By Robert Brent -
Former Minnesota Wild first-round pick Charlie Stramel has spent this season flipping the script on his prospect status. Stramel plays for Michigan State and has quickly put together a solid start.
While Stramel is playing well, he hasn’t always had a straightforward path as a prospect. After two rough seasons at Wisconsin to start his college career, we’re constantly discussing whether the former first-rounder is a “bust.” However, Stramel is beginning to alleviate those concerns after transferring to MSU.
Stramel wasted no time showing promise with Michigan State, exhibiting what made him a high-end prospect during the team’s opening series.
Stramel doesn’t get the goal but makes a great defensive play that directly leads to the scoring chance. Stramel’s physicality, skating, and defense are hallmarks of what the Wild hope to develop. With Stramel returning to playing a hard-nosed style, he’s starting to fit the mold of a Jordan Greenway.
Charlie Stramel’s road to MSU
Wild fans following the team's prospect pipeline know of the adversity Charlie Stramel has faced. Stramel has an appealing toolbox of skills. He's 6-foot-3, 215 lbs., and plays a physical 200-foot game. Still, when The Wild took the power forward at 21st overall in the 2023 draft, it was seen as a reach. When the Wild drafted the Rosemount native, he had already played his freshman season at the University of Wisconsin. Stramel had a decent first college season, scoring five goals and 12 points in 33 games. His sophomore season only got worse.
Stramel suffered a hip flexor strain, which derailed his year. Wisconsin also made a change at head coach that didn't fit Stramel's style. He never recovered from a slow start and fell down the lineup. By the end of the season, he produced only three goals and eight points. USA Hockey left Stramel off the World Juniors roster, even though he represented the team in the two previous tournaments. Stramel believed he had gotten away from playing his game.
"I've gone through many challenges these first two years on the ice." Stramel said in an NHL.com Q&A, "Maybe not producing as much as I want to, playing the game I should be playing at times."
Stramel recognized an issue and realized that he needed a change of scenery. At the end of his sophomore season with Wisconsin, he entered the transfer portal and committed to Michigan State. Stramel chose Michigan State to reunite with his former head coach, Adam Nightingale. Nightingale coached at the US National Development Program, where Stramel had his most success as a prospect. The center confirmed the importance of Nightingale's presence when he spoke to the media at the Wild's development camp.
"I was always thinking, if I'm ever going to leave (Wisconsin), I'm going to go somewhere where I trust somebody," Stramel said, "and with Nightingale and Michigan State up-and-coming, it was a no-brainer to go there."
Stramel finds comfort in Green and White
The NCAA season just started, so it's difficult to draw conclusions. Still, early results have been exclusively positive for Stramel. Nightingale has put Stramel in Michigan State's talented top-six forward group instead of the reduced role he held last year. The Wild prospect earned acclaim as the Big Ten third star of the week after a two-goal performance against powerhouse Boston College.
Stramel has succeeded at Michigan State mainly because Nightingale put him in a position to succeed. The Spartans are a top-five team in the country, and experts projected that they will win the Big Ten before the season begins. He's receiving top-six minutes with some of the most talented players in the country. Stramel has played this season on a line with Tampa Bay Lightning prospect Isaac Howard, who was named to the preseason all-Big Ten first team.
Stramel's reunion with coach Nightingale and strong supporting cast is a recipe for success for the former first-round pick.
Stramel is going back to basics
Although Stramel's situation has dramatically improved at Michigan State, his play inspires confidence. Stramel is getting back to playing the style of game that made him a first-round pick. The power forward is at his best when playing with an edge, a sentiment he echoed at the beginning of the season.
"I'm pumped,” he said. “[I'm] playing with a chip on my shoulder this season and looking forward to it."
Playing with a chip on his shoulder has already paid dividends for the prospect. Let's take a deeper look at his previously mentioned first assist of the season.
Stramel makes a great effort to play to cause the transition turnover. His fellow Spartan Isaac Howard does a lot of the work with a great shot, but the play starts with Stramel showing some admirable defensive prowess.
Stramel exhibits solid skating for a player of his size, coming from center ice to force a turnover. The play is simple and effective, but the type of play he wasn't often making at Wisconsin.
Stramel's assist against Lake Superior was just the preamble to an even better performance in the next series. The Spartans took on Boston College in East Lansing for a two-game set, and Stramel made his presence felt in game two. He won 70% of his faceoffs and notched two goals, which showed an aspect of his game that should be his signature: a net-front presence.
Stramel's first goal was a blown defensive assignment by Boston College. MSU entered the zone on an odd-man rush, and Isaac Howard drew the defense's attention. Still, Stramel did a great job finding a soft area and putting in a sharp-angle shot without any Lake Superior defenders around him.
Stramel's second goal of the night was even more encouraging. The imposing forward initiated contact along the boards, forcing a quick decision by BC's defenders. The Spartans ultimately won possession of the puck and sent a shot from the blue line to the net. Stramel had already made it back to the front of the net and got the redirect for a game-tying goal.
That play happens because Stramel makes it difficult for Boston College to break out. The chaos caused by the prospect leads to a turnover in the offensive zone. After the turnover, Stramel shows great instincts by transitioning to the front of the net. It's a quickly developing play that he's involved in at every level. He makes life difficult for the goalie by using his large frame as a screen. This goal is a microcosm of everything you want to see out of Stramel this season. Physical, fast, and instinctual.
The season is young, but Stramel’s success is encouraging. If he continues to use his best traits as a player so well, the noise around his quality as a prospect should dwindle. In many ways, his game is reminiscent of Jordan Greenway’s. Time will tell if he’s a more or less successful version of the Greenway mold, but Stramel is on a better path now than he has been the previous two years. If Stramel continues to play like he has for Michigan State early in the season, the discussion surrounding him should heat up.
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