Osoyoos twins combine for three assists in Penguins preseason debut
Liam and Markus Ruck played together on Pittsburgh’s fourth line Tuesday, months after the Penguins selected them with their first two picks in the 2026 NHL Draft.
Osoyoos-born twins Liam and Markus Ruck during Pittsburgh’s Sept. 22 preseason game against the Detroit Red Wings.
Photo: Pittsburgh Penguins.
OSOYOOS — Liam and Markus Ruck have spent much of their hockey careers together, from minor hockey in Osoyoos to the Western Hockey League. Tuesday night, the twins added an NHL preseason game to that list.
The 18-year-olds made their Pittsburgh Penguins preseason debuts together in a 7-4 loss to the Detroit Red Wings at PPG Paints Arena, combining for three assists while each playing fewer than 13 minutes. Liam Ruck recorded two assists in 12:58, while Markus had one assist in 10:03 and led Pittsburgh with four shots on goal.
The brothers played with Mikhail Ilyin on Pittsburgh’s fourth line, with Markus at centre and Liam on right wing. Liam also received time on the Penguins’ second power-play unit.
Markus recorded the primary assist on Rutger McGroarty’s goal with 2:13 remaining in the third period. After the game, Markus said Liam had helped start the play by pressuring a Detroit defender into a turnover on the zone entry.
The game also put the twins in the same Pittsburgh lineup as Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. Liam had said before the game that Crosby and Malkin were among the players the brothers grew up watching on television.
“It’s a new game playing against pros,” Liam said afterward. He said the twins adjusted as the game progressed and felt more comfortable and confident by the end.
Penguins head coach Dan Muse said both remained engaged despite limited minutes, particularly Markus, who did not receive special-teams time. “I thought they did a good job,” Muse said, adding that both made plays at each end of the ice and benefited from the experience.
Liam and Markus were born in Osoyoos on Feb. 21, 2008, with Markus arriving eight minutes before his brother. Hockey Canada says the twins played minor hockey in Osoyoos and moved through the South Okanagan Minor Hockey Association before later playing U15 Prep with Okanagan Hockey Academy in Penticton.
Medicine Hat selected both in the first round of the 2023 WHL Prospects Draft, taking Liam ninth overall and Markus 21st. They became regulars with the Tigers and were members of Medicine Hat’s 2025 WHL championship team.
In 2025-26, Markus led the Canadian Hockey League with 108 points in 68 games, scoring 21 goals and recording a CHL-best 87 assists. Liam finished second with 104 points, including 45 goals and 59 assists, making them the first siblings in CHL history to finish first and second in scoring in the same season.
Pittsburgh used its first two selections of the 2026 NHL Draft on the twins. Liam went 22nd overall in the first round on June 26, and Markus was selected 39th overall in the second round the following day.
The Penguins said they were the first brothers selected by the same NHL team in one draft since the San Jose Sharks chose Justin and Drew Daniels in 2008.
Both twins had already appeared in Penguins colours at Pittsburgh’s prospect tournament in Detroit earlier in September, where they spent time on the same line. Tuesday advanced them another step, putting them together in an NHL preseason lineup for the first time.
Pittsburgh is off Wednesday before travelling to Columbus for a preseason game Thursday and Buffalo for its final exhibition game Saturday. As of publication, the Penguins had not announced whether either Ruck would play in Columbus.
Both are scheduled to return to Medicine Hat for the 2026-27 season before joining the University of North Dakota in 2027-28.
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