SAN JOSE – Alexander Karmanov was crossing a downtown street with some of his Sharks training camp teammates this weekend when a stranger abruptly stopped him.
A Sharks fan wanted a photo — right then and there — with the towering 7-foot-1, 275-pound defenseman.
“I was with the boys and the boys told me we needed to get off the street,” Karmanov said Sunday. “It’s great. Everyone, the fans were great, and it’s really nice to have met them.”
Karmanov’s time in San Jose is ending as the 18-year-old confirmed to Bay Area News Group on Sunday that he is heading back to Southern Ontario on Monday to rejoin the OHL’s North Bay Battalion. The Sharks will likely also make more trims to their training camp roster before they return on Tuesday, when they host a preseason game against the Vegas Golden Knights.
While he was here, Karmanov left quite an impression and became a bit of a celebrity among Sharks fans.
“It was really fun, and all the guys were great,” Karmanov said. “It’s just meeting new people and making new friends, and on the ice, they’re great professionals. Just looking at them and wanting to get better, getting feedback from the coaches.”
Karmanov, who became the tallest player ever drafted into the NHL when the Sharks selected him in the seventh round, 201st overall, in June, played in both Rookie Faceoff games at Tech CU Arena earlier this month. His one-sided fight against Los Angeles Kings forward Liam Lefebvre, who is 6-foot-3, went viral on social media and got the loudest cheer of the night.
Karmanov made his share of mistakes but also made friends, gained respect and, at times, showed off his rare skill set.
During Sunday’s practice, Karmanov, with his one-of-a-kind reach and wingspan, poked the puck off Will Smith’s stick on a couple of rushes up the ice. There was also a time, though, when center Michael Misa got a clean shot on net after he danced around Karmanov on another rush.
Karmanov’s hardly a finished product, but he soaked up everything he could while with the Sharks.
“Just keep working,” he said, describing the message the Sharks’ coaching staff gave him. “I have, like, some details from the coaches, from the development coaches, and just keep doing what they tell me to do.”
“Extremely likable,” Sharks assistant coach Brian Wiseman said of Karmanov. “Speaking to him and when (fellow assistant Doug Houda) is coaching him, or when he was at the rookie camp, that’s all we’ve heard about is how attentive he is, how likable he is, how coachable he is.
“Those are great attributes to have, and coming into first NHL camp, always smiling. He’s got a smile on his face, up and down the hallways, in the locker room, on the ice.”
New Sharks defenseman Darnell Nurse formed a friendship with Karmanov after the two, along with several NHLers, trained at Gary Roberts’s facility in Toronto during the offseason. He noticed Karmanov’s growth — in a hockey sense — from summer to training camp, as the past two-plus months since the draft have been invaluable for the teenager’s development.
“You can just see the growth from the beginning of the summer to the end,” Nurse said. “You see the size, but he’s got skill. He’s got a little nastiness to him, too. He’s going to be fun to watch as he continues to grow, and that’s just pretty cool.”
Karmanov said he learned quite a bit from Nurse.
“Very big guy, too,” Karmanov said. “I like how he plays defensively, very aggressively, and has a very good stick and first pass. I think it’s what I have to have. Just a great player.”
As he returns to the OHL for one more year, Karmanov will at times work with Todd Marchant, the Sharks’ director of player development, and San Jose development coach Luca Sbisa, a 13-year NHL defenseman.
As of now, Karmanov is committed to Penn State for the 2027-28 season. Whether he goes to Happy Valley or ends up somewhere else in a year is still to be decided.
“It should be a good year for me, for the team,” Karmanov said. “I’ll have more opportunity, we’ll keep working, and we’ll see how it goes.”