is fighting through injury just to make a roster, while Dobes is fighting for a starting job on a team trending upward. Both storylines have plenty of runway left as rosters finalize ahead of the 2026-27 opener.