Shared dream comes true for Ruck twins with Penguins at 2026 NHL Draft

BUFFALO -- The twin brothers sat side by side, of course, agonizing as the teams began selecting players in the second round of the 2026 Upper Deck NHL Draft at KeyBank Center on Saturday.

The Pittsburgh Penguins had taken Liam Ruck with the No. 22 pick of the first round Friday, and now the Penguins held the seventh pick of the second round, No. 39 overall. Would they take Markus Ruck too, or would the 18-year-old forwards be split up for the first time since they began skating on a backyard rink at age 2?

Six picks passed, and Markus was still on the board. Was it really going to happen? Then, finally, NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly announced the Penguins had taken Markus, and the dream came true.

“It was stressful,” Markus said. “But yeah, I was just kind of praying and hoping that Pittsburgh would take me, and to have that happen, there’s not many words to describe it.”

The brothers leapt from their seats on the floor of the arena and embraced. Liam told Markus he loved him and was super excited.

“It was important for us to hug each other first,” Markus said. “Obviously, our family’s helped us so much, but we’ve been side by side through every step of the way. So, yeah, it was special hugging him.”

Liam’s emotion?

“Relief, for sure,” Liam said. “Our biggest goal in this draft was to get drafted together. We didn’t have very much say, but we hoped it’d happen, and for a great organization like this to pull it off, we’re pretty thrilled.”

Pittsburgh got a heck of a package deal.

The Ruck twins grew up in the Vancouver area idolizing the Sedin twins, who famously went to the Vancouver Canucks together in the 1999 NHL Draft -- Daniel No. 2, Henrik No. 3.

Liam is a goal-scoring winger who shoots right; Markus is a playmaking center who shoots left. Playing together for Medicine Hat of the Western Hockey League, they finished first and second in WHL scoring this season. Markus had 108 points (21 goals, 87 assists) in 68 games. Liam had 104 points (45 goals, 59 assists) in 68 games.

After the Penguins took Liam on Friday, he talked openly about the possibility of them taking Markus on Saturday.

“I do hope they can get him,” Liam told NHL.com then. “I mean, just the way we get to compete with each other every day and kind of spend our lives together, it’d be pretty cool to kind of continue that.”

When the family went back to the hotel, Liam helped Markus manage his emotions. 

“He told me everything’s going to be OK and work itself out,” Markus said. “… He kept me calm and told me it was going to happen.”

Mom and Dad tossed and turned. But in the end, everything worked itself out, all right. 

“Oh, the emotions were flowing,” said Nina Ruck, their mother. “Yeah, it is something that I’ve wanted to happen forever. They’re better together. They’re best friends. And I had a sleepless night, but it was all worth it. Yeah, it was great. We’re so excited, and we couldn’t be more happy.”

Said their father Derek Ruck: “Yeah, it was tough being two days -- one yesterday, one today. Like Nina says, sleepless night. They just put so much work in and have so much passion for the game, and we’re so happy Pittsburgh could step up for them.”

Everybody in the family can root for the same NHL team, and the twins can help each other on and off the ice.

“They have a similar personality, for sure,” Nina said. “If you saw them on the ice, you’d be like, ‘Wow, they’re very competitive.’ But outside of the arena, they do the same things. They have the same mannerisms. They have the same hobbies. So, it’s kind of a special bond that they have.”

The twins pulled on Penguins hats and jerseys. Liam had gone through the gauntlet of interviews and photo shoots by himself Friday. Now they went through much of it together with huge smiles on their faces.

At one point, a Pittsburgh official pulled them aside in the hallway to talk to someone on the phone -- Penguins captain Sidney Crosby. Their mother said afterward they were “just, like, glowing.”

“Honestly, you’re shaking,” Markus said. “That’s a guy that’s done so much for hockey, and he’s one of the greatest to ever do it. It didn’t feel real, to be honest. Like, is it someone pretending to be him? Yeah, it was crazy to talk to him. It was an honor.”

A little while later, they were asked if any of this felt real yet.

“A little bit,” Markus said.

“It’s starting to settle in a little,” Liam said.

“Yeah, we’re so, so excited,” Markus said.

They looked at each other in their Penguins gear and laughed. Like, can you believe it?