Flyers Trade Back To Select Maksim Sokolovskii With the 27th Pick
Photo via The Philadelphia Inquirer
After trading down whilst being on the clock at number 21, the Flyers made their first-round selection six picks later.
That selection would be Maksim Sokolovskii. The 17-year-old left-shooting defenseman stands at a whopping 6-foot-7 and 238 pounds; he was the second-tallest player in the OHL. With the future of Rasmus Ristolainen in jeopardy, the Flyers went down the smart path and chose a defenseman.
The Kazakh-born Russian only scored two times and assisted six in 44 games for the London Knights in the 25-26 season. So, for starters, those aren’t stats that will have fans jumping out of their seats. But, with the amount of talent they have on the offensive side of things, his offensive ability won’t be as needed.
He is very mean. He excels at skating and shutting down opportunities for opposing offenses. He was a skill player before his rookie OHL season, and he uses his size to his advantage. He loves to pin someone onto the boards with no way to escape, and also to deliver big hits whenever needed. He has a great ability to overwhelm his opposition.
Less than a year ago, Sokolovskii showed his offensive ability to the fullest. Playing for the Atlantic Coast Academy 16U AAA, his 34 goals ranked 4th in the league among all players. He finished with 84 points in 65 games in AAA before jumping into the OHL.
This is the second player the Flyers have drafted in the first round from the London Knights, with the first player being Oliver Bonk in 2023. They also selected Denver Barkey in the third round of that same draft.
The Flyers are now slated to make five picks on day two of the draft on Saturday. They have two second-rounders (Nos. 53 and 62), one fourth-rounder (No. 120), one fifth-rounder (No. 136), and one seventh-rounder (No. 213).
Sokolovskii has committed to the University of Maine for the 2027-28 season.
Andrew Glover
Andrew is in his first year covering sports for Philly Sports Reports. He is a podcaster and a digital content creator. Right now, he is in his second semester at Temple University pursuing a degree in Media Studies and Production. He has a certificate in Broadcast Journalism from the Connecticut School of Broadcasting in Cherry Hill, New Jersey.
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