Vitals
Player: Ryan Shea
Born: Feb. 11, 1997 (29 years old)
Height: 6-foot-1
Weight: 200 pounds
Hometown: Milton, Massachusetts, United States
Shoots: Left
Draft: 2015, Chicago Blackhawks (121st overall), fourth round, 30th pick
2025-26 Statistics: 80 games played; six goals; 29 assists; 35 points; plus-minus +30
Contract Status: Completed a one-year contract with a cap hit of $900,000; scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent
Monthly Splits
Story of the Season
The Penguins entered 2025-26 with questions and needed answers
on defense.
Erik Karlsson and Kris Letang were firmly entrenched in their spots, but there were definite unknowns on the blue line, including the new acquisitions, Parker Wotherspoon, Connor Clifton, and the sudden emergence of Harrison Brunicke.
The team needed inexpensive depth that could log minutes without becoming a nightly problem. And for his part, Shea quietly carved out a role.
Early-season injuries and inconsistency from the likes of Brunicke and Caleb Jones created an opportunity, and Ryan Shea took advantage.
His game was never flashy, but he was capable of making the simple play consistently, limiting mistakes, and giving the coaching staff relatively stable minutes.
The Penguins’ defense corps remained uneven overall. And that didn’t change when looking back at the overarching themes of the season. Pittsburgh routinely struggled with odd-man breaks and defensive-zone breakdowns throughout the year, Shea included.
As the season progressed, Shea gradually earned more responsibility. His penalty-kill usage increased, and there were stretches where he climbed into second-pair deployment.
That trust became particularly noticeable during the middle portion of the season when injuries forced Pittsburgh to reshuffle pairings. Shea ended up playing alongside multiple partners.
There were some rough patches, too.
Shea could be seen occasionally struggling against faster forechecking teams, and there were games where Pittsburgh’s inability to exit the defensive zone exposed his puck-moving ability. When the Penguins got pinned in their own end for extended stretches, Shea was sometimes part of the problem rather than the solution.
Still, considering expectations entering the season, the overall result was a net positive.
Regular season 5v5 advanced stats
Data via Natural Stat Trick. Ranking is out of 11 defensemen on the team who qualified by playing a minimum of 150 minutes.
Corsi For%: 49.11 (5th)
Goals For%: 58.33 (2nd)
xGF%: 51.20 (6th)
Scoring Chance %: 50.48 (6th)
High Danger Scoring Chance%:
5v5 on-ice shooting%: 52.80 (5th)
On-ice save%: 90.98 (4th)
Goals/60: 0.28
Assist/60: 1.27
Points/60: 1.56
Shea was not a dominant possession driver, nor was he a major offensive creator from the back end. But his five-on-five results were respectable considering his deployment and teammates.
He also showed a willingness to play physically, something the Penguins’ blue line occasionally lacked.
Offensively, Shea contributed more than enough to remain useful. His point totals were impressive considering his career to this point. Shea finished with six goals and 35 points after entering the year with just 13 career NHL points.
No one is going to confuse him with Karlsson, but offense was not what brought Shea to the dance.
Charts n’at
Via Advanced Hockey Stats and NHL Edge
Shea played some quality minutes for the Penguins. Interestingly, he’s always had a lukewarm defensive impact but has been able to step up on the PK. He doesn’t get a ton of quality from teammates or competition, often playing bottom pairing in the easier matchups, but has done well to help generate offense. WAR sees him as a useful player who can bring elements to help the team, which rings true.
This chart shows Shea’s strengths when it comes to moving the puck. He is exceptional at getting it from the defensive to the offensive zone, whether through carrying the puck with his legs or moving it with his hands. He’s also quietly an adept offensive option once play gets set up in the zone with his shot and also creating assists, often through putting deflectable shots from the outside that forwards near the net could tip in for goals.
Shea was asked to play the left and right sides at different parts of the season and did well to occasionally activate and not get tied strictly to the blueline when it came to looking to shoot the puck.
Shea isn’t a burner, but certainly had functional speed. His 18-20 mph bursts were nice (and surely helped by appearing in 80 games). He gets around the ice well and can move, but skating speed isn’t a huge strength in his game.
Highlights
Questions to ponder
Back in March, Hooks examined Ryan Shea’s value as he prepares to hit the open market after a career year.
He will be 30 years old next season, not exactly the kind of player Kyle Dubas recently said he wanted to build around, specifically wanting to acquire players in their mid-to-late twenties.
The Penguins, however, will have a boatload of cap space to play with, and bringing back Shea should not be a major hurdle to overcome if Dubas deems Shea reliable enough to help anchor the third pairing next season.
However, with a 22-year-old Owen Pickering waiting in the wings on the left side, alongside Parker Wotherspoon and Samuel Girard under contract for next season, does Shea have a permanent spot in the lineup when the dust settles?
Ideal 2026-27
Shea enters the summer on an expiring contract but has made his desire to return to the Penguins clear.
Working under the assumption he returns to the Penguins, bringing back Shea on another one or two-year deal wouldn’t be the worst outcome, as he provides more depth on the back end.
Bottom line
Shea accomplished something meaningful as a regular this season: he established himself as a credible NHL defenseman.
For a Penguins team searching for stability on the blue line, Shea provided more of it than most expected.
Final Grade: B
Shea exceeded expectations this season. He became a reliable everyday option, handling increased responsibility as the season progressed.
What did you think of Shea’s season? Share your thoughts below.
