Former BC High star from Milton scores first career NHL goal with Penguins

Ryan Shea took a long and winding road to the NHL. At the age of 27 he finally found the net.

The former BC High star scored his first NHL goal Thursday night, beating Washington Capitals goalie Charlie Lindgren with a wrister from the left point. The goal, just 1:49 into the game, gave Shea's Pittsburgh Penguins an early lead as they desperately chase a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

It was Shea's 25th NHL game, all of them coming with the Penguins this season. The 6-foot-2 left-shot defenseman had not registered a point over his first 24 games.

Shea, who wears No. 5 for the Penguins, grew up in Milton and starred at BC High, scoring 14 goals and adding 54 assists across three seasons. He was a two-time Patriot Ledger All-Scholastic, as a sophomore and junior, before spending his senior season playing for the Youngstown Phantoms of the United States Hockey League.

Shea was the Catholic Conference co-MVP as a junior in the 2014-15 season when he had 6 goals and 29 assists, prompting BC High coach John Flaherty to say, "He was arguably the most dynamic and dangerous player in all of Mass. high school hockey.”

Shea spent two seasons with Youngstown before returning to the area for a four-year hitch at Northeastern University. He had 10 goals and 68 assists for the Huskies, leading them to three straight Beanpot championships (2018, 2019, 2020), two NCAA playoff berths and a Hockey East crown in the 2018-19 season.

Shea was drafted by the Chicago Blackhawks in the fourth round (No. 121 overall) of the 2015 NHL Entry Draft, but he opted not to sign with Chicago and became a free agent after the Blackhawks' exclusive rights lapsed. He then signed a two-year, entry-level deal with the Dallas Stars on Aug. 19, 2020.

"The No. 1 thing that really stood out to me was that they’ll tell you how it is,” Shea told The Patriot Ledger's Mike Loftus after signing with the Stars. “They’re not going to lie to you, or promise you anything. They told me I was going to have to go in and work for it, which I’ve been doing my whole life. That’s what every team I’ve played for has said to me.”

Shea spent three seasons in Dallas' system, notching 10 goals and 56 assists for the Texas Stars of the American Hockey League. He became a free agent after last season and signed with the Penguins on July 1, 2023.

While playing in the minors he was added to the U.S. roster for the 2021 IIHF World Championships in Riga, Latvia. He had an assist in 3 games as the U.S. won a bronze medal.

This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Ryan Shea scores first NHL goal for Pittsburgh Penguins