BUFFALO — Markus Ruck was ecstatic for his sibling. There was also a significant level of anxiety.
Liam Ruck — teammate, linemate and twin brother — was selected by the Pittsburgh Penguins with the 22nd pick during Friday night's first round of the NHL draft.
Markus, who is eight minutes older, was still waiting for his name to be called when the family returned to their hotel.
Would another team take him early Saturday when proceedings resumed on the arena floor at KeyBank Center? Would the Penguins grab him at No. 39? Or even trade up the board to ensure the band stayed together?
"I was pretty stressed," Markus said. "(Liam) told me everything's gonna be OK and will work itself out."
The twins, in the end, got their wish. And can finally exhale.
Pittsburgh selected Markus Ruck seven picks into the second round — reuniting the brothers and fulfilling a dream the Osoyoos, B.C., products have shared since first lacing up their skates.
"I was just praying and hoping," he said. "To have that happen, there's not many words to describe it. It's so special."
The 18-year-old forwards are coming off banner seasons with the Medicine Hat Tigers that saw them finish 1-2 in scoring across the entire Canadian Hockey League.
Markus, a playmaking centre, put up 108 points (21 goals, 87 assists), while Liam registered 104 points (45 goals, 59 assists) as a shooter on the wing.
"We knew it was gonna be very tough for a team to do this," Markus said of staying together with an NHL organization. "We just can't thank Pittsburgh enough … we knew it was a pretty low chance to be honest. We couldn't be more excited."
The Rucks are slated to play one more Western Hockey League campaign before heading to the University of North Dakota in 2027-28.
Liam said after getting picked Friday that his fingers were crossed Pittsburgh's management team led by president and general manager Kyle Dubas would also tab his brother.
"It's a special bond we've got," he said in the moments after going No. 22. "I'm just going to be just as happy to see him get drafted, because we've been through everything together. It was a special hug."
The brothers both stand six feet tall, while Liam is 10 pounds heavier at 177.
Liam was pegged as the 20th-ranked North American skater by NHL Central Scouting. Markus slotted in at No. 23.
"I didn't really care when they picked me," Markus said Saturday, the relief on his face apparent. "I knew where I wanted to go and who I wanted to be with."
The Vancouver Canucks opened the second round by taking Brooks Rogowski at No. 33.
The six-foot-seven centre from Brighton, Mich., was focused on baseball — his father, Casey, and uncle, Ryan, were both drafted by major league teams — before zeroing in hockey.
"This was the right decision," he said. "I think that they're more than happy with that."
The Calgary Flames chose winger Chase Harrington at No. 36 before Vancouver took winger Niklas Aaram-Olsen at No. 41. Calgary made Tobias Trejbal the first goaltender off the board one pick later.
The Ottawa Senators chose winger Alan Shaikhlislamov at No. 55, the Montreal Canadiens selected Timofei Runtso at No. 57, the Edmonton Oilers selected centre Rudolfs Berzkalns at No. 58, and the Toronto Maple Leafs grabbed defenceman Alexander Bilecki at No. 60.
Toronto also dealt blueliner Brandon Carlo, who was acquired from the Boston Bruins ahead of the March 2025 trade deadline for centre Fraser Minten and a first-round pick, to the St. Louis Blues for a pair of 2026 third-round selections.
The Vegas Golden Knights would have picked 63rd, but were docked their second-round pick as part of the punishment for "flagrant violations" of the league's media regulations during the second round of the playoffs.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 27, 2026.
Joshua Clipperton, The Canadian Press
