Wennberg, who has spent two seasons with San Jose and is one of the most experienced players on the team, is about 185 centimetres tall, which is slightly above average for a hockey player. But Karmanov would easily look down on Zdeno Chara.
The Slovak legend, along with Matthew Rempe from the NY Rangers and Viktor Svedberg, who played for Chicago a decade ago, all stand at 206 centimetres. No one in NHL history has been taller. However, the Chisinau native has another 10 centimetres on them.
"He has an incredible reach; it’s impressive. It’s really tough to get around him. I’ve only seen him in a few practices so far, but I’m curious to see what else he can do," Wennberg told The Athletic during training camp.
"He’s so much bigger than everyone else," added star forward Macklin Celebrini.
Karmanov was drawing attention even before the draft, which doesn’t happen often for players not projected to go high. He’s already played two full seasons overseas, finishing the last one in junior OHL with North Bay, where, as a defenseman, he recorded two assists and 29 penalty minutes in twenty games.
That number of penalty minutes means Karmanov also drops the gloves. With his height, that’s almost inevitable. But a lot of enforcers, who usually skate around the ice fearlessly, will probably try to avoid him.
Not afraid to drop the gloves
Just a few days ago, in a rookie game between San Jose and the Los Angeles Kings, tough guy Liam Lefebvre found that out for himself. At 191 centimetres and 92 kilograms, he’s used to commanding respect. But the Sharks’ giant is nearly forty kilograms heavier, and during the fight on the ice, Karmanov was in complete control.
"Before the fight, I asked him when we’d go, and he just dropped his gloves, and we went at it. The crowd was awesome, the arena was rocking, it was amazing," he said enthusiastically after the game.
He later admitted he could have used a secretary, as his phone was flooded with messages from teammates from various teams he’s played for during his career. And general manager Mike Grier is also pleased with the team's last pick in this year's draft (201st overall).
The former long-time forward, who played over a thousand NHL games, especially praised Karmanov’s mobility.
"For his size, he moves really well, and he’s pretty good with the puck, too. We liked a lot of his skills; that’s why we decided to give him a chance," he said about the draft, denying that San Jose picked the defenseman just for media attention. The Sharks believe in him.
We probably won’t see him in the NHL anytime soon - and who knows if ever - but his career is definitely worth following.
"Anyone in our camp could make it to the NHL," said coach David Warsofsky. And he’s given this giant Shark at least a glimmer of hope.