By any measure, Friday night was nothing but a success for Liam Ruck after he was selected No. 22 overall in the first round of the NHL Draft by the Pittsburgh Penguins.
But in one facet, he failed.
When asked about his twin brother, Markus, Liam Ruck struggled to be subtle in suggesting the Penguins might want to draft him as well.
“Just him being such a great playmaker and finding me in kind of good scoring areas, it’s a good combination,” Liam Ruck said by video conference Friday. “I hope he’s taken by the Penguins as well, but we’ll see how the rest of the (draft) goes.”
It didn’t take long to see what the Penguins did as they selected Markus Ruck in the second round Saturday, No. 39 overall.
The Rucks were dominant while skating on a line together with the Medicine Hat Tigers in the Western Hockey League (WHL) last season.
Liam Ruck was the WHL’s second-leading scorer with 104 points (45 goals, 59 assists). The only player who surpassed him was Markus Ruck with 108 points (21 goals, 87 assists).
Many of Markus’ assists came off Liam’s goals.
RUCK TWIN MAGIC!!!
Markus Ruck sets up Liam Ruck, and the Tigers are in front by 2! ???????? pic.twitter.com/82cgtWO4OU
— Medicine Hat Tigers (@tigershockey) April 26, 2026
How exactly did one become the clear shooter and the other become the definite passer in their dynamic?
“It’s kind of how it worked out,” Markus Ruck said via video conference. “I think we just do whatever the best percentage is to score a goal, and it usually happens to be him shooting and me passing. We never plan anything. It’s just usually how it goes. I think I do need to shoot the puck a little bit more, and I’m working on that. That’s more just a mindset thing. I think I do have a good shot, and I do need to use it more.
“I think Liam and I work hand in hand with each other, and it’s a great fit.”
The Rucks are slated to play one more season at Medicine Hat before moving on to the NCAA level with North Dakota in 2027-28.
How exactly did the Penguins manage to snag twins 17 picks apart?
“It was very strategic,” Penguins vice president of player personnel Wes Clark said Saturday. “Very unique situation. Put a lot of time into it last week, dealing with the agent, our scouts, management. Once we took Liam at 22, decided to hold, roll the dice and were able to get Markus at 39.”
The Penguins did plenty of homework in trying to land each player.
“Pittsburgh called Liam and I a couple of days before the draft and asked us a few questions,” Markus Ruck said. “They were the only team to do that. So we had an idea that they were interested, and for them to do it, like, it’s so special. That’s all I can say.”
This marked the first time brothers were selected in the same draft since 2018 when Christian (No. 196 — New York Islanders) and Cole Krygier (No. 201 — Florida Panthers) heard their names called.
The Penguins have drafted brothers only once previously, having selected Aleksey Morozov (No. 24 – 1995) and Valentine Morozov (No. 154 – 1994). Only Aleksey ever suited up for the Penguins.
A handful of brothers have played for the Penguins, including Doug and Greg Brown, Chris and Peter Ferraro (also twins), Alain and Mario Lemieux along with Kevin and Kip Miller.
The Rucks aren’t threats to make an immediate jump to the NHL as plenty of refinement is required in their final season with Medicine Hat before they matriculate to North Dakota.
“The physical development will be the key,” Penguins president of hockey operations Kyle Dubas said. “That will allow them to build their power and improve their skating. I think if they can unlock that, that’ll be a major development for them.”
Regardless of their time frame for potentially arriving in the NHL, the appeal of adding each of them was obvious to management.
“104 points, 108 points,” Clark said. “The reality is we need to keep accruing talented people and acquiring talented people to the organization. I think we were able to accomplish that with both of them.”
