Sharks just drafted tallest player in NHL history

The San Jose Sharks were a team on the rise in 2025-26 season. Thanks to the performance of second-year superstar Macklin Celebrini, the Sharks were nearly a playoff participant after finishing fifth in the Pacific Division with a 39-35-8 record. The Sharks have not been in the postseason since the 2018-19 season, but they are clearly moving in the right direction.

In addition to Celebrini, they have a slew of talented players that include Will Smith and Alexander Wennberg. They also have a clutch and proven goal scorer in Tyler Toffoli. Head coach Ryan Warsofsky clearly has a team on the rise.

The Sharks added winger Ivar Stenberg with the No. 2 pick overall and huge defenseman Keaton Verhoeff with the No. 9 pick. Stenberg is a brilliant skater with excellent offensive instincts and he appears to be a future star who will join Celebrini as one of the key leaders on the team.

However, the Sharks made NHL history with their seventh-round selection. They took 7-foot-1 defenseman Alexander Karmanov, who stands a remarkable 7-foot-1. He is the tallest player ever to be drafted by an NHL team.

He is five inches taller than Hall of Famer Zdeno Chara, the tallest player in NHL history. Matt Rempe of the New York Rangers is also 6-9 as is former Chicago Blackhawk Viktor Svedberg.

Karmanov also checks in at 280 pounds. He played junior hockey for the Branford Titans as well as the North Bay Battalion last season.

Karmanov will be the tallest player in NHL history if he ever makes any team’s final roster at some point in the foreseeable future.