The San Jose Sharks have one of the deepest prospect pools in the NHL, and they added quite a bit of talent to it this summer. Over the next few weeks, we'll be taking a look at their top 20 prospects and how they project to impact the organization in the long-run.
Note: Due to the lack of consistency for what constitutes a prospect, for this list we're excluding anyone who is no longer considered a rookie by the NHL. As a result, players like Igor Chernyshov will not be included.
Kicking off the countdown is a bit of a polarizing player, Alexander Karmanov isn't expected to be an impact player at the NHL level, if he ever plays an NHL game at all. With that being said, if he's able to overcome the odds and develop perfectly, he could become one of the most unique players in league history.
Karmanov was the Sharks' 201st overall selection this past summer, and realistically there were a few players who could've overtaken him on this list, but I opted to include him simply due to the intrigue of his development. As a 7-foot-1 defenseman, if he plays a single NHL game, he'll make history as the tallest player in league history.
With that being said, it's going to take a lot of effort and coaching to even give Karmanov a slight chance to make it to the show, to put it simply. His skating leaves quite a bit to be desired:
On top of that, the NHL is faster than ever and Karmanov's game certainly isn't defined by blazing speed. If he's able to become even a below-average skater though, his size and reach could make him an interesting prospect to watch as he reaches the ECHL and potentially the American Hockey League.
With that being said, Karmanov's size gives him a major advantage if he happens to be in the right place at the right time. His reach significantly limits options for opposing players and makes it very difficult to get around him.
"Even without speed, all he has to do is get in the way of an incoming rusher, or lean on them as he's skating back to his zone, to erase them from the play," Lauren Kelly wrote in a scouting report for Elite Prospects. "He angles well with his stick, checking and poking at puck carriers or disrupting passing lanes."
It's very difficult to really see where Karmanov's ceiling is at this stage, as he's such a unique prospect. More than likely, he'll top-out as an AHL or ECHL level defenseman, but if he's able to somehow make it to the NHL, he could be a very effective stay-at-home defenseman, assuming his skating allows him to keep up with the opposition. Regardless, we'll see where he ends up, but it'll likely be quite a while before we even see him in the conversation for a role at any professional level.
