The NHL draft streak continues for the London Knights. After Maksim Sokolovskii and Jaxon Cover were picked in the first round of the NHL Draft Friday night, the Knights have now had at least one player selected for 58 consecutive years. In the past four seasons, London has produced seven first-round picks. Sokolovskii was one of the biggest risers, who jumped into the first round when the Philadelphia Flyers grabbed him with the 27th overall pick. They traded back from #21 in a trade with San Jose and felt they could still get Sokolovskii. The 6’8” 240 lbs left-handed defenseman had a massive second half to his Ontario Hockey League season and his size and potential was exactly what teams desire. “We felt that Sokolovskii was the guy that we could move back and still get,” said Flyers General Manager Daniel Briere. “He was the next guy on our list, but he was also a big defenseman, something we don’t have a lot of, especially left shots. We don’t have a lot in the organization. So that was a plus. But we felt it was a little bit of a risk that he could’ve been taken. But the chance to add a couple of picks in a year where we didn’t have a lot of draft capital coming into it. For us it felt it was worth the chance,” added Briere. Sokolovski had two goals and six assists in 44 games with the Knights. Briere expects him to play another season with the Knights to learn to play more important minutes. “It’s not a secret they are one of the better organizations in the CHL,” said Briere, of why the Flyers have chosen a number of Knights players recently. “They seem to be able to build winners. There’s a lot of guys that go through their program that end up in the NHL and they have a knack for raising those players to become pros. You look at the background when you look at who runs the organization, who coaches that organization, they are people that have been around for a long time and seem to know what it takes for these young men how to grow these young men to become NHL players. So, you know, for us it’s a no brainer when we have the chance to take someone from London,” he said. Like Sokolovskii, Cover’s story is a special one. Growing up in the Cayman Islands, he played roller hockey and didn’t even begin playing Ice Hockey until five years ago. He was chosen by the Ottawa Senators with the 32nd pick. “I told myself I wouldn’t cry, but I saw my mom and then the emotions started going,” Cover said. “A couple tears came down. It was just awesome to just spend that time with my family and friends. It meant the world to me.” Cover – who has documented his story to CTV London – had the most unique journey to the draft. “I’m just most proud of how hard I’ve worked,” Cover said. “Just the progression I made in such a short span of time.” Cover didn’t even know all the rules of hockey until his U14 year. A few seasons later, playing AAA for the first time, he was selected by the London Knights in the fourth round of the Ontario Hockey League draft. This past season in London, Cover scored 52 points (20 goals, 32 assists) in 67 games. “If I didn’t hear my name called [Friday night], I would’ve been completely fine with that,” Cover said. “Because if you told me I would be in this situation even at the start of the year I wouldn’t believe you.” Sens head scout Don Boyd spoke about Cover’s potential. “It’s a great story, but we drafted him because we believe that he’s got ability; we believe that he’s got skill,” Boyd said. “We believe he’s going to have a chance to be an offensive guy. He plays in a good program. We know he’s going to get good coaching. We know he’s going to be managed well.” Cover said he wants to inspire people to believe they can accomplish anything. “I feel that if you really, truly do love something, you don’t need to play it your whole life or need to grow up playing it,” Cover said. “I want to teach kids from unconventional places that even though you’re from an unconventional place, you can still play a sport that you love, or you can find a passion that you love.” Day 2 of NHL Draft More area players went off the board on the second day of the NHL Draft. Three picks into the day, the Chicago Blackhawks chose Ryan Roobroeck of London with the 35th selection. In the third round, with the 94th pick, the Columbus Blue Jackets picked up Alessandro Di Iorio of the Sarnia Sting. His teammate Beckham Edwards went 143 to Detroit. Ryan Brown of the London Knights was grabbed by Dallas in the 5th round with pick 155. A surprise choice came two picks later when Jacob Vandeven of the Komoka Kings in the Greater Ontario Hockey League went to Boston at pick 157. Kings owner Roop Chanderdat tells CTV News this is “massive for the Kings and the GOHL.”Vandeven finished the season with the London Knights, playing eight games. The scouting report by Elite Prospects said, “With quick feet for a towering defender, Vandeven spins away from opponents to get into passing lanes for the breakout and shooting lanes off the rush. He’s a frequent activator and skilled shooter, firing one-timers and catch-and-releases.” In the sixth round, Cole Zurawski (Philadelphia) and Wesley Royston (Montreal) of the Owen Sound Attack were picked.
