Sharks drafted Alexander Karmanov, becoming tallest player ever selected

The San Jose Sharks have have made history with their 201st overall selection of the 2026 NHL Entry Draft, as they selected defenseman Alexander Karmanov with the pick, making him the tallest prospect ever drafted in NHL history.

Karmanov was projected to go undrafted among all major draft rankings, with the NHL Central Scouting even ranking him 214th among North American skaters.

However, Karmanov’s seven-foot-one stature has given him a bit of notoriety in this draft class as the tallest prospect ever. Up to this point, the tallest players to play in the NHL are Hall of Famer Zdeno Chara, 2015-16 Chicago Blackhawk Viktor Svedberg and current New York Rangers enforcer Matt Rempe.

Karmanov is also the first player born from Moldova to be drafted into the NHL.

Ellis had this to say about Karmanov when talking about prospects from less traditional hockey countries last month:

“There has literally never been a bigger player to play high-level ice hockey. Listed as 7-foot-1 and 280 pounds by NHL Central Scouting, Karmanov is an absolute beast of a human being. Born in Chisinau, Moldova, Karmanov hopes to become the first countryman to be selected to the NHL and, hopefully, the first to play as well. Karmanov showed some promise in the GOJHL with the Brantford Titans, scoring three goals and totaling seven points, along with 68 penalty minutes, in 15 games. He got outmatched a bit more frequently with North Bay in the OHL, but it was hilarious watching smaller players go up to him and completely freak out. He also showed a lot more promise with the puck near the end of the season, too.

“Karmanov won’t get drafted this year based on pure hockey talent alone. But an NHL team will absolutely select him on his size and look to mold that into something tangible. It’s worth noting that most scouts didn’t expect Zdeno Chára to ever get close to becoming an NHLer – he went on to become one of the greatest defenders of his generation. There’s still a long way for Karmanov to go to become an NHLer, but the team that selects him is unlikely to rush the Penn State commit. He’s a truly unique prospect, and one MANY teams have interest in.“

While Karmanov was born in Moldova, he is also eligible to represent Russia at the international level.

Karmanov started the 2025-26 season in the Greater Ontario Hockey League with the Brantford Titans, where he had three goals and four assists for seven points in 15 games. His play was impressive enough that he was called up to the North Bay Battalion in the Ontario Hockey League, where he had two assists in 20 games. Despite the Battalion making the playoffs, he did not play when they were swept at the hands of the Brantford Bulldogs in the first round.

Karmanov is set to play with the Battalion for the 2026-27 season, and is then committed to Penn State University for the 2027-28 season.