Well, after a somewhat unflattering performance in the playoffs, the Penguins are once again staring down the barrel of the NHL Draft.
There has been a lot of online speculation about who the Penguins might target and what Kyle Dubas might do. Most of it has honestly been focused in the wrong direction. Articles, sports media, and fans alike have all been talking about trading away the Penguins’ prized first-round pick for players like Jason Robertson, Robert Thomas, Brady Tkachuk, and even Auston Matthews.
All incredible players. Robertson and Tkachuk especially would be great additions among that group. But personally, I’d prefer not to head in that direction. I don’t see — or even believe — that coughing up the amount of capital required to acquire one of them is worth it. I just don’t see a “one more run” scenario with this core simply by adding players like that.
If a “one more run” happens with Sidney Crosby still on the team, it should happen organically, mostly through the younger players developing and smart free-agent additions. If it doesn’t, then don’t force something that clearly isn’t working.
I actually would like Kyle Dubas to focus heavily on the draft. In fact, after acquiring so many players over the previous draft and season, I’d really like to see the Penguins focus on quality over quantity this time around.
And the best way I see to do that is by either trading a roster player for another late first-round pick, or packaging some of those second-round picks together to move up.
Why? Well, I have my eyes set on two players who I believe could end up being some of the biggest steals of the draft based on where they’re currently ranked — rankings that honestly feel unbelievably low to me. Those players are the twin brothers Liam and Markus Ruck, who some of you prospect watchers probably already figured out from the photo above.
Now, the Penguins might not even need two first-round picks to pull this off. Kyle Dubas might actually be able to work his patented “trade down” maneuver. Elite Prospects currently has Liam Ruck ranked at 32nd overall and Markus Ruck at 44th overall. Other mock drafts are fairly similar, usually projecting Liam somewhere in the late first to early second round, while Markus tends to land around the early second as well.
There are a couple reasons why the Ruck brothers are falling this far down boards, and it’s not because they lack star potential. Far from it, actually. For starters, their production is excellent. Both brothers led their team in the WHL the Medicine Hat Tigers in scoring while playing together on the same line. Liam Ruck put up 104 points in 68 games, scoring 45 goals and adding 59 assists. Meanwhile, Markus Ruck led the team outright with 108 points in 68 games, recording 21 goals and a staggering 87 assists.
You’ll probably notice something familiar there — maybe another set of twins we’ve seen in the NHL before. Now, I’m not saying or guaranteeing Liam and Markus turn into Daniel and Henrik Sedin, but I’m also not saying they won’t.
So why have they dropped? Well, the first reason is that most teams view them as a pair that not only should be drafted together, but probably need to play together to be fully optimized. That’s a tough ask for a lot of organizations. These guys aren’t viewed like the Sedins were when they went second and third overall. But then the obvious question becomes: if they’re this good, why aren’t they ranked that high?
There are a few reasons. They’re around the same height as the Sedins at 6-foot-0, but by today’s standards they’re considered undersized, which is a major red flag for a lot of scouts. Markus comes in at just 167 pounds, while Liam is a bit heavier at 177. That’s probably the biggest contributing factor.
The second reason is that they seemingly came out of nowhere. Don’t get me wrong, they looked good before, but not this good. I think some scouts are worried this could end up being more of a flash-in-the-pan breakout rather than a sign of what they truly are long term, despite how dominant they looked together.
The final reason is simply the strength of the draft itself. The top of this class is loaded. You have players like Gavin McKenna, who already looks like a potential generational talent, Ivar Stenberg, who some people argue could even challenge for first overall, and Keaton Verhoeff, who projects as a franchise cornerstone top four, great two way defender on the blue line. There are simply a lot of safer picks teams can make near the top of the board.
But not for a team in the Penguins’ position. I think this is a massive opportunity for Pittsburgh, and honestly one of their best bets for the future. I actually believe the Penguins are very interested in them, too. This just feels like such a Kyle Dubas move.
I’ll do a much deeper dive on them in the future, but part of why I want them — and why I think they fit what Dubas looks for — is because both players are extremely hard workers on and off the ice. They’re smart, reliable, highly competitive players, and one of their best traits in my opinion is how mature they are for their age. There are shades of Ben Kindel there in terms of mentality and approach. That’s the kind of culture you want to build, and it lines up perfectly with what Dubas seems to value.
They’re also similar to Ben Kindel in how they were ranked and overlooked — pushed down the board due to various factors — in much the same way Kindel was. And just like that situation, the Penguins took a swing on him anyway, and he went on to prove it immediately by stepping into the NHL as an 18-year-old rookie and putting up a very impressive 35-point season.
You can already see the stylistic split between the twins as well, very much likes the Sedins where Liam leans more toward being the a goal scorer, while Markus is an elite lane finder and playmaker.
And when you actually watch them play together, it’s honestly a work of art. Both of them seem to instinctively know what the other is going to do, almost like a hive mind. They’re constantly thinking ten steps ahead of everyone else on the ice, weaving through defenders and creating unbelievable plays together.
If the Penguins do end up drafting them, I’ll go much deeper into each player individually. But for now, all we can really do is hope the Penguins have these twins near the very top of their board.
