June 26, 2026

NHL Draft: Flyers take hulking London defenseman Maksim Sokolovskii with 27th pick

The Flyers traded back in the first round and picked a 6'7" blueliner who can skate, and definitely hit.

By Nick Tricome
PhillyVoice Staff

Timothy T. Ludwig/IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Maksim Sokolovskii is huge, and the Flyers' pick at No. 27.

The Flyers took big London Knights defenseman Maksim Sokolovskii with the 27th overall pick in the NHL Draft on Friday night, after taking a slide back from 21st to 27th in a pick swap trade with the San Jose Sharks.

The immediate appeal of Sokolovskii: He's a massive and bruising blueliner who can move.

Our pre-draft scouting report of the 17-year-old:

Maksim Sokolovskii would be a big play on upside for the blue line, because the 17-year-old is approaching the draft as a 6'8", 238-pound skater who can move.
A Kazakhstan native who made the jump to North America two years ago, Sokolovskii scored 34 goals and 84 points in 16-under triple-A, then moved up to London in the OHL this past season.
Sokolovskii only produced two goals and eight points for the Knights through 44 games, but skated with a plus-10 rating, using his size as a clear advantage to shield the puck and win battles after it, while catching opponents off guard with his nimble skating and eye for sneaking a shot through traffic.
A left-shot defenseman and one of the greener prospects in the draft class, there's a good chance that the Flyers will be on the clock at No. 21 with more well-rounded and right-shot defensive prospects available to take – like Goljer, Bleyl, or Piiparinen – but Sokolovskii could be a very worthwhile gamble if the Flyers have the patience and trust in both his trajectory and their own development staff to bring him along.
A big second season in London after his name gets called at the draft would be an immediate sign, too, that he's on his way.

Adam Goljer, Tommy Bleyl, and Juho Piiparinen were all still on the board, but Sokolovskii was the Flyers' guy.

Also, Elite Prospects has Sokolovskii listed at 6'8" and 238. NHL Central Scouting's official listing for him at the draft is 6'7" and 240. Either way, the kid's big, and skates like he knows it.

BIG MAKS BOOOOOOOM 💥 #NHLDraft pic.twitter.com/bafthLEcix
— London Knights (@LondonKnights) February 22, 2026

The Flyers selected Sokolovskii after trading back with the San Jose Sharks from No. 21, which gained them an extra second-round pick (at 62nd overall) and a fourth-rounder (120th overall) to make on Saturday.

It replenished their draft stock a bit for this weekend, as they now have five selections to make or trade around with on Day 2, when originally, they went into this draft with just four picks in total.

MORE: Flyers future draft picks, for 2026-2030

Sokolovskii also adds another high-profile prospect from the London Knights back into the pipeline, after the Flyers took defenseman Oliver Bonk and forward Denver Barkey both out of London back in 2023.

Barkey, a former third-round pick, is already a regular on the NHL roster, and Bonk, 2023's 22nd overall selection, is set up to earn a roster spot in training camp later this summer.

Now, the Flyers hope to have Sokolovskii on his way, for a few years down the line.