The San Jose Sharks selected 18-year-old Alexander Karmanov in the seventh round of the NHL draft. The 216-centimeter defenseman from Moldova becomes the first player from his country to be drafted by an NHL team.
Karmanov, who weighs around 127 kilograms, had been ranked 214th among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting and was widely expected to go undrafted. The Sharks instead chose the towering blue-liner for his rare physical profile.
During the 2025-26 season Karmanov recorded seven points and 68 penalty minutes in 15 games with the Brantford Titans of the GOJHL before moving to the OHL’s North Bay Battalion, where he added two assists in 20 contests. He is already recognized as the tallest player in OHL history.
Karmanov is slated to return to North Bay for one more season and then join Penn State University ahead of the 2027-28 campaign. Whether he eventually reaches the NHL remains to be seen, but his selection has already placed him in the record books as the tallest player ever drafted.