Then there's Alexander Karmanov out of Moldova, who became the tallest player ever selected in the NHL Draft at a towering 7'1".That's a full three inches taller than the great Zdeno Chara, so, in other words, he's downright a giant.MAPLE LEAFS TOP PICK GAVIN MCKENNA KICKS OFF HIS TIME IN TORONTO WITH A ROUGH CEREMONIAL PITCHAlexander Karmanov is the tallest player ever selected in the NHL Draft after being picked by the San Jose Sharks in the seventh round last week.(San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)Karmanov was selected by the San Jose Sharks in the seventh round after playing last season in the OHL's North Bay Battalion.
In 2027, he's committed to playing for one of the most up-and-coming programs in college hockey at Penn StateBut, there are some questions about his NHL readiness, and we got our first taste of what that could look like at the San Jose Sharks development camp.New San Jose Sharks draft pick Alexander Karmanov (84) is embraced by his teammates after a practice at Sharks Ice at San Jose in San Jose, Calif.on Tuesday, June 30, 2026.
(Photo by Jessica Christian/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images) The big knock on Karmanov — as is the case for pretty much any big fella — is his skating.Sure, I get that's a big part of being a hockey player, but also if you're drafting a guy as tall as Shaq, you're not expecting Connor McDavid-like rocket boosters on the back of his skates.ZERO BS.
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DOWNLOAD NOW!And while some clips of Karmanov's skating got clowned on social media, you've got to see what he did in the Sharks' prospect game, because while his skating may not be fast and it's certainly not pretty, it sure seems effective.He's easy to spot, and I certainly didn't expect to see him start chugging 200 feet up the ice, but when he did, there was no stopping him.How does an average-sized NHLer go at him?He's got a mile-long reach, and if he shields the puck with his body, you may as w...