Minnesota Wild first-round pick Charlie Stramel, selected 21st overall in last June’s NHL draft, entered the college transfer portal with plans to leave the University of Wisconsin after two years.
According to Athleticism Max Olson, Stramel indicated in his entry into the transfer portal that he does not wish to be contacted by schools, which is rare and usually done when a player already knows where he wants to go or knows where he is going. One school that could make sense for Stramel is Michigan State, which is coached by his former U.S. National Team Development Program coach Adam Nightingale.
Stramel, 19, scored three goals and eight points in 35 games during his sophomore season with Wisconsin after posting five goals and 12 points in 32 games as a freshman.
The Wild, looking to recruit and develop big centers, selected the strong-skating 6-foot-3 forward based on “need,” but after an early-season injury, Stramel returned and played primarily on the right wing of the fourth line. In the Badgers’ NCAA regional loss, Stramel played 14 shifts and barely saw the ice in the third period and overtime.
Stramel was also not part of the United States’ 2024 World Junior roster after competing in the 2023 tournament.
Dozens of college hockey players have entered the portal in recent days, including Stramel’s Badgers teammates Brady Cleveland (a 2023 second-round pick of the Detroit Red Wings), Sam Stange (a fourth-round pick of the Red Wings in 2020) and William Whitelaw (a second-round pick of the Columbus Red Wings in 2023). 3rd round 2023).
Although it appears Stramel knows where he’s going, a source close to him said last week that he won’t make a decision until he visits college campuses.
“Changing environments and changing teams comes with a whole other set of complications and risk factors that need to be considered,” a source close to Stramel said. “So it’s not as clear when things aren’t going well. What everyone agrees on is that it needs to continue to grow and see what it can become, and the question that will ultimately be answered is where is the best place? for that.
On KFAN two weeks ago, Wild assistant director of player development Matt Hendricks discussed how Stramel handled such a difficult season.
“Charlie is a very positive guy,” Hendricks said. “And he continues to build and develop his game. I think from the start of the season this year at Wisconsin to where he is now, he’s really started to find the identity that we all expect from him , that is to say a north-south hockey player. If you’ve watched Charlie closely, he’s a very good skater, especially in a straight line, which allows him to quickly get out of the defensive zone, whether at center or on the wing. He can attack the opposing defender very quickly during the forecheck. And we’d like to see that big body and speed play low in the offensive zone.
“It’s thanks to Charlie this year, he put in a lot of time, work, conversations (and) video. And ultimately, he’s working hard on the ice in practice and it’s starting to translate into games and he’s starting to find that identity that we’ve been trying to build and create throughout the season.
(Photo by Drew Bavaro and Charlie Stramel: John Mersits / USA Today)