Dmitry Orlov had a pretty funny first impression of San Jose Sharks draft pick Alexander Karmanov.
Speaking with Sport 24’s Dmitry Erykalov, Orlov said he first crossed paths with Karmanov when he was still with Carolina. At the time, Karmanov was showing up around the locker room while playing Triple-A hockey in Pennsylvania, and Orlov did not exactly peg him as a future hockey prospect right away.
“I met him back when I was still playing for Carolina,” Orlov recalled to Sport 24’s Dmitry Erykalov. “He used to come into our locker room.
I look at him and think, ‘Kid, who are you?’ I thought maybe he was a basketball player.”
Then came the reveal.
“And he says, ‘I play hockey in America,’” Orlov shared. “‘Good for you,’ I said.
Wished him luck. And it’s kind of funny that now, before the season, we’ll be at the same camp.
We’ll see how it all works out for him.”
Karmanov, the Sharks’ recent 7-foot-1 seventh-round pick, is expected to be in San Jose’s camp before heading back to the North Bay Battalion for his second OHL season. He is committed to Penn State University for the 2027-28 season.
Orlov’s interview covered plenty more than that one memorable meeting. He also touched on the Shakir Mukhamadullin trade, Yaroslav Askarov, the idea of adding Darnell Nurse and Jacob Trouba, his attempt to get Artemi Panarin to San Jose, his respect for Macklin Celebrini, and how much he’s enjoying life in California.
Elsewhere around the Sharks beat, Sheng Peng highlighted his favorite Macklin Celebrini shift from last season, while questions remain about what San Jose’s power play should look like. Two NHL scouts also weighed in on what to expect from Ivar Stenberg in his rookie year, and two-time Stanley Cup winner Dean Lombardi shared more lessons in winning.
The Sharks also have Halloween bobbleheads coming for Will Smith and Celebrini, Stenberg is already breaking in his Sharks equipment, and Jeff Skinner has headed to Switzerland after EHC Biel announced his signing through the end of April 2027.
Around the league, PWHL owner Mark Walter is drawing attention after selling the Los Angeles Lakers, the New Jersey Devils are taking an unusual approach in goal, and the New York Islanders are running a 2027-28 third jersey fan vote. There’s also buzz about Cole Caufield, Seth Jarvis bringing the Stanley Cup to his hometown, whether Brad Marchand will be ready for the start of the season, and Adam Novotny’s three-year entry-level contract. The full preseason schedule is now out, too.
In Other News...
Sharks Forward Battle Is Taking Shape Around Celebrini And Smith
The Sharks summer reshaping has already given the forward group a noticeably different look, with Mason Marchment joining the mix, first-round pick Ivar Stenberg now under an entry-level contract, and several departures thinning out the depth chart. William Eklund was moved for a future draft pick, while Philipp Kurashev, Pavol Regenda and Ryan Reaves all left in free agency, leaving San Jose with a clearer sense of which young pieces are going to drive the next wave.
That is why the projected lines around Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith have become such a focal point as camp approaches. The top end still looks centered on those two, but the supporting cast is much less settled after all the offseason turnover, and the way the Sharks choose to build around them will say plenty about how aggressive they want to be in the short term and how much they want to keep the spotlight on development. [Read more 🡒]
Ivar Stenberg Faces A Big Sharks Question Right Away
Ivar Stenberg is already drawing sharply different readouts before he has even settled into his first Sharks season. The 2026 No. 2 pick is eligible to bounce between San Jose and the AHL this year, and two NHL scouts offered very different visions of what his rookie campaign could look like as the club heads into a season with playoff expectations.
One view has Stenberg stepping into a meaningful NHL role right away, with enough offense to stick near the top of the lineup. The other sees a more uneven path, with time in both leagues as he adjusts to the pace and demands of the pro game. For a Sharks team trying to make the postseason, that split matters, because the standard for staying in the NHL lineup may be higher than it would be on a rebuilding roster. [Read more 🡒]