After trading back in the first round of the 2026 NHL Draft, the Philadelphia Flyers got their guy in 6-foot-7 defenseman Maksim Sokolovskii, and he's already turning heads after just one day with the team.

Sokolovskii, 17, took the ice in a Flyers jersey for the start of development camp Monday, skating in Group 3 with the other defense prospects and camp invitee defensemen.

The tall, heavy blue liner literally stands out due to his size, but his stunning mobility was another trait of his that jumps off the page with every practice rep, too.

"He's quite big, especially beside me. It doesn't make me feel too good about myself," the 5-foot-8 Denver Barkey said of Sokolovskii after his on-ice session. "I only watched two games [during the season], but obviously he's a big boy, throws his body around. I think he's got a lot of raw skill. When I watch, it seems like he moves really well, moves the puck well for being six-eight (sic) at that age. It's pretty impressive, and I think he's got a really high ceiling."

Barkey, 21, is now a "veteran" of 53 NHL games, including the playoffs, but he went back to his London Knights to see his old junior team over the Olympic break.

Obviously, it was hard to miss Sokolovskii on the ice playing for the Knights.

Jack Nesbitt, who played in the OHL for the Windsor Spitfires against Sokolovskii and the Knights this season, also believes Sokolovskii to be a fearsome defender, even while scoring a point in each of his five games against the Knights last year and being 6-foot-5 himself.

"Oh, he's pretty big. What's he, around 240 [pounds]? Yeah, he definitely looks like that. He's also a nice guy, really nice, talked to him quite a bit. We're gonna get to know each other even more," said Nesbitt. "Definitely a big boy, and he can hit alright. Try to stay away from him a little bit."

Flyers director of player development Riley Armstrong didn't get to see Sokolovskii much throughout the season leading up to the draft, but was quick to name the first-round pick one of his Day 1 standouts from development camp.

The size sticks out for everyone, but the skating quickly dismisses any preconceptions about that size.

"I felt when we were doing the power skating out here, there were some parts that got exposed, 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," Armstrong said of Sokolovskii.

"I think he has a lot of upside to him. And when you're that tall, you got a lot of growth to grow into that body at such a young age."

With Sokolovskii, the main critique of his game, both in the short- and long-term, is his offensive potential, passing, and puck movement.

The passing needs further refinement, and the hulking Kazakh scored only two goals in 44 games with the Knights despite having a fairly powerful shot that is buoyed by his size and strength.

Armstrong believes those elements will start to come along in short order.

"I think once he gets more experience, I would probably guess in London next year, once he has the ability to start joining the rush more, and now they know that he can defend, and he's good at it. You see some of the bone-crushing hits, and a couple of fights he was in," Armstrong continued.

"I think he's gonna have more space next year. I think guys are gonna probably be a little bit more scared of him going into the season. I think that's going to open up the offensive side of his game as well. And, I'd like to see him put a couple in the back of the net as well, add to his toolbox."

Sokolovskii is expected to return to the Knights in the OHL for the 2026-27 season before making the jump to the collegiate ranks with the University of Maine in 2027-28.