Jun 26, 2026; Buffalo, New York, USA; Liam Ruck reacts beside NHL commissioner Gary Bettman after being selected with the twenty second pick in the first round of the 2026 NHL Draft by the Pittsburgh Penguins at KeyBank Center. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images
Jun 26, 2026; Buffalo, New York, USA; Liam Ruck reacts beside NHL commissioner Gary Bettman after being selected with the twenty second pick in the first round of the 2026 NHL Draft by the Pittsburgh Penguins at KeyBank Center. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images
Liam Ruck wasn’t shying away from sharing just how "special" it felt after the Pittsburgh Penguins selected him as the No. 22 pick in the 2026 NHL Draft at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York.
This happened when ESPN’s Leah Hextall questioned the 18-year-old forward about what it means for him to join the Penguins, which is captained by legend Sidney Crosby.
“It’s truly special,” Ruck said in response. “To see all the names that have gone through that organization and the bright future they got, it’s definitely special for me to get selected by them. And I can’t thank my support staff enough for getting me to this point.”
Ruck was seated on-stage with his mother, Nina, and father, Derek, during the interview, while his brother Markus looked on from the audience.
Notably, Liam is the younger identical twin brother of Markus and was born just eight minutes later on February 21, 2008. Markus also entered the draft just like Liam, but he was selected in Round 2 on Saturday as the No. 38 overall pick.
After questioning Liam about joining the Penguins, Hextall asked his mother, Nina, about how the Ruck twins make each other better.
“They are 10 out of 10 in my mind, obviously, but they are even better together,” she said about Liam and Markus. “They’re best friends. They look out for one another. And they always compete to make each other better.”
The Ruck twins have spent just four nights apart in their entire lives, which their mother mentioned to Hextall during the same interview.
Liam Ruck’s hockey career before joining the Pittsburgh Penguins in the NHL
Liam Ruck made a big name for himself with a stellar 2025-26 season in the Western Hockey League (WHL). The Osoyoos, British Columbia, native scored 104 points (45G / 59A) in 68 games for the Medicine Hat Tigers to take second place in the standings for top-scorers.
He coincidentally finished in the standings behind his older brother, Markus Ruck, who recorded 108 points (21G/87A) while playing on the same team in the same line.
In the 14 playoff games in 2026, Ruck ended up with 12 points (8G/4A) to his name to get honored with the WHL (East) First All-Star Team.
During his three seasons in the WHL, his stats read: 147 points (71G/76A) in 132 regular-season games, along with 22 points (14G/8A) in 33 playoff games. In the 2024-25 season, he and his older brother won the WHL title with the Tigers.
Ruck also won a bronze medal for Canada at the 2026 Hlinka Gretzky Cup while scoring three points for two goals and one assist in five games.
He is going to play the 2026-27 season with Medicine Hat before joining the University of North Dakota in the fall of 2027. His older brother is planning to do the same with his career as well.
Will Liam Ruck prove to be a great draft acquisition for the Pittsburgh Penguins in the coming years? Tell us your thoughts in the comments.
Written by
Arjun Sharma
Edited by
Yash Kotak