The Penguins completed drafted the twin brother of first round pick Liam Ruck by selecting Markus Ruck with the 39th pick of the 2026 NHL draft.
M. Ruck is a left handed forward that is more of a playmaker compared to his brother’s penchant for goal scoring. Markus led the WHL in scoring.
Some reports on the newest Penguin prospect.
Markus Ruck led the CHL in points (108) and assists (87), but comparisons and compatibility with his brother, who tends to be the more highly rated prospect,
have also been talking points regarding his status and projection as a prospect. Together, they’ve been on a tear over the last few months and are now in the midst of a second deep playoff run with the Tigers, with Markus functioning as the setup man for his twin brother and a rotation of high-end 2027-eligible linemates like Noah Davidson and Shaeffer Gordon-Carroll as well as signed Flames prospect Andrew Basha. He also played well at the WHL Prospects Game, where he registered two assists. I think he and Liam are actually quite close as prospects, though some have a big of a larger gap. (I have spoken with people who are partial to Markus as well, even if that’s a minority.)
Markus has played both center and the wing this year (sometimes moving over to get the twins with SGC or Davidson, who both play center) and is listed as a center. He’s not super proficient in the faceoff circle, but he’s one of coach Willie Desjardins’ top defensive players and a fixture on their penalty kill.
Corey Pronman
Ruck, the twin brother of fellow draft-eligible Liam Ruck, was excellent in the WHL this season, finishing as the league’s top scorer. He’s a super skilled and intelligent player who makes a lot of difficult plays. He’s great inside the offensive zone and on the power play. He’s not quite as natural a scorer as his brother, though, and his skating will be a notable issue at the next level, especially as a barely 6-foot forward.
Accustomed to coaching gifted identical twins, Willie Desjardins was still astonished at something he saw from the Ruck brothers early in their rookie season with the Medicine Hat Tigers.
“There is one play I remember,” Desjardins said when asked about Liam and Markus, identical twins from Osoyoos, B.C., who are projected to be late first-round picks on Friday. “Liam was standing in front of the net, the righty. Markus picked up the puck at the wall at the blue line as a lefty. He’s coming in and all of a sudden Liam spins and Markus throws it back door right on his stick.
“I go, ‘How did you know, Markus, that Liam was going to spin and go there? Markus looked at me, like, ‘I thought you saw the game better than that, coach.’ I said, ‘No, really, how did you know?’ When Liam was standing there in front, he just rolled the toe of his stick. He didn’t (point) his whole stick, just rolled his blade. Markus knew and put the puck right there.”
The twins remember the play from 20 months ago, before the Rucks’ massive breakout season finished this spring with them atop the Western Hockey League in scoring. Liam said it was during a home game against Regina.
The Pens have another second round pick later on in the draft.
