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Tallest hockey player in the world has come to Canada and he towers over NHLers

Adam Laskaris
Adam Laskaris
|
Aug 25 2025, 7:51 pm
Tallest hockey player in the world has come to Canada and he towers over NHLers
@rcduthie/X

The biggest hockey star in the world has arrived in Canada — and no, we’re not talking about Connor McDavid.

Alexander Karmanov, a 17-year-old prospect originally from Moldova, is currently in training camp for the OHL’s Brantford Bulldogs after being selected earlier this year in the CHL Import Draft.

Though he has yet to even play a game at the junior level, he’s certainly already picked up his fair share of headlines. He’s listed at seven feet tall, which puts him far and away as the biggest player in not only his league, but just about any hockey league you could find anywhere.

Karmanov, a defenceman, scored 15 goals and 18 assists for 33 points in 35 games last season while playing AAA in Pennsylvania. He’s committed to play in the NCAA for Penn State after this season, but could wet his feet at the junior level before moving back to the United States should he crack Brantford’s roster. The Bulldogs play their first preseason game this coming Friday on the road against the Kitchener Rangers.

Karmanov is also eligible for the 2026 NHL Draft.

“He’s not going to stop improving. He’s motivated. He’s still a diamond in the rough,” Karmanov’s former coach Matt Reid said in a recent interview with Nicolas Cloutier of TVA Sports. “There’s no player on this planet who’s seven feet tall and skates like him.”

We do know at least one person taller than him at his current height that can skate pretty well, though — 7-foot-4 NBA player Zach Edey was a minor hockey regular in his youth in Toronto before eventually giving up the sport for basketball.

While it might still be too early to tell about his shot at making the pros, you can bet that there will be no shortage of scouts and fans following Karmanov’s career to see how it pans out.

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