Maksim Sokolovskii did not take long to make an impression at Flyers development camp. At 6-foot-7 and 240 pounds, the first-round pick has a frame that jumps out immediately, and even teammates were quick to find out what that means in a drill.
Oliver Bonk summed it up in the bluntest way possible.
"It's terrible," Bonk said.
Bonk, who also came through the London Knights program, had a front-row seat to Sokolovskii’s size during a keep-away drill. The first time through, Bonk said he treated it like a routine rep. That changed fast.
"He mauled me in practice," Bonk said last month with a laugh. "We were doing a little keep-away drill and I wasn't ready for it.
The first one, I just came up, I'm like, 'OK, whatever, this is like a warmup drill.' I go and he just mauls me, takes the puck away, he has the puck from me for like a minute [and] 30 [seconds]."
Bonk said he eventually adjusted, but the message was clear: Sokolovskii’s reach and power are a problem.
"I'm trying to chase this guy around, he's just arms out, giant, I can't do anything," Bonk said. "I got ready the next one, I got back at him a little bit, protected the puck a little bit better. He's going to be a really good player."
That kind of upside is exactly why the Flyers were willing to trade back and still take him 27th overall this summer, even though other defensemen such as Ryan Lin, Juho Piiparinen and Tommy Bleyl were still on the board. Sokolovskii was the eighth defenseman selected in the draft, and he only turned 18 last month.
"You watch him in drills, some of the things he can do for a player that size, at his age, are impressive," Flyers assistant general manager Brent Flahr said in July. ... "His physical tools are immense.
For us, it's just the tip of the iceberg. It's our development job and the coaching in London and everything to help him learn the details and just round out his game.
But there's so much to work with there, it's exciting."
The Flyers are also comfortable betting on a player from London because they know the program well. They have ties to president and head coach Dale Hunter and vice president and general manager Mark Hunter, and they already drafted two Knights products in 2023 with Bonk in the first round and Denver Barkey in the third.
Last season, Sokolovskii’s first with the Knights, he also showed progress in skating, another part of his game that caught attention.
"It just shows you that they care a lot in London," Bonk said. "Whatever you need to work on, they're going to find your weaknesses and try to make them your strengths. I'm excited to see what the future holds for that guy."
Barkey, who was never teammates with Sokolovskii, had his own reaction to the size difference when they met during the Olympic break. Barkey said he went back and watched two Knights games and spoke with staff there, and the Hunters had good things to say about the big defenseman.
"He's quite big, especially beside me," Barkey said in June with a smile. "Doesn't make me feel too good about myself.
I got to meet him actually this year at the Olympic break, I went back and watched two Knights games and saw some of the staff there. The Hunters had a lot of good things to say about him and I was able to meet him then.
"I think he has got a lot of raw skill. When I watch, it seems like he moves really well, moves the puck well for being [6-foot-7]. At that age, it's pretty impressive and I think he has got a really high ceiling."
Sokolovskii is committed to Maine in 2027-28, and the Flyers are interested in seeing whether he can add more offense at the junior level this season. What already stands out, though, is the defensive base. The next step is mobility, and that was part of the evaluation at camp.
"I felt when we were doing the power skating out here, there were some parts that got exposed," Flyers director of player development Riley Armstrong said in June. "But then we went over there and he was doing 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. I think he has a lot of upside to him."
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