ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. – The mission was to upgrade the size of the Flyers’ defense and boy did they ever.
On Friday night, less than two weeks after trading for 6-foot-4, 210-pound defenseman Simon Benoit from the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Flyers pulled off another deal with size implications at the NHL Draft.
They made a deal with San Jose, sending their No. 21 first-round pick to the Sharks for their No. 27 pick along with their No. 62 and No. 120 picks.
With that No. 27 selection, Flyers general manager Daniel Briere, working out of the Flyers’ headquarters at the Jersey Shore, selected 6-foot-7, 240-pound defenseman Maksim Sokolovskii, just 17 years old, from London of the Ontario Hockey League.
Briere sounded pleased with how everything went down. There were a number of attraction points with Sokolovskii.
“There were a few things,” he said. “It’s not just one. The one thing that really stood out was the progression throughout the season. We thought this could be a late pick for us. He just kept getting better and better.
“It was interesting to the point he was going to be a first-rounder. To be able to move back, get some draft capital and still get him, it felt like it was the right thing to do.”
Briere said it was a bit of a gamble to trade down and risk losing Sokolovskii before he could strike at No. 27. But it all worked out.
The GM was aware of what other teams might be doing and it sounded like he had a hunch Sokolovskii would still be there when the Flyers had their new pick.
“We felt Sokolovskii was the guy we could move back and still get,” Briere said. “He was the next guy on our list but he’s also a big defenseman, something – epecially left shots – we don’t have a lot in the organization. That was a plus.
“There was a little bit of a risk he could have been taken. But the chance to add a couple picks in a year when we didn’t have a lot of draft capital coming into it. For us, we felt it was worth the chance.
Sokolovskii, who hails from Kazakhstan, arrived in North America just two years ago.
He appeared in only 44 games for London and posted just two goals/eight points.
Despite his size, he’s listed as a nimble player. But his overall game needs major work, including puck play.
He is committed to playing for the University of Maine for 2027-28.
Speaking from the NHL Draft main cite in Buffalo, Sokolovskii indicated he’s pleased to be joining Philadelphia. However, even speaking through an interpreter, it was a challenge for him to get some of his feelings across.
“I feel great,” he said. “I was excited.”
Asked to describe his style of play, he smiled.
“I think I play physical,” he said. “I use my body.”
Briere believes Sokolovskii is a worthwhile project who could someday evolve into a top four defenseman. He doesn’t seem to have the potential to be a big point producer but he can put fear in opposing forwards.
“We don’t expect him to be the next big point producer,” Briere said. “I don’t think it would be fair to say he was drafted for that. We see him as a big, physical force, a defenseman that’s going to be tough to face.
“We know there’s a lot of work to be done. But there are things that you can’t teach, things you can’t change. He’s still 6-foot-7 two years from now. The internal physicalness he has is something you really can’t teach. That’s a big plus. The progression we saw this season leads us to believe he’ll be able to make it to the NHL.”
The GM isn’t sure where Sokolovskii will fit into the lineup but that’s a nice problem to have.
“It’s a little too early to tell,” he said. “He could become a top four defenseman if things fall into place. With the reach he has, he’s going to be tough to go around. If he keeps improving his puck play, who knows how good he could be?”
Briere saw a lot of improvement in the player’s game through the season and made a strong case for getting him.
“His puck play was much different,” Briere said. “Understanding the game. When to go, when not to go, when to go for the big hits, when not to. Those are things that along the way got better and better this past season.”
Briere said Sokolovskii is the type of defenseman that “players don’t want to play against.”
The NHL Draft concludes on Saturday. The Flyers have two second-round picks, a fourth, a fifth and a seventh.
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