Liam and Markus Ruck Are Living Their Hockey ‘Dream Come True’ After Being Drafted Together by Pittsburgh Penguins (Exclusive)

NEED TO KNOW

• Liam and Markus Ruck became the highest-drafted twins since 1999 in the 2026 NHL Draft

• The brothers, raised in British Columbia, have played together since childhood and starred for the Medicine Hat Tigers
• Their parents are thrilled they were drafted by the same team, keeping the twins together on and off the ice

Liam Ruck entered the second day of the 2026 NHL Draft with hope.

The 22nd overall pick by the Pittsburgh Penguins, the 18-year-old forward was optimistic the Pennsylvania club would use its second-round pick on June 27 to select a familiar face: his identical twin brother, Markus Ruck.

“I didn’t know for sure until Pittsburgh was back on the clock,” Liam exclusively tells PEOPLE. “I think that’s when I had some confidence they were going to take him. But anything could happen throughout the picks in between.”

With the seventh pick of the second round of the 2026 NHL Draft, the Penguins made the Ruck brothers’ reunion official by taking Markus at 39th overall, making the siblings the highest-drafted twins since 1999, when the Vancouver Canucks grabbed Daniel and Henrik Sedin at No. 2 and No. 3, respectively.

“For that to happen and to happen with such a great organization, it worked out in a perfect way,” Markus says.

Liam and Markus’ path to the pros began over two thousand miles away from Pittsburgh in Osoyoos, British Columbia, where their parents, Nina and Derek Ruck, introduced them to hockey at a young age.

“They would take us [to] public skating. One of them would take one of us and one would take the other. They would both hold us as we glided around the ice. That’s when we first fell in love with the game,” recalls Markus, who was born eight minutes earlier than Liam. “... Ever since then, we wanted to have a stick in our hand and shooting the puck around.”

Since 2023, Liam and Markus have played together on the Medicine Hat Tigers in the WHL [Western Hockey League], a junior ice hockey league. Markus led in assists with 87 while Liam was the top goal-scorer with 45 during the 2025-26 regular regular season. Even with their remarkable athletic prowess, there are some traits the twins would trade one another for.

“I would steal Liam’s goal-scoring ability. He’s so good at finding the back of the net from almost anywhere. And he has different shot types that he uses. He’s not always just shooting the same way,” Markus says.

As for Liam, he’d “take Markus’ passing under pressure.” “I think when he’s got a guy or two on him, he’s usually able to find an open guy. And it’s something that’s not easy to do,” he says.

One thing is for certain, the brothers believe the Penguins made the right call in selecting them back-to-back in this year’s draft.

“We were hoping a team could pull it off to get both of us,” says Markus, who endured a restless night in the lead up to the milestone moment. “It was a stressful night, but woke up the next morning and was ready for whatever happened. And the right thing happened in my mind. It was just awesome once Pittsburgh took me,” he recounts.

Beyond the brothers themselves, perhaps no one is more thrilled than their parents, who do not have to split NHL allegiances. “It was such a relief for all of my family, also all the family and friends that were there, especially my mom and dad. They really wanted us to go together cause they know we’re best friends off the ice, which is really important for them to have us together, but also together on the ice,” Markus says. “For them, it was the perfect situation.”

Recently, the newest additions to the Penguins organization took part in the team’s annual prospect development camp. As part of the experience, the siblings —who have only ever spent four days apart, when Liam sustained a concussion ahead of a showcase that Markus participated in — were separated into different practice groups.

Follow your favorite athletes on and off the field with PEOPLE’s free sports newsletter — sign up now!

“We only played against each other once, but Markus got the better of me that time,” Liam recalls. “We’ve been on different ice times and stuff, but it’s just been really cool knowing he’s here. It’s a special bond we got and even just spending time when we get a chance to chat, it’s pretty special to be here together.”

With a return to Medicine Hat on deck, followed by the University of North Dakota for 2027, per NHL.com, Liam and Markus are catching their breath as they soak in what’s been a life-altering summer. “We’ve always dreamed of getting drafted to the same time, and for it to actually happen, that was a dream come true. Our family couldn’t be happier, we couldn’t be happier,” Markus says. “I’d say that’s the best hockey memory I have. It worked out perfect.”

Read the original article on People