UND commits Liam and Markus Ruck tally assists in NHL preseason game
· Yahoo Sports
Sep. 23—GRAND FORKS — UND commits Liam and Markus Ruck played in an NHL preseason game Tuesday night for the Pittsburgh Penguins.
The twin brothers had a strong showing, too.
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Liam tallied two assists, while Markus had one helper as the Penguins fell 7-4 to the Detroit Red Wings.
"I think we both got better as the game went on," Liam said. "It's a new game playing against pros. I think we adjusted pretty well. By the end, we were a little more comfortable and confident out there. It was cool to be out there with these guys. It was a fun game."
The Ruck twins will play for the Medicine Hat Tigers in the Western Hockey League this season. They're scheduled to come to UND next fall.
Both were selected by the Penguins in this summer's NHL Draft.
Liam went in the first round, No. 22 overall. Markus went in the second round, No. 39 overall.
They've been at Penguins training camp this month.
"There are a lot of great players in this room," Liam said. "Taking the little details they do in their games and taking it to my game is the biggest thing I'm going to take back with me."
The Rucks suited up alongside future Hall of Famers in Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin on Tuesday. Their locker stalls were next to Malkin's.
"It was really special getting to be out there with those guys," Markus said. "They're some of the best to ever do it. It's honestly crazy. But they're both great people and great leaders as well. It was really surreal."
Liam played 12:58 and finished with a plus-2 rating. Markus played 10:03 and also was a plus-2.
"I thought both of them did a really good job of being engaged and ready for when their name was called," Penguins coach Dan Muse said. "I thought they were working at both ends of the ice. They have good energy to them. They're young players, but I thought it was a really good experience for them to get. I thought they did a really good job with it."
The Rucks aren't the first UND recruits to play in an NHL preseason game.
Last season, goaltender
Caleb Heil played in the preseason
for the Tampa Bay Lightning. Heil won a shootout. He is now a freshman at UND.
The NCAA recently changed rules allowing players to compete against professionals before enrollment while retaining their amateur status.