PENGUINS DRAFT MARKUS RUCK IN ROUND TWO, COMPLETING TWIN COMBO

WILKES-BARRE, Pa. – The Pittsburgh Penguins are causing a Ruckus at the 2026 NHL Entry Draft.

Fewer than 24 hours after they took forward Liam Ruck in the first round, the Penguins united him with his twin brother, Markus Ruck.

Markus was Pittsburgh’s first choice on day two at 39th overall. It completed a storybook weekend for the Ruck family, but also bolsters the Penguins’ pipeline with a remarkably dynamic duo…

MARKUS RUCK (C) 

Markus Ruck is not dissimilar from his (slightly younger) twin brother in the sense that he is an incredibly shrewd creator of offense. He likes to stay in motion, will never overhandle the puck, and connects on clever passes with regularity. If necessary, he’ll roll up his sleeves and thresh for pucks in the dirty areas in order to reestablish possession. From there, it’s back to slick playmaking.

Markus wows regularly with his vision in the offensive zone, but his sense extends to his own end, as well. He is a deliberate backchecker and doesn’t shy away from matchups against the opponent’s top threats.

In yesterday’s profile, we referred to Liam as a playmaker. And he is! But make no mistake about it, with the Ruck duo, Liam is the sniper and Markus is the setup man. Markus led the entire WHL with 87 assists, with many of those feeds going to his (slightly younger) twin brother.

Markus and Liam placed first and second overall in WHL scoring, with Markus producing 108 points and Liam gathering 104 points.

Markus is listed as a centerman by NHL Central Scouting, but he has also lined up at left wing. Interesting tidbit on the Ruck twins, Markus is a left-handed shot, while Liam is a righty.

In his media availability after the first round on Friday, Dubas was asked specifically about Liam needs to target in his development moving forward. Dubas not so subtly took it as opportunity to answer the question in regards to both Ruck twins…

“You’ll see in couple days, physical development will be the key,” Dubas said. “I think that will allow them to build the power and improve their skating, and if they can unlock that, we think that can be a major development for them.”

Both players are expected to return to the Medicine Hat Tigers next season before attending the University of North Dakota in 2027-28.

The Penguins still have three more picks on the docket on day two of the 2026 NHL Entry Draft: 54th, 86th and 170th overall.