The massive Russian blueliner has vaulted up draft boards, and now is expected to be a first-round pick.
Draft week is heating up across the NHL, with deals going wild and scouting teams at this point just polishing up their final boards.
Today's profile is on a unicorn-type player whose ascent in his rookie OHL season has vaulted him up the draft boards.
That player is Maksim Sokolovskii of the London Knights, a hulking blueliner that really came along as he got acclimated into the OHL over the past year.
Maksim Sokolovskii is one of the most unique players available in the 2026 NHL draft. (Photo: Luke Durda/OHL Images)Sokolovskii, 17, had eight (2+6) points in 44 games in his first OHL season, but offence really isn't his calling card.
Instead, the hulking, 6-foot-8 blueliner makes his mark physcially and in the defensive zone. He's capable of throwing bone-crushing hits that give him a bit of an old-school look out there, and at his size he can really make a mark physcially.
Additionally, Sokolovskii's big range and long stick allow him to break up plays in ways others can't, giving him a unique profile defensively. While his feet aren't perfect, they're very good for someone his size, and he's adept at retrieving pucks in his own end and starting the breakout for his forwards.
Now, there's still a lot of developing for Sokolovskii to do. At times he chases big hits and can put himself out of position, and he'll need to become a better player in the offensive zone to be a meaningful pro.
The Kazakhstan-born, Russian raised blueliner has the advantage of a potential longer development curve, too. It's a traditional adage that big players take longer to develop and fill out their body, and learn to lose their size.
Sokolovskii has also played just one season of major junior, and really improved a ton as the year went on. Most notably, when London dealt Jared Woolley to Kitchener, that gave the big man more opportunity and ice time as the season went on, and he really showed himself well in the back end of the year.
So, the argument for drafting the massive blueliner is easy. He provides a ton of potential value defensively, could have some more untapped potential, and has been on a big upward trajectory.
This profile is what's pushed Sokolovskii into being a first-round prospect, and it's possible he even gets drafted as high as the early 20s. That's not bad at all for a player who was on the outside of most people's radars when the season began.
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