The Pittsburgh Penguins pulled off one of the most memorable moves of Day 2 at the 2026 NHL Draft in Buffalo on Saturday, bringing twin brothers Liam and Markus Ruck into the same organization.
Having already grabbed Liam with the 22nd overall pick during Friday’s first round, Pittsburgh returned to the podium at No. 39 in the second round to add his twin brother Markus. Both forwards spent time tearing up the Western Hockey League with the Medicine Hat Tigers, where Markus topped the entire league with 108 points — 21 goals and 87 assists — while Liam was right behind him at 104 points on 45 goals and 59 assists.
The decision keeps together two brothers who have long shaped their games around one another. Liam brings a goal-scorer’s mentality as a winger, while Markus is widely regarded as the playmaker of the pair. Their back-to-back selections make them the highest-drafted pair of siblings since the Vancouver Canucks chose Daniel and Henrik Sedin second and third overall back in 1999.
The family theme carried throughout the day. The Calgary Flames opened the third round by selecting Joe Iginla 65th overall. Joe is the son of Flames franchise icon and Hockey Hall of Famer Jarome Iginla, who still holds the organization’s all-time records in goals, points, and games played. Joe split last season between the Edmonton Oil Kings and Vancouver Giants, recording 15 goals and 31 points across 59 WHL games.
Speaking about the scrutiny that comes with his famous last name, Joe Iginla told Sportsnet: “Obviously, haters are gonna always say something, and people will say something about your dad, but I feel like at this point in my career I’ve heard about every insult and chirp there is about my dad. So I think I’m just gonna go out there and try to prove them wrong.”
San Jose made draft history in the seventh round, selecting defenseman Alexander Karmanov 201st overall. Standing 7-foot-1 and weighing 272 pounds, the 18-year-old became the tallest player ever taken in the NHL Draft. Karmanov also made history as the first player from Moldova to hear his name called on draft day.
The family connections didn’t stop there. Detroit selected Victor Plante, the son of former NHL forward Derek Plante, at No. 47. Ottawa chose Adam Nemec — brother of former second-overall pick and recently traded defenseman Simon Nemec — at No. 72. Philadelphia grabbed Kent Sauer in the fifth round; his uncles are former NHL defensemen Kurt and Michael Sauer.
Montreal added another storied hockey surname in the sixth round, picking Parker Trottier, grandson of Hockey Hall of Famer Bryan Trottier. Washington also got in on the family theme by selecting Logan Stuart in the seventh round — the son of longtime NHL defenseman Brad Stuart.
Beyond the draft picks, NHL teams completed 20 trades on Saturday, though 16 of those involved only draft selections. Among the notable player deals, the St. Louis Blues acquired forward Brandon Carlo from the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for two 2026 third-round picks. Meanwhile, the Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes sent defenseman Kyle Masters and a sixth-round selection to the Anaheim Ducks to secure negotiating rights to free-agent defenseman John Carlson. The 36-year-old Carlson has put together a career spanning 17 seasons, totaling 112 goals and 396 assists in 785 regular-season games.
