- Alexander Karmanov, the tallest player ever drafted at 7-foot-1, got into a scrap in his first game in a Sharks sweater
- San Jose beat the Kings 8-1 in a Rookie Faceoff opener that came apart in the third period
- Read below for the video and what the Kings coach said about sending a much smaller player at him
Alexander Karmanov did not need long to make his first game in a San Jose sweater memorable.
The 7-foot-1 defenseman, the tallest player ever drafted in NHL history, dropped the gloves with Los Angeles winger Liam Lefebvre in the third period of the Sharks’ 8-1 win over the Kings on Saturday night, the opening game of the 2026 Rookie Faceoff at Tech CU Arena.
It started with a hit. Karmanov caught Kings defenseman Jakub Dvorak and left him shaken up.
Two Kings circled him afterward. Only Lefebvre, who is 6-foot-3 and gives up 10 inches, actually stepped in.
Take a look at the video:
Karmanov got the better of it, then turned to the stands and waved his arms for noise on his way to the box. Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now called it an are-you-being-entertained motion, and the building came unglued.
That was one of three fights in the last six minutes. Quentin Musty went with Jared Woolley, and Jake Boltmann grabbed hold of Jimmy Lombardi before the horn.
Kings rookie coach Andrew Lord was asked about watching Lefebvre, a player he would rather have scoring goals, pick a fight with someone that much bigger. Lord did not mind it at all, he told MayorsManor.
“I mean him, Woolley, multiple others, even that weren’t just fights. I think there was some guys sticking up for each other. Probably needed to happen a little earlier, but at the end of the day, to see it is a good sign for sure.”
Dvorak left under his own power. Lord said the early read was an upper-body issue and that the Kings expect him to be fine, with more testing due Sunday.
Things were already ugly before Karmanov threw a punch. Ivar Stenberg scored twice in 23 seconds, and the second one set off a scrum that cost Igor Chernyshov and Henry Brzustewicz 10-minute misconducts.
Here is the goal that lit the fuse:
San Jose took Karmanov 201st overall in June, a seventh-round swing on a frame nobody else in the sport has. He spent last season with the OHL’s North Bay Battalion and turned heads at development camp in July without doing much more than standing up.
Karmanov is nowhere near an NHL roster spot. He still got the loudest reaction of the night at the Rookie Faceoff.
