Charlie Stramel Can Fill A Void At Michigan State

Senior season. Top line. First round pick. Huge expectations. 

East Lansing’s lonely Spartan.

Charlie Stramel.

The former 21st overall selection in the 2022 draft enters a critical moment in his hockey career with the news that Isaac Howard, his Hobey Baker award-winning teammate, is leaving the NCAA to chase his Stanley Cup dream with the Edmonton Oilers. That leaves Stramel without his electric, goal-scoring winger.

Still, Stramel doesn’t need Howard to make plays like this:

Stramel has really hit his stride since transferring to Michigan State to play for Adam Nightengale, his former coach on the US National Development Team. After producing only 20 points total in 67 games as a freshman and sophomore at Wisconsin, he had 27 points in 37 games as his junior at MSU.

Stramel’s stock is back on the rise, and he’s been solid on the dot with a 52% win rate this past season.

He's also fantastic at using his body. Stramel uses almost all of his 6’3”, nearly 220 lb. frame well when it comes to creating space for himself and his teammates in and near the net. In all of these clips, Stramel uses his body and reach to control the zone below the dots and make plays for his teammates.

Howard may be gone, but Stramel will have talented teammates at MSU. Trey Augustine, their elite goaltender, will return for his junior season. He played a huge role in Michigan State’s success last year, stabilizing the team with his play in net.

There are rumors that Porter Martone, the recent sixth overall selection of the Philadelphia Flyers, could make his way to East Lansing. The scoring winger would be a force playing with Stramel in the top six for MSU. While Martone wouldn’t fully replace Howard, Martone is a highly skilled player that any center would want on their wing.

Stramel may never be a high-scoring player in the NHL. He projects as a bottom-six forward in the NHL at his ceiling, but with the tools he’s shown and the confidence he’s gained, this season should just be another step of success for Stramel on his NHL journey.

While the Stramel pick is still open for criticism, he’s doing all he can to prove that he’s on the right track to be a meaningful player for the Minnesota Wild organization.

All stats and data via HockeyDB, Elite Prospects, and CapWages unless otherwise noted.