Penguins select Markus Ruck No. 39 overall in 2026 NHL Draft

Kyle Dubas did the thing.

The Pittsburgh Penguins have selected forward Markus Ruck with the No. 39 overall selection of the 2026 NHL Draft. Less than a day prior, the Penguins took Ruck’s twin brother, Liam, with the 22nd overall pick.

Ruck was projected to be selected around 33rd or 34th overall on average across all of the main draft rankings, going as high as 16th and as low as 54th. He was also ranked 23rd among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting. Daily Faceoff prospect analyst Steven Ellis projected him to go in the higher end at 24th overall.

Ellis had this to say about Ruck in his most recent draft rankings:

“Markus’ twin, Liam, is getting most of the love from scouts for his play-driving and goal-scoring abilities. But Markus is a special playmaker – he works as hard as anyone you’ll find in junior hockey. He loves to do the dirty work to make plays happen, no matter who he’s looking for on the ice. Ruck has obvious chemistry with his brother but can also dazzle on his own. My biggest concern was how unimpactful he looked during the playoffs – he kept getting pushed around far too much for my liking, and he doesn’t have the top-end skating to burn guys.”

Ruck spent the entirety of his 2025-26 season with the Medicine Hat Tigers of the Western Hockey League. He played all 68 games of the regular season, accumulating 21 goals and 87 assists for 108 points, as the Tigers finished second in the Eastern Conference with a 50-10-5-3 record. The Osoyoos, British Columbia product lead the WHL in scoring, with twin brother Liam Ruck just behind him, also a member of Medicine Hat. Additionally, Markus led the league in assists.

Ruck also had four goals and nine assists for 13 points in 15 playoff games for the Tigers, and was fourth on his team in points. Medicine Hat started off their playoffs strong, losing just once in their first two series’ before falling in six games in the Eastern Conference Final to the Prince Albert Raiders.

While the Tigers did not win this season, they did win the Ed Chynoweth Cup in the 2024-25 season with Ruck on their roster.