With their final pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, 201st overall, the San Jose Sharks selected 7-foot-1, 280-pound left-handed Moldovan defenseman Alexander Karmanov.
If Karmanov makes it to the NHL, which is seen as a long shot at this point, he’ll surpass Zdeno Chara and Curtis Douglas as the tallest player in NHL history. On top of that, he is also the first Moldovan selected in the NHL Draft.
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Last season, Karmanov split his time between the North Bay Battalion of the Ontario Hockey League and the Brantford Titans of the Greater Ontario Hockey League. In Brantford, Karmanov scored three goals and tallied a total of seven points in 15 games. Then, during his time with North Bay, he just two assists in 20 games, but was a +6 with 29 penalty minutes.
Karmanov is committed to Penn State University for the 2027-28 season, but he’ll spend the 2026-27 season with North Bay once again.
Karmanov is seen as a massive project. His reach is certainly beneficial, but his size does have a number of disadvantages when it comes to skating. He often struggles to get back up to speed and as a result, forwards are able to blow past him.
