Minnesota Wild first-round pick Charlie Stramel, selected at No. 21 in last June’s NHL Draft, has entered the college transfer portal with the intent of leaving the University of Wisconsin after two years.
Stramel, 19, scored three goals and eight points in 35 games during his sophomore season after having five goals and 12 points in 32 games as a freshman.
The Wild, looking to draft and develop big centers, chose the strong-skating, 6-foot-3 forward based on “need,” but after an early-season injury, Stramel returned and played mostly fourth-line right wing. In the Badgers’ NCAA regional loss, Stramel played 14 shifts and barely saw the ice in the third period and overtime.
Stramel also wasn’t part of the United States’ 2024 world juniors roster after taking part in the 2023 tournament.
Dozens of college hockey players have entered the portal in recent days, including Stramel’s Badgers teammates Brady Cleveland (a Detroit Red Wings 2023 second-round pick), Sam Strange (a Red Wings 2020 fourth-rounder) and William Whitelaw (a Columbus Blue Jackets 2023 third-rounder).
According to The Athletic’s Max Olson, Stramel indicated in his transfer portal entry that he does not want to be contacted by schools, which is rare but typically done when a player already knows where they want to go. A source close to Stramel did say Stramel is not expected to make a decision until he pays visits to college campuses.
“Switching environments and switching teams comes with a whole different set of complications and risk factors that have to be contemplated,” a source close to Stramel said. “So it’s not quite as clear cut when things haven’t gone well. What everybody is aligned on is that he needs to continue to develop and see what he can become, and the question that ultimately is going to be answered is where’s the best place for that.”
On KFAN two weeks ago, Wild assistant director of player development Matt Hendricks discussed how Stramel had handled such a tough season.
“Charlie’s a very positive guy,” Hendricks said. “And he continues to build and grow his game. I think from the start of the season this year at Wisconsin to where he is now, he’s really begun to find the identity that we all expect of him, and that is a north-south hockey player. If you’ve watched Charlie, he’s a very good skater, especially in straight lines, which means he can exit the defensive zone in a hurry, whether that’s at center or at wing. He can get on the opposition defenseman in a real big hurry on the forecheck. And we’d love to see that big body and that speed playing low in the offensive zone.
“Credit to Charlie this year, he’s put a lot of time in and work and conversations (and) video. And at the end of the day, he’s putting the work in on the ice at practices 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 of Drew Bavaro and Charlie Stramel: John Mersits / USA Today)
