The Pittsburgh Penguins were boosted to a huge win thanks to the first NHL goal from a first-year defenseman.
PITTSBURGH – Entering the 2023-24 season, the Pittsburgh Penguins took a chance on free-agent defenseman Ryan Shea. At 26 years old, Shea had never played a game in the NHL despite being drafted in 2015 by the Chicago Blackhawks.
Shea took a long road through four years of college and three years in the American Hockey League before the Penguins finally gave him a chance in the NHL. After making his NHL debut, Shea saw his role with the team dip a bit as he eventually found his way back to the AHL.
With only a handful of games remaining in the year, injuries and illness opened up a new opportunity for Shea. In his most recent NHL stint, Shea has looked far more comfortable and finally capitalized on an accomplishment every young hockey player dreams of.
To kick off the scoring in a massive game against the Washington Capitals, Shea recorded his first career goal.
As a stay at home defenseman, Shea isn’t expected to score much, be it was still a sweet feeling for the first-year NHLer.
“I’ve been waiting for something like that for a while,” Shea said. “It’s been a long time coming.”
Shea said he received upwards of 200 congratulatory texts from friends and family and barely had time to respond to them all.
“I appreciated all of them,” Shea said. “I got to them as fast as I could.”
Shea’s goal opened the scoring for the Penguins in a critical contest that felt like an early playoff game. The Penguins are still on the outside looking in at the postseason but are within striking distance.
“Especially in a big game like that,” Shea said on his tally. “It felt like a playoff game, especially in our locker room.”
Despite it being Shea’s first season playing games at the NHL level, due to his age, he is considered a first-year player instead of a rookie. Regardless of designation, the Penguins have been proud of the growth Shea has taken after they took a chance with him on the blue line.
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