PITTSFIELD, Mass. — An alumnus of the Atlantic Coast Academy hockey program is generating a lot of buzz heading into next week's National Hockey League entry draft.

 

And that attention can only help build the profile of the program Mike Taylor founded in 2022.

 

"The talent is here," Taylor said this week of ACA, which pairs hockey development and education for players from around the nation and the world. "I don't think as many people locally realize the talent we've had here. I don't think they realized we had a future NHL Draft pick playing in our home rink."

 

That prospect is Maksim Sokolovskii, who the NHL lists as the No. 40 North American skater in the June 26 draft.

 

Sokolovskii, a 6-foot-7 left-shot defenseman, scored 34 goals and collected 50 assists in 65 games playing for ACA in the 2024-25 season.

 

This year, he is playing for the London Knights of the Ontario Junior Hockey League, one of the top leagues of its kind in North America.

 

"Sokolovskii is a massive and highly athletic defenseman," analyst Corey Pronmon wrote this month for The Athletic. "He's a strong, mobile player who's very physical and projects to make a ton of stops."

 

Another writer, Dayton Reimer of thehockeywriters.com, told readers not to be surprised if Sokolovskii, who turns 18 next month, is taken in the first round of the draft.

 

"Bigger players frequently go higher than projected," Reimer wrote. "Six-foot-6 Mason West, 6-foot-7 Dean Letourneau and 6-foot-7 Maveric Lamoureaux were top-30 picks after being projected as second-rounders. Sokolovski could very much follow in their footsteps, as he is currently projected as a late second-round pick."

 

Heady stuff for the Kazakhstan-born teen who came to the Berkshires to pursue his hockey dreams on an F-1 student visa.

 

"His agent reached out to us," Taylor said of Sokolovskii, who was playing for a top Russian youth team at the time. "It was kind of crazy because, at that point, we were breaking the surface of being one of the higher ranked clubs in the area.

 

"I think, for him, [the goal] was mainly to come get exposure for colleges and junior programs. He already was a really good skater. He had a high-end skill set. He did things that were kind of jaw-dropping, really. For a kid that's 6-8, typically at that age, they can't skate as well as he can. … Offensively, in the playoffs, we'd have him on shootouts when it mattered the most."

 

Sokolovskii's plan to get exposure worked. Before his junior-year season with ACA had ended, he had committed to play hockey at the University of Maine after graduation, and he ended up being drafted by the Knights of the OJHL for his senior season.

 

As the scouts checked out the big blueliner, they also got a look at the rest of his ACA teammates.

 

"We had a really good team that year," Taylor said. "We had a bunch of players from high-end international programs. Him being who he was — his size alone pops out — him bringing scouts to the rink put the spotlight on other players.

 

"I remember we were in Minnesota, and Ohio State University was there to watch him and ended up liking another one of our players."

 

ACA built on a successful season with Sokolovskii in 2024-25, accomplishing some big things last season. The program's 18-and-under team was ranked 11th in the nation, and its 16U squad was ranked as high as 17th. The ACA's 18U team skated to a 3-3 tie with the Boston Junior Eagles, who finished the season ranked first in the nation.

 

Atlantic Coast Academy had an extra fan as it had all that success.

 

"After we win games, we post on our Instagram, and he always comments on them," Taylor said.

 

One time after a game, Taylor was able to jump on a video chat Sokolovskii was having with one of his former teammates.

 

"It's good, because he is such a highly regarded player, but he doesn't act like it," Taylor said. "Still to this day, he messages me every week … or sends me clips of his fights.

 

"Often, you see some of these kids, they have success and forget where they came from. Obviously, we didn't make him who he is, but we helped him get where he is. And he hasn't forgotten about us."

 

Recently, Sokolovskii reached out to invite Taylor and another ACA coach to attend the NHL Draft in Buffalo.

 

They will work that into a busy couple of months as they manage a summer program that features travel teams and players aged 7 to 18 and get ready for a busy academy season that gets underway on Aug. 14.

 

That is the day ACA welcomes about 180 student-athletes to town to play on six boys teams and the two girls squads that join the Atlantic Coast Academy lineup this year.

 

Those youngsters will live and attend classes at New Lebanon, N.Y.'s, Darrow School, which recently expanded its capacity by acquiring the former Berkshire Farm campus on Route 22 in nearby Canaan.

 

"I don't think a lot of people realize we have that type of talent playing in North Adams and at the Boys and Girls Club," Taylor said. "And it's only going to get better. I'm not saying we'll have future draft picks every year, but the talent is here."

 

Learn more about the Atlantic Coast Academy here.