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Penguins Draft Identical Twin Brothers in First Two Rounds
The Pittsburgh Penguins selected identical twin brothers Liam and Markus Ruck with the 22nd and 39th overall picks in the 2026 NHL Draft. Both players spent the 2025-26 season with the Medicine Hat Tigers of the Western Hockey League.
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The Pittsburgh Penguins selected identical twin brothers Liam and Markus Ruck in the first two rounds of the 2026 NHL Draft. Liam was taken 22nd overall on Friday, and Markus was selected 39th overall on Saturday. The brothers have played on the same team and line throughout their careers and have spent only four days apart. Both were viewed as borderline first-line prospects before the draft.
The Penguins' consecutive selections mean the twins could remain teammates if both reach the NHL. They are expected to play the 2026-27 season with the Medicine Hat Tigers before joining the University of North Dakota the following year. If they reach the NHL, they would become the fourth set of identical twins to play for the same team in league history.
Sutter played together for the Philadelphia Flyers beginning in the 1983-84 season after the Penguins traded Rich to reunite the brothers. Chris and Peter Ferraro appeared in a combined 166 NHL games for the New York Rangers during the 1995-96 season.
Henrik and Daniel Sedin were selected second and third overall by the Vancouver Canucks in 1999 and played 17 seasons together. Liam led the Western Hockey League with 45 goals in 2025-26 while Markus recorded 87 assists. The Penguins have added multiple prospects to their system in recent years.
