Maksim Sokolovskii will become the fifth National Hockey League first round draft pick to play for the University of Maine.
The hard-hitting 6-foot-7, 240-pound defenseman from Kazakhstan has verbally committed to UMaine beginning with the 2027-28 season.
He was chosen by the Philadelphia Flyers with the 27th overall pick last week.
Sokolovskii, who will turn 18 on July 12, played for the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League, one of three Canadian-based Major Junior leagues, this past season.
He had two goals and six assists in 44 regular season games. He was plus-10 in plus-minus and had 49 penalty minutes. He didn’t have any points in five playoff games and was minus-1.
He is expected to return to the Knights this coming season.
Sokolovskii, who will become UMaine’s first Kazakhstan-born player, joins a list of UMaine first-round selections that include NHL Hall of Fame winger Paul Kariya (4th overall, Anaheim, 1993), defenseman Shawn Anderson (5th, Buffalo, 1986) and wingers Barrett Heisten (20th, Buffalo, 1990) and Bradly Nadeau (30th, Carolina, 2023).
Sokolovskii will also become one of the tallest players in the history of the program following goalies Stephen Mundinger (6-foot-8) and Ben Bishop (6-7) and defenseman Simon Danis-Pepin (6-7).
Sokolovskii spent most of his time playing in Russia before attending Atlantic Coast Academy in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, during the 2024-25 season, collecting 34 goals and 50 assists in 65 games.
According to the Elite Prospects 2026 NHL Draft Guide, “with a shockingly deep skating stance, four-way mobility and open-ice speed, Sokolovskii has about as large a defensive range as possible. Plus, he fully embraces the physical side of the game, constantly leveraging his frame and mobility.”
It also said he has become a “detailed” defender.
“He holsters his stick to his hip only to surprise the attacker with his reach when they get close. He angles opponents, rotates defending the cycle and never lets opponents beat him to the net. Unlike other towering defenders, he’s quick to react and change course down low, often singlehandly diffusing the cycle.”
It also said he does have to work on the finer aspects of his defensive game, especially in tight situations, and he is occasionally late to recognize threats.
The Daily Faceoff’s Steven Ellis wrote that “nobody will mistake him for an offensive demon but he is truly a terrifying human being when it comes to one-on-one situations. He makes it his goal to stop guys at any cost.”
Brock Otten of McKenn’s Hockey wrote that Sokolovskii’s gap control “improved greatly over the year. However, he’s also so effective along the wall with his size and physical approach. Once he has you pinned, you’re not escaping his clutch.”
His coming to UMaine will require him to be accepted into the school and meet NCAA eligibility requirements.
He was one of 19 players among the 32 first-round selections to be linked to an NCAA Division I program. Five have already played college hockey and 14 have verbally committed to a school.
