Sharks finish the 2026 NHL Draft by taking giant defender Alexander Karmanov at No. 201

The San Jose Sharks closed the 2026 NHL Draft by selecting Alexander Karmanov with the 201st overall pick, the team’s last selection of the weekend. Karmanov is a left-handed defenseman listed at 7-foot-1 and 280 pounds, a size profile that immediately sets him apart as an organizational project with intriguing physical upside.

According to the draft report, the Sharks’ choice also carries a historical hook. The article notes that if Karmanov makes it to the NHL, he would surpass the height marks associated with Zdeno Chara and Curtis Douglas, becoming the tallest player in NHL history. It is an extreme “if,” but the NHL is built on attrition and development, and the Sharks are at least putting a rare body type into their pipeline at the draft’s far end.

Karmanov’s selection is also notable for representing a milestone beyond San Jose’s internal rebuilding needs. The same report describes him as the first Moldovan selected in the NHL Draft. For a league that has expanded its scouting footprint globally over the last decade, these cross-continental draft moments often serve as markers of where teams believe the next wave of talent could come from.

Draft slot matters, even for long-range prospects. Being picked at No. 201 generally indicates a prospect who is not expected to step into an immediate roster role, which makes development paths, coaching, and conditioning especially important. At that range, teams often prioritize traits that can be trained. In Karmanov’s case, size and positional suitability are clear traits on paper, but the translation of that frame into skating, defensive reads, and sustained play will determine how quickly the prospect moves up a depth chart, if at all.

For the Sharks, the selection fits the broader pattern of NHL organizations investing in late-round upside. While San Jose’s roster-building priorities are shaped by day-to-day roster decisions and player availability, draft weekend is about stocking the system with options. Late picks can be the difference between a pipeline that eventually churns out contributors and one that runs dry, especially when those picks target specific “traits to coach” rather than finished games.

What to watch next is whether Karmanov’s development accelerates in the areas that tend to separate NHL-ready defenders from promising ones. The question is not only whether he can grow into his frame, but whether he can keep improving his mobility and decision-making against higher-end competition. If he progresses through his junior or pro track as expected for a tall defenseman, the height-record conversation could shift from hypothetical to realistic. If not, the Sharks will still have added a distinct prospect profile to their long-term plans. For now, the pick stands as a clear statement of intent: San Jose is willing to take a major physical bet at the draft’s end.

From a league-wide perspective, Karmanov’s draft slot and profile also underline how quickly the NHL’s global talent map is filling in. Even when a prospect is a long shot to reach the NHL immediately, a first-of-its-kind national representation can encourage further scouting and creates a pathway that other players in the same region can see. The NHL draft is increasingly international, and the Sharks’ selection turns that trend into a concrete roster-building step, even if the payoff timeline remains uncertain.