Penguins Urged to Give Bigger Role to Defenseman as He Shatters Expectations
The Pittsburgh Penguins are looking towards their future this season, and now, they've been urged to expand the role of talented defenseman Ryan Shea.
This season hasn't been a great one for the Pittsburgh Penguins, but through the struggles they've seen some major bright spots, with the biggest of all being the career year of forward Rickard Rakell.
However, there's been some other intriguing performances, with defenseman Ryan Shea enjoying a solid breakout year thus far, with the 28-year old finally being given a solid run at the NHL level over the past two years in Pittsburgh.
After two assists during the loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Sunday, Shea now has five points in 27 games played this season, and given his focus as a defensive minded defenseman, he's excited about the production that's come along with his game.
«It's definitely good to see. Honestly, that's not my main focus. My main focus is to keep the puck out of our own net, but when you get rewarded like that, I don't really score that many goals, so it's nice to see. That just builds on your confidence, too, and your ability to get up in the play and work the offensive zone.»
The career AHLer got his first 31 games in the NHL a year ago in Pittsburgh, and after finding his game at this level he now has started to take his game to a new level, drawing high praise from Mike Sullivan in the process.
«The subtleties of his game with the puck is what impresses me the most about Ryan. He defends really well with his stick, but he sees it pretty good when he has the puck. He makes a lot of real nice subtle plays that help us get out of our end or help us keep possession. I think that, without question, is probably his biggest asset.»
At 28-years of age, he certainly isn't going to be a mainstay on this blue line for an extended period of time, but with the team needing some fresh faces to stand up for the remainder of the year, look for Shea to continue to get more opportunities and responsibility.
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