Wild 2023 first-round pick Charlie Stramel ready for a fresh start

Finish development camp.

Get acclimated at Michigan State.

Start the season.

Those are the benchmarks on Charlie Stramel’s mind this week when he was back home in Minnesota for the Wild’s annual prospect meet-up, which wrapped on Thursday.

Sure, he’s chasing a much bigger ambition: to one day compete in the best league in the world.

But after two challenging seasons — the second one as a first-round draft choice — maybe concentrating on the short term will help Stramel achieve his long-range goal.

“Obviously, you dream about the future and playing in the NHL and all that,” Stramel said. “But focus on the present and hopefully you put enough work in, those times will come eventually.”

Year 1 as a Wild prospect wasn’t exactly a breeze for Stramel, especially the beginning.

His selection with the 21st overall pick last June was scrutinized: the center was coming off a statistically underwhelming freshman season at Wisconsin. Stramel’s performance as a sophomore didn’t quiet the naysayers.

Not only did his production actually decline — three goals and five assists in 34 games for the Badgers — he was also passed over for the World Junior Championship despite representing Team USA at the tournament the previous two years. The Rosemount native had played two years in the U.S. national team development program.

“You’re gonna get put in situations sometimes that you don’t wanna be in,” Stramel said. “But you gotta work your way out of it. I learned a lot from last year.”

Stramel was injured early, dealing with a hip flexor strain, and he ended up playing lower in the lineup. He felt he wasn’t at his best and strayed from his identity as a 200-foot power forward who is strong in front of the net and wins faceoffs.

“It hurt me,” the 6-3, 223-pound Stramel said. “I’ve got to stick to the player I am and the player I’m hopefully going to be at the next level. Just stick to the basics.”

A change of scenery could help with that.

After the season, Stramel transferred to Michigan State, a decision he described as a no-brainer. He’ll be reunited with Adam Nightingale, who coached Stramel at USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program before taking over as head coach of the Spartans in 2022 and leading them to regular season and Big Ten Tournament titles last season.

“A fresh start,” Stramel said. “A chip on the shoulder. I think that’s something to look forward to and use to my advantage.”

Conditioning and honing the first three steps in his stride have been offseason priorities for Stramel, who’s already felt his confidence grow this summer.

The Wild have noticed the work Stramel has put in, but now they want the 19-year-old to buy into his game and trust the style that will make him successful.

They think the move to Michigan State will be great for him, and they believe that he will “walk the walk,” director of player development Brad Bombardir said.

“He’s got so many assets that are there that you just love,” Bombardir continued. “There are plenty of moments in games where I sit there like, ‘Oh, there it is. That’s Charlie Stramel. This is what he’s going to be.’

“Typical with a lot of young guys, especially his age playing college hockey — it just takes time for them to make it consistent enough in their game.”

The future will answer whether Stramel accomplishes this and ultimately makes it to the NHL, but he’s trying to live in the present, with a motivation shaped by the past.

“I’m coming into this season with something to prove,” Stramel said.