Liam & Markus Ruck Impress At Scouting Combine

Medicine Hat, AB – The Ruck twins represented the Medicine Hat Tigers at the 2026 NHL Scouting Combine in Buffalo, New York.

Liam and Markus Ruck were among 90 prospects that attended the event. The NHL Scouting Combine provides the league’s 32 clubs with physical and medical evaluations of top draft prospects ahead of the 2026 NHL Draft, set for June 26-27 at KeyBank Center in Buffalo.

“The combine was unbelievable… so much fun to be a part of” said Liam Ruck. “You get to spend a week out in Buffalo, talking to NHL teams and media and all that, it’s something you dream of as a kid, so it’s just a special week.”

Markus last 13:08 in the VO2 Max bike test while Liam lasted 12:25. Markus also excelled at one of the two new tests at the combine, scoring a 2.24 in the isokinetic squat test to Liam’s score of 2.16.

Photo by Bill Wippert/NHL via Getty Images

While Markus opted to rest for the latter portion of the combine after tweaking his back in the vertical jump test, Liam completed the bench press, 10-meter sprint, pro agility, pull-ups and the Wingate without his brother.

“It was obviously a super fun experience. I’ve never done anything like this, so to kind of meet with NHL teams and be in Buffalo and experience a new style of life, it was awesome.” remarked Markus following the combine.

Liam recorded the 23rd highest score in the Aerobic Fitness (VO2 Max) test with a 54.1, the 18th highest score in the Anaerobic Fitness: Fatigue Index test with a 46.3, and the 10th highest score in the Bench Press Power test with a 6.4. For full results from the 2026 NHL Scouting Combine, visit NHL.com.

The Rucks are two of 15 Tigers players eligible for the 2026 NHL Draft that will take place on June 26th and 27th in the Keybank Centre in Buffalo, New York. The Tigers led the WHL with eight players ranked in NHL Central Scouting’s final rankings for the draft.