PENGUINS

The longest that Liam and Markus Ruck have ever been apart was a four-day span a few years ago.

"I think it was three or four years ago," Markus recalled after Day 1 of development camp on Monday. "Liam had a concussion from a tournament, and we had a showcase the next weekend, so he wasn't able to come on the trip to Calgary. But I went out with our team, and it was different there without him. But we managed."

The twins -- picked 22nd and 39th overall by the Penguins respectively -- have never not been teammates, often playing on the same line together. They have the same interests, hobbies and mannerisms. Aside from a few heated mini-stick battles as kids, they don't fight. They have no interest in separating themselves from one another, even going as far as sharing a joint Instagram account that they call "Ruck Boys." As far as they can tell, the biggest difference they have off the ice is that Markus likes ketchup with his fries, and Liam isn't a fan of the condiment.

What they can do on the ice together is clear. They have innate chemistry, and slight differences in their play that complement each other. Liam, the right wing, has the better shot and is the better goal-scorer. Markus, the center/left wing, is the better playmaker, and does well in setting up his brother with the WHL's Medicine Hat Tigers.

At least for this week, though, the Penguins want to see what they can do away from each other.

The Penguins divided their development camp roster up into three teams for Monday's first day on the ice, and the most interesting takeaway was that the Ruck twins are on different teams -- Liam is on Team Larry Murphy, and Markus on Team Barrasso. They'll go through the early practice sessions of camp on the own, then be competitors in Friday's tournament to end camp.

"It's going to be some battles when we play each other on the last day," Markus said. "But that should be good. It's been a while. We love competing with each other, it should be fun."

Liam, with the same big smile as his brother, had a similar take.

"It'll be fun," said Liam. "It's always fun competing with him. And seeing all the great players here, it's going to be cool to compete with them out here too."

The two estimated that they haven't actually had to go head-to-head against each other in a number of years, likely a scrimmage in a junior camp. They are looking forward to it, hearkening back to their heated mini-stick battles as kids. Brotherly competitions aside, they agree that it's probably best development-wise to get some opportunities like this apart.

"I think it's for sure important to learn to play apart from each other in case of an injury, or we're not on the same team for whatever reason," Markus said. "It's very important to play apart. I think it's good for us. I think we play better together when we're working off one another, but it's for sure important to play without each other too."

"(The Penguins) have obviously seen what we can do together," Liam said. "They probably want to see what players we are separate. They know what we can do together, but obviously it's going to be a little different apart."

Both brothers' biggest weakness is the same -- they need to add strength to their slender frames, something that isn't a massive concern right now given that they'll go back to junior for one year, then North Dakota for at least one year before they turn pro. Both frequently had skating listed as a weakness in pre-draft scouting reports. But if you ask Penguins director of player development Tom Kostopoulos, they're actually not the same person.

"If you talk about the Ruck brothers individually, I think Liam can get up and down the ice a little bit quicker," Kostopoulos observed. "He's got some speed, he's got some separation speed, it's just building the strength. I think he's got a tremendous shot. He's able to find space in the O-zone and finish plays and score goals. I think as the strength and power come, his skating will get even better. Markus, on the other hand, from what I've seen is an incredible playmaker, really intelligent out there. He probably needs a little more work in the skating department, and as he builds the strength and works on the technique of his skating, I think his game will really come along, just to add that separation speed and be able to get to areas and win a few more races out there."

In a perfect world, the Rucks would develop and address those deficiencies at the same rate. They'll take steps forward next season in junior, they'll both have the same ease in adjusting to the college game in 2027-28, and they'll both have identical experiences once turning pro -- maybe some time in the AHL together, then getting recalled at the same time and having a cool moment taking their rookie laps together in the NHL. 

Reality, though, is that things playing out that way is probably a long shot. One might have an easier time adjusting to the pro game and get that recall first. There could be a situation where there really is only one spot available, and one of the brothers gets it based on positional need. There's a good chance that their NHL debuts come without the other, and they'll have to learn to play apart. 

As much as they like playing together and as much as they hope to stay together every step of the way, they're also OK with eventually taking that step to the NHL as individuals.

"We're both pretty competitive guys," Liam said. "We keep pushing each other every day, and I think knowing that we're on the same trajectory hopefully we come in at the same time, but we'll see what happens."

"We work out together, we push each other every day, and we do the same thing," Markus said. "So I think it could work out (together), but if not, I'd be happy for him if he got to go up first, and I'm sure he'd be happy for me. We support each other, we compete with each other, and no matter what happens, I love him. And if he gets something before me, it won't bother me."