Penguins Defenseman Ryan Shea Discusses What Has Changed to Lead to Early Season Success for Him in 2025

Coming into the season, if the Penguins were going to have success it would likely have to come from a major improvement defensively and in the net.

When looking for improvements on defense many fans and analysts expected star names like Kris Letang and Erik Karlsson to be the ones stepping up and so far while those two have been good another player has blown expectations away.

The Penguins have seen a massive improvement from 28-year-old veteran defenseman Ryan Shea and today he spoke about the offseason preparation that led to that improvement.

So far through the first handful of games, Shea has been an absolute force offensively on the back end tallying four points in five games.

After the Penguins most recent game, Shea was asked what has clicked leading to such a major improvement.

Shea credited his hard work this offseason while also admitting he has learned what it takes to be successful in the NHL in recent seasons.

While it is still early in the season, Shea has already almost eclipsed his career high in points and could be a key piece to the puzzle if Dan Muse and this Penguins group are going to shock the world and push for a Stanley Cup Playoff spot.

Over the next month or so, all eyes will be on Shea to see if he can keep these performances and truly become a star defenseman in the NHL heading into his prime years.