Gigantic Penn State Hockey Commit Just Hit The 7-foot-1 Mark

This past summer, Penn State's Gavin McKenna was one of the biggest recruits in hockey history, but that had nothing to do with his stature. The Nittany Lions have another one of the biggest recruits ever, and it has to do with stature.

And he just got even bigger.

Last year, it was announced that Alexander Karmonov (sometimes you'll see his name written as Carmonov), who at the time was playing for the 16U Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights, committed to play at Penn State in 2027. 

There's nothing too nuts about a 15 or 16-year-old committing to a college hockey program.

What is wild is for him to be 7-feet tall.

Well, like a lot of kids in their teenage years, Karmonov appears to have continued growing.

Yes, he's now reportedly listed at an unbelievable 7-foot-1.

For reference, the tallest player in NHL history is Zdeno Chara, who was billed at 6'9" tall.

So, imagine being a 16 or 17-year-old kid (which shouldn't be too hard; we were all there at some point), and lining up for a faceoff alongside a guy who is four inches taller than the tallest man to ever play at the highest level of the sport.

I'm trying to imagine this, and honestly, I'm having trouble. My 5-foot-10 frame (which is Nature's perfect height) and brain are having a hard time. But fellas taking on the Brantford Titans of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League — his current team, per Elite Prospects — are encountering this.

And what's wild is that Karmanov is way more agile than a human being of his size should be.

If you had trouble telling which one was Karmanov, he was the tall guy.

It's going to be fascinating to watch his career, because I think it's pretty safe to say that we've never seen a player that tall with that kind of skating ability.

And, in just a couple of years, we'll get to see him play in Happy Valley.