sports
San Jose Sharks Select 7-Foot-1 Defenseman Alexander Karmanov
The San Jose Sharks picked 18-year-old Alexander Karmanov with the 201st selection in the 2026 NHL draft. He is the tallest player and first Moldovan-born player ever chosen in the draft.
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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 Friday 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 selected. Karmanov weighs 280 pounds, according to ESPN.
He played the 2025-26 season with the Brantford Titans in the Greater Ontario Hockey League and appeared 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 before joining Penn State for college hockey in 2027.
ESPN noted that Karmanov would stand one inch taller than the tallest player on Penn State's current men's basketball roster.
The tallest players to appear in NHL games remain a three-way tie at 6 feet 9 inches among Zdeno Chara, Matt Rempe and Viktor Svedberg. Reuters listed Karmanov at 7-foot-1 and 272 pounds.
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