Are Liam and Markus Ruck Destined to Become Canucks?

There are differences in how they play. Just like how Henrik Sedin was the playmaker, and Daniel was the finisher, the Rucks have a similar style in their duo. Liam is seen as more of a goal scorer than his brother. He currently has 41 goals, compared to his brother, who has fewer than 20. But Markus’ assists can not go unnoticed, as he currently has 79 this season with only four games left in the regular season.

Liam has clearly taken the finisher role in the duo, and Markus has taken the distributor role. As for who is a better player, Steven Ellis of Daily Faceoff spoke with Canucks Army, and he believes Liam is the better player and that NHL scouts like him just a bit more than his brother. But he also added that the twins work so well together that an NHL team should draft them both. “If they’re not drafted by the same team, it’s an absolute wasted opportunity,” said Ellis. “These two players know each other so so well.”

Could They Both Become Canucks?

There is a very real possibility that both of these players are drafted by the Canucks, just like how Brian Burke pulled off the miracle of miracles to get the Sedin twins back in 1999. The Rucks are now projected to be late first-round picks in this upcoming draft. Well, the Canucks are projected to get a late pick in that round from the Quinn Hughes trade. That pick is still up in the air based on where it will land, but it’s safe to say that it will be somewhere in the 20s.

Wherever the pick lands, the Canucks will need to somehow acquire either the pick before it or after it. Because many believe that neither one of them will make it to the second round. If the Canucks really want to draft both of these players, they should have no problem moving up in the draft to select them because Vancouver has a stockpile of picks and assets to trade and be aggressive.

We may also live in a world where the Canucks don’t need to move up to select either of these players. Vancouver currently possesses the Wild’s pick, which will be in the 20s, and if they finish last in the league, they are guaranteed to have the first pick of the second round.

Every year, some players fall into the second round that everyone thinks will be taken in the first: Andrew Cristall in 2023, Igor Chernyshov in 2024, and Simon Wang in 2025. Both Chernyshov and Wang were taken as the first pick in the second round. So for Vancouver, there could be a situation where the team takes Liam Ruck with the pick from Minnesota, and then Markus with their own second-round pick, which will be 33rd overall now that the Ottawa Senators will be picking 32nd, no matter what.

Selecting both of these players would be such a great story for Vancouver, as it would add to the tradition of identical twins playing for the franchise. It will be even more important to fans because they are B.C.-born players as well. The Rucks have fantastic talent and would be a great addition to the Canucks prospect pool, beginning to re-ignite the youth movement in Vancouver.