Flyers select Maksim Sokolovskii No. 27 overall at the 2026 NHL Draft

The Philadelphia Flyers have selected defenseman Maksim Sokolovskii with the No. 27 overall selection of the 2026 NHL Entry Draft.

Sokolovskii was projected to be selected around 46th overall on average across all of the main draft rankings, going as high as 22nd and as low as 83rd. He was also ranked 40th among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting. Daily Faceoff prospect analyst Steven Ellis projected him to go above consensus at 36th overall.

Ellis had this to say about Sokolovskii in his most recent draft rankings:

“At 6-foot-8, Sokolovskii is absolutely massive. Nobody will mistake Sokolovskii for an offensive demon – he had eight points between 49 regular-season and playoff games. But he’s truly a terrifying human being when it comes to 1-on-1 situations – he makes it his life mission to kill you. I loved his play against the Soo Greyhounds because he repeatedly had to go up against top forward Brady Martin and succeeded for the most part. I really like Sokolovskii as a shutdown option. His lack of offense won’t make him attractive to every team, but the fact that he, as a defenseman, makes it his goal to stop guys at any cost should allow him to get to the NHL.”

Sokolovskii spent the entirety of his 2025-26 season with the London Knights in the OHL. In 44 games with the team, he had two goals and six assists for eight points as the Knights finished fourth in the Western Conference with a 40-23-4-1 record. Better known for his defensive game and physicality, he was tied for 18th on the Knights in points, and tied for seventh among defensemen (although he was third among defensemen 18 years or younger).

Sokolovskii also went pointless in five playoff games, as the Knights were eliminated in the first round by the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds

Sokolovskii has committed to the University of Maine for the 2027-28 season.