The tallest player ever selected in the NHL blew minds in his debut with the San Jose Sharks
This year’s NHL Draft was fun. There are many great stories, including Gavin McKenna going to the Leafs, Caleb Malhotra’s father being drafted by the Vancouver Canucks, and Ottawa selecting Jaxon Cover from the Cayman Islands with the 32nd pick five years after he started playing ice hockey.
There’s also Alexander Karmanov from Moldova, who at 7’1″ is the tallest player ever selected in the NHL Draft.
That’s a full three inches taller than the great Zdeno Chara, so in other words, he’s an absolute giant.
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Alexander Karmanov became the tallest player ever selected in the NHL Draft after being selected by the San Jose Sharks in the seventh round last week. (San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)
Karmanov was selected in the seventh round by the San Jose Sharks after playing for the OHL’s North Bay Battalion last season. He is committed to playing for one of college hockey’s most promising programs at Penn State in 2027.
But there are some questions about his NHL readiness, and we got our first taste of what that might look like at the San Jose Sharks development camp.
New San Jose Sharks draft pick Alexander Karmanov (84) is hugged by his teammates after practice at Sharks Ice on Tuesday, June 30, 2026 in San Jose, Calif. (Photo: Jessica Christian/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)
Karmanov’s biggest knock – as it is for almost every big man – is his skating. Sure, I understand that’s a big part of being a hockey player, but at the same time, if you’re drafting a guy as tall as Shaq, you don’t expect him to have Connor McDavid-like rocket boosters on the back of his skates.
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And while some clips of Karmanov’s slide have been clowned around on social media, you should see what he does in the Sharks’ potential game, because while his slide isn’t fast and certainly not pretty, it certainly looks effective.
He’s easy to spot, and I certainly didn’t expect him to start running 200 feet up the ice, but once he did there was no stopping him.
How does an average-sized NHLer attack him?
He’s got about a mile of range and if he’s covering the puck with his body, you can slide to the bench for a bench change because you can’t get the puck.
Alexander Karmanov’s greatness blew minds at the San Jose Sharks development camp. (San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)
I think he could be really successful in the NHL if he uses his strengths like that.
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I know it’s a potential play and something like that probably wouldn’t work against the NHL’s regulars, but remember he’s still a few years away from being an NHLer himself.
I think Karmanov will continue to be a problem for every team he plays for in the OHL and then at Penn State in ’27.
