PENGUINS

The Penguins' development camp has been heavy on very detailed skating and skills instruction, which has been good for Liam and Markus Ruck.

Skating is one of the main weaknesses for the twins, but with both of them, it's something that the organization believes can be heavily improved with adding weight and strength over the next couple of years. There are still some more technical things that the coaches want to see improved -- more so with Markus than Liam -- and they're getting a deep dive into that here this week.

"There's a ton of little details," Liam told me of the feedback he's been getting with his skating. "It's keeping your knees over your toes, little things like that. It's been big for me, it's helped me a lot."

Markus, too, pointed to keeping his knees over his toes as a focus with his skating mechanics.

"I tend to kind of sit in a squat with my knees pulled back, so that's a big thing for me," Markus explained. "Also, keeping my hips forward. Those are kind of two main takeaways. There's some other things like keeping my shins parallel to the ice, so things I need to work on, and continue to work on."

The team has also been putting prospects through some off-ice instruction and meetings, and both brothers pointed to the meetings surrounding nutrition as being the most helpful. Markus called the nutrition meetings "the most important of the week for Liam and I," citing their need to put on weight -- Markus is 6 feet and 168 pounds, and Liam is 6 feet and 176 pounds.

"We learned a lot," Markus said. "How to build our plates, when to eat during the day, certain supplements to take. There's so many things that go into it, and we didn't know that before this, so it's we're really learning a lot and taking a lot back with us."

"They've been saying what things you should and shouldn't eat," Liam said. "But it's more just eat a lot, I think. The biggest thing is, you've got to eat consistently throughout the day, and that's what I picked up on."

The Rucks will head back to junior for another season before making the jump to college at North Dakota, so they have ample time to take advantage of all these pointers they're getting here before they turn pro.

MORE PENGUINS

• Not only are the Rucks in separate camp groups, they Penguins gave them each their own roommates here, too. Liam is with Peyton Kettles, and Markus is with Charlie Trethewey. -- Taylor Haase

• I saw a lot of different fan theories for why Jason Spezza handled the press conference on the first day of free agency -- was Kyle Dubas pulled into a call for a potential signing or trade? Pushing Spezza into taking on a bigger role? The real answer isn't that interesting. Spezza talking was the tentative plan for days, because the Penguins likely weren't going to be doing anything big enough to warrant Dubas talking for the second time in a week. Had they made a big move then Dubas most likely would have handled the press conference, but they just didn't do anything that big. -- Taylor Haase

• This is a repeat, but crediting much of Erik Karlsson's resurgence this season to Parker Wotherspoon being his partner ignores how much he openly disliked playing for Mike Sullivan and how much more he liked playing for Dan Muse. Karlsson believed Sullivan wanted him to play one way that he didn't agree with, and that Muse gave him much more freedom to be himself. There's no doubt that he did mesh well with Wotherspoon, but there are other factors at play here. -- Taylor Haase

• The Penguins have gone to the Prospects Challenge in Buffalo for a number of years now, one of several prospect tournaments hosted by teams around the league. They'll be joining the prospect tournament in Detroit this year, and after asking around it sounds like Buffalo just isn't hosting one this year. -- Taylor Haase

• The Penguins are promoting Wilkes-Barre/Scranton's head equipment manager Jack Walsh to join the equipment staff in Pittsburgh. He's a popular guy in the locker room in Wilkes-Barre. He's originally from Halifax and got his start with the QMJHL's Mooseheads there. -- Taylor Haase

• Also on the equipment staff this week -- Leo Dubas, Kyle's nine-year-old son. They've been putting him to work. Probably a little young to get hired full-time, but he's working hard. -- Taylor Haase

• An interesting wrinkle with Sergei Murashov likely moving up to the NHL, and Alex Alexeyev moving back to the KHL -- that leaves Mikhail Ilyin as the only Russian likely to be in Wilkes-Barre. Ilyin doesn't speak English, and so Wilkes-Barre would often make sure he had Murashov or Alexeyev with him in meetings -- even if the meeting didn't necessarily pertain to either of them -- to serve as translators. When Ilyin first got to Wilkes-Barre in April, it was on the road at a time when Murashov was up in Pittsburgh, and Alexeyev was injured and not on a trip, so they had to enlist the help of the Latvian Raivis Ansons, who is pretty comfortable speaking Russian. Ansons is on an expiring AHL contract after playing 32 AHL games last season. Might not be the worst idea in the world to re-sign him to an AHL deal -- mainly because he was a serviceable bottom-six forward there when needed, but also because he'd be a big help to Ilyin. -- Taylor Haase

• SportsNet Pittsburgh is searching for a new rinkside reporter for the Penguins broadcasts after letting Hailey Hunter go. Dan Potash is still around and will take a share of the games like the past couple of seasons, but they'll still hire a primary rinkside reporter. -- Taylor Haase

• A couple of readers noted that they hoped director of team security saw the Survey Says I did asking the players about him. He got a real kick out of it and seemed touched by the things the players said about him. -- Taylor Haase

• No real news to share on the ECHL affiliation front, other than I've seen some fans assume that if the Penguins don't link back up with the Nailers, the Blue Jackets would quickly scoop the Nailers up since they are relatively close to Columbus' AHL team in Cleveland, and the Blue Jackets don't have an ECHL affiliate. From everything I've heard, it doesn't sound like the Blue Jackets want an affiliate. They haven't had one since 2023, and had a five-year stretch without an affiliation before their last brief deal with Kalamazoo. If the Penguins do switch to the Everblades, it could but the Nailers in a bad spot. -- Taylor Haase

STEELERS

• The Steelers have one big priority this summer: Signing Joey Porter Jr. to a contract extension.

As expected, this is a lot easier said than done. That's why Nick Herbig and Darnell Washington were done first. It's not because those contracts were a higher priority, but because they were so much easier to get done. They were both contracts with higher average annual values (AAV) but lower amounts of guaranteed money. Those are a cakewalk for almost any NFL general manager.

That's not the case with Porter. While Porter doesn't have the individual accolades some of the other top cornerbacks boast, a lot of his traditional and advanced stats line up with the top cornerbacks in the game. The number Porter boasts above all other cornerbacks is owning the longest streak of not allowing a touchdown reception, in which you have to go all the way back to his rookie season in 2023 to find the last time he allowed one.

Because of this, Porter's camp believes he's due a contract that aligns with the best in the game. That means a contract with an AAV that will at least flirt with $30 million, as only three cornerbacks are at or above that threshold (Trent McDuffie, Sauce Gardner, Derek Stingley Jr.). More importantly, the biggest hangup in these negotiations is undoubtedly the amount of guaranteed money.

From what I currently understand about the ongoing negotiations, the Steelers are likely going to have to budge much more on the amount of guaranteed money in negotiations. I do not have exact numbers being exchanged in negotiations, though I truly believe it's going to take at least $70 million in guaranteed money to get this done.

One important thing to remember about these negotiations: Porter wants to be respected as one of the best cornerbacks in the game. He believes he's proven with his play, and a lot of the numbers back it up. I believe he wants to remain a Steeler, but I'm not convinced he's willing to give a hometown discount to remain one beyond 2026. -- Chris Halicke in Pittsburgh

• Not hearing anything on major roster additions prior to training camp beginning, especially one that would rival the Jalen Ramsey trade that went down last summer. Of course, Omar Khan is always keeping his ear to the ground and his phone on, even during the most dead period of the year for the NFL. But, from what I understand, the majority of the work that's happening right now is gearing up for training camp and getting Porter's extension done before the team gets to Saint Vincent College. -- Chris Halicke

• The Steelers are still very open to extending Keeanu Benton. However, he's been further down the list of priorities of the players they wanted to extend. It wouldn't surprise me to see him get an extension done this summer, perhaps prior to the start of training camp or it getting done within the first week of the team's stay in Latrobe. -- Chris Halicke

• The lease for Acrisure Stadium expires in 2030, but everything the team is currently doing about where it'll play its home games revolves around keeping this stadium as their home. They've just shelled out millions of dollars in replacing the very scrutinized sod and putting brand new seating in the upper level on the east and west sides of the stadium. From what I understand, there are more projects in the works both inside and around the stadium, as well. Conversely, I haven't heard one word or even rumor about trying to build a new stadium. The North Shore is just too crowded to even search for another plot of land to build one, and the Steelers are most certainly not leaving the city. So, Acrisure Stadium will remain. For the Steelers, it's all about making it a better place to watch football. -- Chris Halicke

• Regarding the team's practice facility, the latest I have on that is the Steelers are currently weighing all options, which includes a significant upgrade to the current facility or building a brand new one. From what I understand, it is Art Rooney II's desire to remain on the South Side or in that general vicinity. However, a move to Cranberry, Pa., is something that's been floated out there. I just don't know how serious that option is being considered. One way or another, that decision will come to a head before any big decisions are made about Acrisure Stadium, as the team's lease will expire on the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex beforehand. -- Chris Halicke

PIRATES

• With Major League Baseball’s trade deadline exactly a month away, the Pirates find themselves hovering around the .500 mark and within reach of a wild card spot in the National League. There’s still a lot of baseball to play, though, over this next month, one that will determine whether they’re buyers or sellers on, and in the days and weeks leading up to, Aug. 3. 

Regardless of the approach, decisions will have to be made in the near and distant future regarding Brandon Lowe, who will be a free agent this winter. Does Lowe, one of two second basemen in franchise history (Neil Walker with 23 in 2014) to hit 20-plus homers in a season, remain with the team throughout the year? And, if he does stay put, is there interest on his part in signing a long-term deal with the Pirates if a contract is presented to him? 

“I’ve enjoyed my time and I think it's a fun place to be,” Lowe told me during the team’s most recent homestand after I asked him about the possibility of remaining in Pittsburgh beyond this season. “The park is awesome, the guys in here are fantastic and the fans have been amazing, but it's not only my decision at the end of the day. The big thing is I'm not going to say I can tell you with any certainty that the Pirates would even offer a contract. I have no idea, and I have no idea what I'm looking forward to, what I’m expecting or what free agency is even going to look like. I've never been there. I have no idea what it's going to do. We'll see what happens when I get there.” 

After a follow-up question, Lowe said he could “absolutely” see himself as a Pirate on a long-term basis. 

“I’ve loved every minute of it so far,” he said. “I’ve only known Tampa other than this place, and I've really enjoyed it here. I think that's kind of a testament to the people in here, the guys in here and the players, like the kind of people that they are. They all just made the transition very easy.” -- José Negron in Pittsburgh

• Lowe’s played on some good teams in his career, including one that advanced to a World Series back in 2020. This year’s version of the Pirates has certainly experienced its ups and downs. But Lowe believes they’ve held their own. 

“It's been fun and it's been a really good year,” Lowe said. “Obviously the record's not quite where you want it to be, but that's kind of the amazing thing about baseball, it's not necessarily the best team that wins. There are teams that get hot and when the postseason comes around, you just got to make it there. Then, it's a completely different ballgame. This is a good team. Our record doesn't reflect how good the team is, and honestly, it's probably one of the best offensive teams I've ever been a part of.  It's really the part that I can truly speak on. I can't speak on pitchers, because I don't know anything about that kind of life. But it's incredible. The offense is scary. It's legit and it's been a lot of fun to be a part of.” -- José Negron

• Following a 4-for-5 performance against the Mariners on June 24, Ryan O'Hearn spoke candidly about information he received from hitting coach Matt Hague and how it helped him break out of a mini-slump in which he'd recorded just one hit in his previous 16 at-bats.

“I came in today, and Hague was telling me the biomechanics department said that my hands were four inches further away from my body than they have been when I’ve been playing well. Which is kinda hilarious that can happen without even thinking about it,” said O’Hearn, who’s had 12 hits, two home runs, and 10 RBIs since that night.

I spoke with Hague earlier this week in Philadelphia and learned that the “biomechanics department” is a platform that he started using during his time as a swing consultant with the Blue Jays. The platform focuses on the X-Y-Z planes of a hitter’s swing and compares it to data from when the player was at their best.

“It’s just a form of accountability. They want it. Their bodies change all the time. They are tired sometimes. These habits naturally ebb and flow throughout the course of the year,” Hague said. “These guys are such good problem solvers that if they start in pretty good familiar places where their body needs to start and work through, it creates some memory of when they are at their best. So I think it’s something that you constantly monitor, and they appreciate it because it gets rid of subjective coaching. You’re coaching to their best, and that’s all they want.”

Hague said he started setting up the platform in Pittsburgh last July and has seen “good things” come from it. He runs the process once or twice a week, and while some players are still getting used to it, he said, others, like O’Hearn and Brandon Lowe, are consistently asking for information to make sure that they are in the right place.

“All they want is to set up information because they trust themselves to go execute with how their body knows how to do it and how they’ve done it throughout their career,” Hague said. “I would say what’s different between each player is what they want to hone down on and how you interpret it. You can take whatever information you want, but how you interpret and how you relate it to them - that’s the execution part of it. That’s what you tend to focus more on.” -- Greg Macafee in Philadelphia

• Don't be surprised if Hunter Stratton is pitching on a major-league mound sometime soon. According to a source, Stratton is set to be recalled in the near future, which could add another piece to a bullpen that has struggled. Stratton has made four appearances for Class AAA Indianapolis since being acquired in a trade for Joey Bart on June 18. He's allowed two hits and no runs over 5 1/3 innings while striking out seven and walking two. -- Greg Macafee