sports
San Jose Sharks Draft 7-Foot-1 Defenseman Alexander Karmanov
The San Jose Sharks selected 18-year-old Alexander Karmanov with the 201st pick in the 2026 NHL draft in Buffalo. At 7 feet 1 inch, he is the tallest player ever chosen and the first Moldovan-born player selected.
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The San Jose Sharks selected 7-foot-1 defenseman Alexander Karmanov with the 201st pick in the 2026 NHL draft held in Buffalo, New York. ESPN reported that the 18-year-old became the tallest player ever drafted by an NHL team and the first Moldovan-born player chosen in the draft. Karmanov weighs 280 pounds.
He spent the 2025-26 season with the Brantford Titans in the Greater Ontario Hockey League before appearing in 20 games for the North Bay Battalion in the Ontario Hockey League. He is slated to return to the Battalion for the 2026-27 season. Karmanov is committed to play college hockey at Penn State beginning in 2027.
He would stand one inch taller than the tallest player on the current Penn State men's basketball roster, sophomore center Ivan Juric. The tallest players to have appeared in NHL games are Zdeno Chara, Matt Rempe and Viktor Svedberg, each listed at 6 feet 9 inches.
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