BUFFALO, N.Y. \u2014 The San Jose Sharks made three picks on the second and final day of the NHL draft Saturday, including taking the son of a team executive who played professionally more than three decades ago and a 7-foot defenseman.<\/p>\n
The Sharks selected U.S. National Development Team goalie Brady Knowling at No. 127 in the fourth round and center Jake Gustafson at No. 174 in the sixth round.<\/p>\n
With their sixth and final pick of the draft, the Sharks at No. 201 selected North Bay Battalion defenseman Alexander Karmanov, who is listed on the team\u2019s website<\/a> at 7-foot, 265 pounds. Karmanov is the tallest player ever drafted into the NHL. If he makes it to the NHL, he would be the tallest player in league history.<\/p>\n The 18-year-old Knowling, who will play with Saginaw of the OHL next season and has committed to Boston University for 2027-28, posted a 15-12-0 record with an .880 save percentage in 33 games with the U.S. National U18 Team. He also played one game for the U.S. at the under-20 World Junior Championships this past winter.<\/p>\n Gustafson, also 18, had 25 points in 68 games with Portland of the WHL this past season. For the 2027-28 season, he has committed to play at Colorado College, where his dad, Jon, the senior vice president of SAP Center & Sharks Ice,<\/a> played from 1987-91. He also played pro in five different leagues, most recently with the Reno Renegades of the now-defunct West Coast Hockey League.<\/p>\n Jon Gustafson, 57, has been the president of the AHL\u2019s San Jose Barracuda since the start of the 2022-23 season.<\/p>\n