Alexander Karmanov’s brief stay with the Sharks is coming to a close, but not before the 18-year-old defenseman made a noticeable mark in San Jose.
Karmanov said Sunday that he is heading back to Southern Ontario on Monday to rejoin the OHL’s North Bay Battalion, leaving the Sharks’ camp as the club continues to trim its roster ahead of Tuesday’s preseason game against the Vegas Golden Knights. More cuts could follow before then.
For Karmanov, the weekend even included a run-in with a Sharks fan while he was walking downtown with teammates. A stranger stopped him for a photo, a moment that seemed to capture the attention he drew during camp.
“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.”
That kind of reception followed him throughout his time in San Jose. The Sharks selected him in the seventh round, 201st overall, in June, making him the tallest player ever drafted into the NHL at 7-foot-1 and 275 pounds. He played in both Rookie Faceoff games at Tech CU Arena earlier this month, and his fight with Los Angeles Kings forward Liam Lefebvre, who is 6-foot-3, became a viral moment that drew the loudest cheer of the night.
Karmanov’s camp was not spotless. He made mistakes, as young players do. But he also showed enough to leave an impression, flashing his unusual reach and wingspan while earning respect from teammates and coaches.
On Sunday’s practice ice, that reach showed up again when he poked the puck off Will Smith’s stick on a couple of rushes. Michael Misa also beat him cleanly on one sequence after weaving around him. The snapshots fit the bigger picture: raw, still developing, but clearly intriguing.
“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.”
Sharks assistant coach Brian Wiseman said Karmanov’s personality stood out just as much as his size.
“Extremely likable,” 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.”
Karmanov also connected with new Sharks defenseman Darnell Nurse, who trained with him and several other NHL players this offseason at Gary Roberts’s facility in Toronto. Nurse said he could see how much Karmanov had grown since the summer began.
“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 picked up plenty from Nurse as well.
“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.”
Now he returns to the OHL for another season, where he will at times work with Todd Marchant, the Sharks’ director of player development, and San Jose development coach Luca Sbisa, who played 13 NHL seasons.
Karmanov is currently committed to Penn State for the 2027-28 season, though that plan could still change.
“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.”
In Other News...
Blackhawks Suddenly Have A Teuvo Tervinen Problem
Patrick Kanes return has given the Blackhawks a little extra buzz heading into this stretch, but it has also created a lineup squeeze that is hard to ignore. With Chicago trying to sort out where everyone fits, one of the more notable ripple effects is the way the forward group is being pushed into uncomfortable decisions, especially for a player like Teuvo Tervinen who has long been part of the conversation in this market.
The tension now is less about Kanes arrival than about who gets left out when the lineup is finalized. Tervinen has been in the middle of that uncertainty as the Blackhawks balance experience, roles and ice time, and it is the kind of roster call that can say plenty about where a team thinks it is headed. For a fan base that already knows what Kane brings, the more immediate question is how Chicago manages the pieces around him without creating a bigger problem elsewhere. [Read more 🡒]
Blackhawks Opener Raised An Early Question Fans Cant Ignore
The Blackhawks opened their 2026-27 season on the road at T-Mobile Arena against the Vegas Golden Knights, and the lineup looked every bit like a team still sorting out its identity. Chicago leaned on a mix of regulars and familiar names while also juggling scratches and special teams combinations, with the kind of early-season details that tend to matter more than the final score line in October. Even in a 5-2 loss, there were enough moments to show how this roster is trying to settle in.
Jordan Greenway gave Chicago its first goal of the season, and the Blackhawks also got a score from Patrick Kane in his first game back with the club since 2023, which at least gave the opener some energy before Vegas pulled away. The bigger question now is how quickly Chicago can turn those individual bright spots into something more stable, because the opener did not exactly hide the gaps in structure, discipline, or depth that can show up fast once the schedule starts to tighten. [Read more 🡒]
Blackhawks May Already Be Testing Roman Kantserov For A Bigger Role
Roman Kantserov arrived in Chicago with a reputation built in the KHL, where he finished as the leagues leading goal-scorer, and the Blackhawks have already treated him like more than a newcomer easing into NHL life. He has spent time on the top line, and the team has also been willing to move him around, including a look at center during the preseason, a sign they are trying to find out how much he can handle right away.
Jeff Blashill has pointed to Kantserovs hockey IQ, two-way play and adaptability as traits that could help him become a solid piece for the Blackhawks. The bigger question now is how far Chicago wants to push that experiment, and whether the early testing is simply part of the learning curve or the start of a much larger role in the middle of the lineup. [Read more 🡒]