Pittsburgh is twin city after Penguins draft Markus Ruck in 2nd round after Liam in 1st

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) 鈥� 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 by the Penguins a day earlier.

鈥淗e can brag to me all he wants. I鈥檓 just so happy to be with him. I know he won鈥檛 brag, but if he wanted to, he could,鈥� Ruck said. 鈥淭o be with him, it鈥檚 so special.鈥�

The twins are from Osoyoos, British Columbia, and spent the past two-plus seasons as one of the Western Hockey League鈥檚 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鈥檚 next turn to pick.

鈥淚 didn鈥檛 have a preference of when, I just knew where I wanted to go and who I wanted be with,鈥� he said, noting his brother kept his spirits up overnight. 鈥淗e kept me calm and told me it was going to happen. So for it to happen it鈥檚 awesome.鈥�

The Ruck鈥檚 reunion was 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鈥檚 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 over baseball

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

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 had been .

鈥淵ou sit down for five minutes and you鈥檙e standing back up. So that was nice not having to sit a while,鈥� Rogowski said. 鈥淏ut the relief was immediate. You hear your name called and all the stresses just kind of fall off you. It鈥檚 great, it鈥檚 been awesome.鈥�

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 鈥� 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.

鈥淥bviously they鈥檙e still sad about baseball, but I think this was the right decision,鈥� Rogowski said. 鈥淵ou know, get to wear a nice jersey, so I think that they鈥檙e more than happy with that.鈥�

Rogowski has made a commitment to play at Michigan State in two years, and appreciates he still has plenty of room to develop after focusing more on baseball than hockey growing up.

鈥淚 have a lot more to improve,鈥� he said. 鈥淵ou have a lot of these guys who have been doing this for a long time. I鈥檓 still relatively new to it, and I think there鈥檚 a lot more to me that needs to come out.鈥�

His trajectory is pointing up. 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.

鈥淓xactly. It鈥檚 very different,鈥� Rogowski said comparing the two sports. 鈥淚 have always been a decent hockey player, but I think the rapid growth, I can attribute to athletic ability.鈥�

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

Golden Knights 2nd-round pick forfeited

The second round featured just 31 selections with the Vegas Golden Knights 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.

Another notable selection came at No. 40, when the Florida Panthers used their first pick of the draft on . Though born in Memphis, 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.

___

AP NHL: