Berkshire Benchmarks Releases State of the County Update

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Berkshire Benchmarks data team recently released a State of the County Update for 2023. 
 
This brief report builds on the Berkshire Benchmarks State of the County Report published in May 2022 and highlights notable changes in regional indicators over the past year. The berkshirebenchmarks.org website has also been updated to reflect the most current available data. 
 
The purpose of the Benchmarks initiative and report is to highlight the region's successes and challenges.
 
The 2022 Berkshire Benchmarks State of the County report provided a comprehensive overview of our region's performance across eight sectors: Economy, Education, Environment, Government, Health, Housing, Social Environment, and Transportation.  
 
In the future, the Berkshire Benchmarks team will continue to monitor these and other indicators to aid with the regional understanding of changes in these sectors and whether the work happening throughout the region is having the intended impact. 
 
Berkshire Benchmarks is a collaborative initiative managed through Berkshire Regional Planning Commission (BRPC). Our sources are publicly available data, including the U.S. Census Bureau, the American Community Survey, various Massachusetts data sets, and periodic surveys of Berkshire County residents. 
 
Berkshire Benchmarks aims to work with the community to understand priorities and help inform the region on how we are doing and if we are improving. Berkshire Benchmarks enhances the region's access to quality data and analysis. 

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Local Hockey Program's Alum Projected in NHL Draft

By Stephen DravisiBerkshires Staff
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."
 
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