June 30, 2026
Nick Tricome/PhillyVoice
Flyers 2026 first-round pick Maksim Sokolovskii and director of player development Riley Armstrong speak on the ice during the first day of the team's dev camp in Voorhees.
You couldn't miss first-round pick Maksim Sokolovskii on the ice in Voorhees.
The towering 6'7" defenseman, who the Flyers made the 27th overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft late last week, reported in for the team's annual development camp at their South Jersey training center when it opened up on Monday.
And by far, he stood the tallest of any of the Flyers prospects, even when it was already a group that had been getting deliberately bigger within the past year.
Of course, Sokolovskii's size drew the immediate attention, but then once the drills started, so did the 17-year-old's surprisingly fluid skating, which feeds into the belief of his potentially high upside, which was prize enough for general manager Danny Brière and assistant GM Brent Flahr to roll the dice on – and knowing that it would be at least three years before they would see any kind of payoff.
On Monday, then into Tuesday, Flyers prospects, development staff, and fans, got to start seeing up close what Brière and Flahr saw in Sokolovskii.
And at the least, what the current, and bruising, London Knight blueliner can offer is interesting.
Here's a collection of soundbites from Flyers prospects and staff who saw Sokolovskii's early promise as a future NHL defenseman through the first two days of dev camp...
Riley Armstrong, Flyers director of player development: "I think Maksim, you know, he's 6'7". I think he stands out pretty good."
Jack Nesbitt, Flyers prospect and OHL opponent in Windsor: "Oh, he's pretty big. What's he around? Like 240? He definitely looks like that."
Denver Barkey, current Flyer, London Knights alumni, and 5'10" skater: "He's quite big, especially beside me. Doesn't make me feel too good about myself. But yeah, no, I got to meet him actually this year at the Olympic break. I went back and watched two Knights games and saw some staff there. The Hunters [owners Mark and Dale] had a lot of good things to say about him, and I was able to meet him then. Then yeah, to see him get picked here, meet him, he seems like a great kid. Obviously a big boy. So, looking forward to, you know, him being on our side."
Matthew Gard, Flyers prospect and 6'5" WHL center, laughing at not being the tallest around anymore: "Yeah...it's lots of big boys here. Something new."
Nesbitt: "Yeah, definitely. Big boy, and he can hit alright. So tried to stay away from him a little bit [in Windsor].
Armstrong on his initial read of Sokolovskii: "Well, we didn't have anybody in London this year, so I caught him in a couple of different areas, but I think just his size here, like [you'd think] his skating's probably weak, but I felt when we were doing the power skating out here, there were some parts that got exposed, but then we went over there [to skills] and he was doing like the puck retrievals and his deception with his feet and moving, I was actually surprised of how fluid he was with that at his size. So I think he has a lot of upside to him, and when you're that tall, you got a lot of growth to grow into that body at such a young age."
Barkey's evaluation: "I mean, I only watched two games, but obviously he's a big boy, throws his body around. I think he's got a lot of raw skill. When I watched, it seems like he moves really well, moves the puck well for being [6'7"] at that age. It's pretty impressive. I think he's got a really high ceiling."
MORE: Martone returns to dev camp with 'a team to make and a job to earn'
Armstrong on reaching that ceiling, and tapping into some offense: "Yeah, I think once he gets just more experience, I would probably guess in London next year, you'll probably see him, you know, once he has the ability to start joining the rush more. Now they know that he can defend and he's good at it. You see some of the bone-crushing hits and a couple of fights he was in. I think he's gonna have more space next year. I think guys are gonna probably be a little bit more scared of him going into the season. So, you know, I think that's going to open up the offensive side of his game as well. And you know, I'd like to see him put a couple in the back of the net as well. Add to his toolbox."
Nesbitt, on having Sokolovskii as a future Flyers teammate and not having to face those hits in juniors anymore: "Oh yeah, a lot better"
Brek Liske on telling his dad Lonnie, a huge Flyers fan, that he's out there skating with John LeClair as a coach: "Named a few of the guys I was skating with. He likes his emojis, and he just sends the mind-blowing emoji all the time. So yeah, he's just as thrilled as I am, I think."
Still hasn't sunk in for Brek Liske... or his dad 🤯 pic.twitter.com/LzVkgDFNwx
— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) June 30, 2026
Cole Knuble on how his dad, former Flyer Mike Knuble, taught him how to play hockey: "He used to say like 'If you have 12 eggs in your pockets, they should all be broken.' That's what he would always tell me.
Jett Luchanko on the lower-body issue that's keeping him sidelined through a second straight dev camp: "It's been lingering for quite a while, a couple years. So, it's been dealt with, and should be good for training camp – on the ice next week should be the plan."
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