Alexander Karmanov made history by becoming the tallest player ever drafted in the NHL at 7-foot-1 last month when the San Jose Sharks selected him as the No. 201 pick. With that, the 18-year-old, who hails from Chisinau, Moldova, also became the first Moldovan-born player to get drafted in the NHL.

A few days later, on Thursday, July 2, Karmanov showcased his skills for the first time in the team jersey in front of fans during the annual Sharks Prospect Scrimmage at Tech CU Arena. CBS Sports journalist Matt Lively, who was present at the arena, took to his official X account to share his take on the Moldovan defenseman after seeing him in person.

“Alexander Karmanov who is 7’1 is on the ice. He’s towering over the other skaters,” wrote Lively in his X post, accompanied by a short video of the hockey prospect on the ice. “He is set to play at Penn State in 2027 but would become the tallest player to ever debut in the NHL if he were to make it.”

After Karmanov made such a big first impression at the scrimmage, figuratively and literally, he must be eyeing more NHL history, as stated by the CBS Sports journalist.

Notably, the tallest players to ever play in the league are defenseman Zdeno Chara from Slovakia and forward Matt Rempe from Canada, both of whom stand at 6-foot-9, as per NHL.com. While Rempe, 24, is currently active with the New York Islanders, Hockey Hall of Famer Chara, 49, has already retired from the sport after captaining the Boston Bruins to the Stanley Cup in 2011.

While there isn’t any certainty about Karmanov playing in the NHL to break the aforementioned record, he will certainly grab attention at least as a Sharks prospect.

How has Alexander Karmanov’s hockey career been before joining the San Jose Sharks?

Karmanov arrived in North America after playing in Russia and Belarus during the 2023-24 season, as per the report published in Sportsnet. After that, he competed in the U.S. for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights in 16U Triple-A hockey in the 2024-25 season.

Prior to the start of the last season, the Brantford Bulldogs, a team in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) in Canada, selected Karmanov with the 172nd pick in the 2025 Canadian Hockey League (CHL) Import Draft.

In 2025-26, he took the ice in 15 games for their top affiliate, the Brantford Titans, in the Greater Ontario Hockey League (GOHL), scoring seven points (3G / 4A) and serving 68 penalty minutes, too.

Following that, Karmanov joined the North Bay Battalion of the OHL in a trade deal with the Bulldogs in November of the same year. He went on to play 20 games for them, scoring no goals and providing two assists, apart from serving 29 penalty minutes, according to NHL.com.

The Moldovan is expected to continue being a part of the Battalion in the upcoming 2026-27 season after joining the San Jose Sharks as a draft pick last month.

Is Alexander Karmanov going to play in the NHL for the San Jose Sharks in the near future? Tell us your prediction in the comments.

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Written by

Arjun Sharma

Edited by

Soheli Tarafdar