We all knew the Philadelphia Flyers drafted a big, strong, defenseman when they drafted Maksim Sokolovskii in the 2026 NHL Draft, but we may have underestimated how strong the 18-year-old already is.
As a 6-foot-7, 240-pound rearguard who scored only eight points last year, that is the strength of Sokolovskii’s game, after all.
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But he’s a young, developing prospect who won’t really be working out and doing significant amounts of training until next year, when he joins the University of Maine at the NCAA level.
In the meantime, the OHL London Knights had Sokolovskii flip a… 1,000-pound tire in an offseason training video as part of their promotion for their tickets, which go on sale on Friday, according to their post.
The Russian Flyers prospect was only 17 when he was drafted by Philadelphia in the 2026 draft at the end of June, for some context. Imagine how strong Sokolovskii will be in six, seven, or eight years from now?
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Obviously, other parts of Sokolovskii’s game will need to come along as he progresses in his development. He does have some puck skills and flair, but his puck handling and passing are inconsistent and reduce his ceiling as a player.
If nothing else, though, Sokolovskii’s training eliminates any concerns, if there ever were any, about being able to handle competition against older players at the collegiate level next year, since he can already bully anybody he faces in the OHL.
Following an impressive showing at Flyers development camp early last month, Sokolovskii is the undisputed top Flyers prospect at the left defense position, and this only cements his place further.
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