It’s officially another season, another prospects ranking for the Pittsburgh Penguins.
In years past, this has been a bit easier of an exercise, as there used to be a more clear-cut line between prospects with NHL upside and longshots. However, because of the work that general manager and president of hockey operations Kyle Dubas and his staff have put in during the last several years, the line is blurring a whole lot more – and there is a substantially higher volume of talent in the system.
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This time around, making a top-20 list was challenging. So, a few criteria were put into place: To make our list, prospects must be under the age of 26 and have played less than 50 NHL games. This excludes names such as Ben Kindel, Filip Hallander, Oliver Okuliar, and Alexander Alexeyev.
At No. 16, we shed light on goaltender Joel Blomqvist, who is entering a critical season in his development and in his career. For No. 17, we spotlight a newly drafted center whose development situation is still several years removed from being “critical” – and who must explore who he is as a player separate from his twin brother.
No. 15: C Markus Ruck
Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past two months, you’re probably well-aware by now that the Penguins selected a set of identical twins in this year’s draft.
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The Rucks, Markus and Liam, are attached at the hip. They like the same things (aside from differing opinions on ketchup), have the same friends, travel together, and play hockey together – which, by the way, they’re very, very good at.
Liam was selected first at 22nd overall, then came Markus in the second round at 39th overall. Both are committed to return to the Medicine Hat Tigers of the WHL for one more season before heading off to the University of North Dakota for the 2027-28 season, and they will likely continue to play together throughout that time.
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But, today, it’s Markus’s turn on our list. And even if he is the de facto playmaker between the brothers, there is still a whole lot of untapped offensive potential there.
Even if Liam was selected first, it was actually Markus who led the WHL in scoring last season with 21 goals and 108 points in 68 games as, mostly, a 17-year-old. A cerebral, skilled passer and playmaker, Markus is largely a tactical distributor, and he’s really, really good at it. He has the ability to thread seam passes through the tightest of spaces and excels off the rush and on the power play, using his vision to gain the upper hand on opponents.
But underrated is Markus’s shot, which may not play quite as well as Liam’s but is a weapon on its own. His release has a hint of deceptiveness, but he’s typically the one to defer. If he can really start capitalizing on his own shot as opposed to deferring – especially when it comes to non-Liam linemates – he will be all the better for it.
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The skating definitely has to improve if Markus is going to make it at the NHL level, and especially if he’s going to make it as a center. And, like most young players, he has to add some weight as well. He isn’t afraid to mix it up if need be, either.
It will also be interesting to see how he fares without Liam on his wing, as the twins are not guaranteed to have the same timing development-wise. Markus appears cerebral enough to be able to adapt to the wingers he’s deployed with, which will be an important thing once they make the jump to professional hockey.
All in all, Markus may not have the ceiling that his brother does, and he has not yet shown elite goal-scoring ability. But Dubas and the Penguins love to collect players with high hockey IQs, and Markus is no exception. He may be several years out, but keep an eye on his development and whether or not he finds a way to elevate his goal-scoring and locate his shot a bit better.
If he does, look out.
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The list so far:
– Honorable mentions
– No. 20:D Chase Pietila
– No. 19:C Kale Dach
– No. 18:LW/C Ryan Miller
– No. 17:C Zam Plante
– No. 16:G Joel Blomqvist
– No. 15: C Markus Ruck
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