Tallest Hockey Player Ever - Penn State's 7-Foot-1, 280-Pound Hockey Commit, Alexander Karmanov, Won't Stop Growing

There's gotta be a point in hockey where growing taller stops being a good thing. I suppose that's true for most things in life. Basketball might be the only sport that truly has no limit. Assuming your knees aren't exploding with every step, if you're a full foot taller than everyone else on the court, and have four working limbs, you're going to be a problem in the paint. You could also play water polo, and be the first person to ever play the sport while being able to touch the bottom of the pool. We don't see too many football players over 6'6", but I gotta think if you grow to 8-feet-tall, you'd be pretty unguardable in the red zone. 

Note: There's a high school senior in Florida who's allegedly 6-foot-10. They've got him playing wide receiver. I'm really hoping he finds his way to a legitimate FBS school someday. Would love to see this kid play college football on a high level.

But when it comes to hockey, if you're Penn State right now, or any team/scout with an interest in 7'1" Moldovan hockey prospect Alexander Karmanov's services... I'd think you would almost be getting concerned with his level of growth. A 7'1" hockey player is crazy. Everyone knows  the NHL's token tall hockey player Zdeno Chara. He played over 20-years in the NHL. Won a Stanley Cup with the Boston Bruins in 2011. Won the Norris Trophy for NHL's Best Defenseman in 2009. He's an all-time great hockey player. So there is some precedent for tall players succeeding in the NHL. But even Zdeno Chara, the tallest NHL player ever, is merely 6-foot-9. According to Oddspedia, here are the 10 tallest hockey players in NHL history 

1. Zdeno Chara – 6'9" (1997-2022)

2. Matt Rempe – 6'9" (2024-Present)

3. Elmer Soderblom – 6'8" (2021-Present)

4. Tyler Myers – 6'8" (2009-Present)

5. Andrej Sustr – 6'8" (2013-2022)

6. John Scott – 6'8" (2009-2018)

7. Jamie Oleksiak – 6'7" (2013-Present)

8. Brian Boyle – 6'7" (2008-2021)

9. Hal Gill – 6'7" (1997-2017)

10. Chris Breen – 6'7" (2011-2014)

As you can see, nobody comes close to touching 7-feet. Not without skates on. Zdeno Chara was famously 7-feet tall on skates (which would put Karmanov at 7'4"). But if Alexandar Karmanov somehow finds his way to the NHL… or even if he just ends up playing at Penn State… it's going to be something we've never seen before in the sport of hockey. 

He's only 17-years old, which means he won't be NHL draft eligible until next year. He's very much not a "top prospect". From what I can find, Karmanov being drafted at all is far from a guarantee. But it sure would be fun if he was. I'd be lying if I said I was overly impressed with anything I've seen from him in the very limited highlights he has online. He certainly doesn't move like Chara used to. He doesn't seem to be out there teeing up 100mph slap shots the way Chara did either. In fact, as he stands open on the blue line calling for passes, his teammates almost seem reluctant to give him the puck. 

But that's a very limited sample size, and I'm no scout. Maybe there's potential there. He's only 17, so who knows, maybe he could still grow a bit. Maybe if he can simply stay between the puck and the net and wave his gigantic tree truck of a stick around, he can find a way to be effective at a high level. 

I'm rooting for the guy. At least make it over to Penn State. Alexander Karmanov in college hockey would be blast. And if he's really that much of an athlete, maybe Penn State will give him a shot on the basketball team. Maybe even football. If Penn State has a 7'1" human at their disposal… if he can move a little bit and has decent hand-eye coordination… somebody at that university will find a way to utilize him.