Medicine Hat center Markus Ruck addresses reporters after being selected by the Pittsburgh Penguins with the 39th pick at the NHL draft at the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, N.Y., on Saturday, June 27, 2026. (AP Photo/John Wawrow)

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Born eight minutes earlier than his twin brother, Liam, Marcus Ruck is fine with ceding NHL draft bragging rights.

All that mattered to Ruck on Saturday was being selected with the 39th pick in the second round by Pittsburgh in following his brother, who was drafted 22nd overall by the Penguins a day earlier.

“He can brag to me all he wants. I’m just so happy to be with him. I know he won’t brag, but if he wanted to, he could,” Ruck said. “To be with him, it’s so special.”

The twins are from Osoyoos, British Columbia, and spent the past two-plus seasons as one of the Western Hockey League’s most productive tandems in Medicine Hat. Marcus led the WHL with 108 points last season, while Liam, a right wing, finished second with 104 points.

Liam was projected to go first, and when the Penguins chose him, Markus began looking ahead to No. 39, Pittsburgh’s next turn to pick.

“I didn’t have a preference of when, I just knew where I wanted to go and who I wanted be with,” he said, noting his brother kept his spirits up overnight. “He kept me calm and told me it was going to happen. So for it to happen, it’s awesome.”

The NHL said this marked the fifth time twin brothers were selected by the same team in the draft, in a group that includes Hall of Famers Daniel and Henrik Sedin going second and third to Vancouver in 1999.

The Rucks were part of a family theme in a draft that had Caleb Malhotra going third to Vancouver, where his dad was just hired as the Canucks head coach.

The Calgary Flames opened the third round by selecting WHL Vancouver forward Joe Iginla. He’s the youngest son of Hall of Famer and longtime Flames star Jarome Iginla, and his selection came after older brother Tij went No. 6 to Utah in the 2024 draft.

Rogowski picks hockey

Whatever doubts Brooks Rogowski had in choosing hockey over baseball quickly evaporated following the first pick in the second round.

The 18-year-old from Livonia, Michigan, had taken his seat with his family on the draft floor, when NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly announced Rogowski being selected at No. 33 by Vancouver.

“The relief was immediate. You hear your name called and all the stresses just kind of fall off you,” Rogowski said.

And the selection validates the choice the 6-foot-7, 235-pound Rogowski made two years ago. In picking hockey, after being drafted by the OHL Oshawa Generals, he put baseball behind him — and to the regret of his father and uncle, who both enjoyed minor-league baseball careers.

His father, Casey, was drafted by the Chicago White Sox and his uncle, Ryan, drafted by the Dodgers.

“Obviously they’re still sad about baseball, but I think this was the right decision,” Rogowski said. “You know, get to wear a nice jersey, so I think that they’re more than happy with that.”

Rogowski is committed to play at Michigan State in two years, and appreciates he still has plenty of room to develop after growing up focusing more on baseball.

“I have a lot more to improve,” he said. “You have a lot of these guys who have been doing this for a long time. I’m still relatively new to it, and I think there’s a lot more to me that needs to come out.”

As a rookie, Rogowski had 11 goals and 23 points in 66 games with Oshawa, and built on that with 42 points (15 goals) in 46 games last season.

Not bad for the former first baseman.

“Exactly. It’s very different,” Rogowski said comparing the two sports. “I have always been a decent hockey player, but I think the rapid growth, I can attribute to athletic ability.”

A day after pop icon Justin Bieber took the stage to announce the Toronto Maple Leafs taking Penn State forward Gavin McKenna with the No. 1 pick, there were several notable highlights over the final six rounds on Saturday.

Knights forfeit pick

The second round featured just 31 selections with the Vegas Golden Knights forfeiting their 63rd pick after being sanctioned by the league for violating media regulations. Former Vegas coach John Tortorella was also fined $100,000 for refusing to speak to reporters following a second-round-series-clinching Game 6 victory at Anaheim.

At No. 40, the Florida Panthers used their first pick of the draft on right winger Simas Ignatavicius. Though born in Memphis, Tennessee, he relocated with his family to their native Lithuania, a nation that by his count has four hockey rinks.

Though his father played basketball, Ignatavicius was drawn to hockey at age 3 while watching a practice at a rink inside a shopping mall. Six years ago, the 18-year-old moved to Switzerland to develop his skills.

Other draft notes

n Doman Szongoth went No. 156 to Buffalo in becoming the fourth Hungarian player selected in the NHL draft, and first since Janos Vas in 2002.

n Six Czech goalies were selected, and led by Tobias Trejbal, who went No. 42 to Calgary.

n Teams completed 20 trades, with the most notable involving St. Louis acquiring defenseman Brandon Carlo from Toronto for picks No. 73 and 76.

n Penn State had a pair of incoming freshmen hear their names called during day two.

Forward Egor Shilov was selected by the Colorado Avalanche with the 43rd overall pick in the second round while goaltender Ryder Fetterolf, a Pittsburgh native, went in the fourth round at No. 125 to the Stanley Cup Champion Carolina Hurricanes.

A cerebral and versatile center with elite vision and high-end puck skills, the 6-1, 180-pound Shilov will be a must-see prospect in Hockey Valley this fall.

The left-handed shot, No. 19 on NHL Central Scouting’s final ranking of North American skaters all season, led the Victoriaville Tigres with 82 points and 50 assists while ranking second with 32 goals in 63 games this season in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League. He then added five points in four playoff games on a pair of goals and three assists.

Shilov’s 82 points ranked seventh in the QMJHL and tops amongst rookies while his 50 assists were good for ninth and his 32 goals tied for 14th.

Fetterolf becomes just the fourth Nittany Lion goaltender to be drafted and the second highest behind Eamon McAdam who was selected with the 70th-overall pick in the third round in 2013.

Arsenii Sergeev was selected in the seventh round, 205th-overall, in 2021 while Kevin Reidler was selected in the fifth round at No. 151 in 2022.

Standing at 6-foot, 185, Fetterolf uses his strong skating and athletic ability to keep the puck out of the net. His strong edges allow him to mobilize quickly towards the play while his impressive post-to-post explosiveness helps him stop plays toward the back-door.

Fetterolf was named both the CHL and OHL Goaltender of the Year while also being selected to the CHL First All-Star Team as well as the CHL All-Rookie squad after posting a 29-9-3 record with an OHL leading 2.07 goals-against average along with a .923 save percentage with six shutouts in 41 games during his first season with the Ottawa 67’s of the Ontario Hockey League.