Nobody expected this player to become a Canucks first-round target
The Vancouver Canucks are circling Medicine Hat Tigers winger Liam Ruck as a real option at 24th overall, and Adam Foote's rebuild just got a name fans want to memorize.
This morning, the buzz around the 2026 draft is centered on a BC kid who grew up cheering for the team that now holds his fate. That part matters in this market.
Ruck just put up 104 points in the WHL. That ranked second in the entire CHL. The only player ahead of him was his own brother, Markus.
The 18-year-old right winger is listed at 5'11", 177 lbs, and sits 20th on NHL Central Scouting's North American skaters list. That's roughly where Vancouver picks. Convenient math.
What makes the season pop is the context. Medicine Hat lost Gavin McKenna, Oasiz Wiesblatt and Ryder Ritchie from its roster. Ruck still dragged the Tigers to another Central Division title.
He also blew past his previous career high by 63 points. That's not a step up. That's a leap most scouts didn't see coming a year ago.
Why Ruck's two-way game fits Adam Foote's blueprint
The playoff résumé is the part that should interest the Canucks most. Ruck posted 12 points in 14 games, including eight goals, tied for sixth in the WHL postseason.
He also scored Medicine Hat's only shorthanded goal of the playoffs and tied for the team lead with two game-winners. Translation: he shows up when the building gets loud.
Foote's club finished 25-49-8 with a brutal -100 goal differential and the worst home record in the league at 9-27-5. They need cheap, useful forwards on entry-level deals. Yesterday.
Ruck's underrated wrinkle is the defensive side. He killed penalties at the junior level, won board battles, and closed shooting lanes. Picture a kid who actually wants to defend on a team that bled 316 goals against.
There's a Memorial Cup appearance on his ledger from 2025 and a Gold Medal at the 2024 U17 World Challenge. The Canucks need players who've felt real pressure. Box checked.
Now the question Vancouver fans should actually ask. If Liam is gone by 24, do you reach in the second round to grab Markus and try to land both? That decision could define this rebuild.
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YESTERDAY
MAY 20, 2026
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| G | A | PTS | ||
| Dylan Coghlan | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Pavel Dorofeyev | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Nic Dowd | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Brett Howden | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Gabriel Landeskog | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Valeri Nichushkin | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Rasmus Andersson | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Ross Colton | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Jack Eichel | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Tomas Hertl | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Ben Hutton | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Nathan MacKinnon | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Mitch Marner | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Brandon Saad | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Colton Sissons | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Devon Toews | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Jack Ahcan | - | - | - | |
| Ivan Barbashev | - | - | - | |
| Brent Burns | - | - | - | |
| Jack Drury | - | - | - | |
| COMPLETE STATS | ||||