BOSTON - Northeastern's Ryan Shea has signed a two-year entry-level deal with the Dallas Stars of the National Hockey League, announced by the organization on Wednesday. Shea, a native of Milton, Mass., is a four-year letterwinner for the Huskies who served as captain last season and is part of the second winningest class in program history.

"Ryan is one of the best defensemen and captains in Northeastern history," said Fernie Flaman Head Men's Hockey Coach Jim Madigan. "From the minute he stepped on campus as a freshman, he conducted himself as a true professional, on and off the ice, and was a valuable teammate. He helped take our program to unprecedented heights including three straight Beanpot championships, a Hockey East championship and two NCAA tournament appearances. His shoes will be difficult to fill, but we are excited for him to take the next step in his hockey career and we wish him and his family nothing but the best."



The captain was originally drafted by the Chicago Blackhawks in the fourth round of the 2015 NHL Draft and helped lead the Huskies last season with 26 assists, finishing fifth in Hockey East while adding five goals. Shea finished his career with 10 goals, 68 assists and a +55 in 149 games, which ties him for third most games played in team history.

"I'm at a loss for words on how excited I am," Shea said. "I really liked the conference call with Dallas and how they talked about being a family community like what we had at Northeastern. This is a great opportunity for me to start my professional career and I look forward to being part of a great organization."

Shea scored a game-clinching goal in the Beanpot win over Harvard, 3-1, and garnered MVP honors in the Friendship Four tournament in Belfast, Ireland with two goals and three assists including the game-winning goal in the championship game. Shea was named as a semifinalist for the Walter Brown Award and was runner-up for the annual Hockey East Len Ceglarski Sportsmanship Award. He graduated with a degree in business this past May and will join fellow defenseman and Northeastern alum Jamie Oleksiak ('11) who has two goals and one assist for the Stars during the 2019-20 playoffs.

Shea is the fifth player from the 2019-20 team to sign a professional contract this offseason. Matt Filipe signed with the Boston Bruins of the NHL (story here), Tyler Madden signed with the Los Angeles Kings of the NHL (story here), Biagio Lerario signed with the Manitoba Moose of the AHL (story here) and Brendan van Riemsdyk signed with the Reading Royals of the ECHL (story here).

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