Pittsburgh Penguins draft Ruck twins in 2026 NHL Entry Draft

The Pittsburgh Penguins used the 22nd overall pick of the 2026 NHL Entry Draft to select forward Liam Ruck and, a day later, the 39th pick to add his identical twin brother Markus Ruck. Both played together for the Medicine Hat Tigers of the Western Hockey League, with Markus leading the league with 108 points and Liam close behind with 104. Their selection marks the highest‑drafted set of brothers since Daniel and Henrik Sedin in 1999. The twins will return to junior hockey for one more season before moving on to the University of North Dakota.

The draft also featured a family‑themed night: the Penguins chose defenseman Tomas Galvas, forward Pierce Mbuyi, defenseman Parker Von Richter and goaltender Matvei Nikonovich, while other clubs added players with notable hockey lineages such as Joe Iginla (son of Jarome Iginla), Victor Plante, Adam Nemec, Kent Sauer, Parker Trottier and Logan Stuart. Teams combined for 20 trades on the second day, including a deal that sent Carolina’s Kyle Masters and a sixth‑round pick to Anaheim for free‑agent defenseman John Carlson.