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There wasn't any doubt in Charlie Stramel's mind where he was going to continue his college hockey career.
Two seasons at Wisconsin hadn't turned out the way he wanted. Stramel endured a difficult first season adjusting to the Big Ten level of competition. Then after a coaching change, the struggles continued. He wasn't producing, his conditioning slipped and he was ultimately buried on the Badgers' depth chart as a sophomore.
Stramel decided he needed a change and entered the transfer portal after the 2023-24 season. And when he heard from Michigan State coach Adam Nightingale — who he had previously played for with the U.S. National Team Development Program — there was no hesitation. Stramel knew MSU was the right place for him.
"Coming to a place I trusted was the biggest reason why I came here," said Stramel, a junior forward out of Rosemount, Minnesota. "(Nightingale) was a big reason, but having (MSU strength coach) Will (Morlock) here, I knew I could have been in better shape, and he's helped me get there. (Isaac) Howard was pretty adamant about how much he liked it here, so that was a big influence for me as well."
The result has been the rebirth that Stramel and MSU hoped for.
Stramel has been a stalwart as the center on the Spartans' top line with Howard — the Big Ten's Player of the Year — and junior Daniel Russell. He's MSU's third-leading scorer with nine goals and 17 assists and at 6-foot-3, 210 pounds, provides a physical dimension that's critical to the line's effectiveness.
The line is a key reason MSU (26-6-4) repeated as Big Ten regular season and tournament champions and is a No. 1 seed as it begins play Thursday in the NCAA tournament's Toledo Regional. The Spartans will face 4-seed Cornell (18-10-6) at 5:30 p.m. (ESPN+) at the Huntington Center in Toledo, Ohio.
Along with taking better care of his body, Stramel's reunion with Howard, whom he played with at the U.S. program and with the U.S. World Junior team, has been instrumental to rediscovering his game. Howard's vision and playmaking have immensely helped Stramel get his knack for scoring goals back, assisting on eight of Stramel's nine goals,
And Stramel's returned the favor, assisting on nine of Howard's 26 goals, none bigger than his pass that set up Howard's double-overtime game winner in the Big Ten tournament championship game on Saturday.
"They've had some chemistry for sure," Nightingale said. "(Howard) is obviously having a great season and watching him grow has been special, but Charlie is a young player who just continues to get better. He's only 19, but he got in better shape and he's playing not just the way we need him to play but the way he wants to play. That line needs to continue to be consistent for us."
Stramel was a highly-touted prospect heading into the 2023 NHL draft. He had been a terrific player under Nightingale at the USNDTP, and with his size and skill, his upside seemed endless. He was selected in the first round of that draft by the Minnesota Wild at No. 21 overall.
It was a huge moment for Stramel to be drafted by the team in his home state. So after his early college struggles at Wisconsin, he was determined to prove to the Wild they hadn't made a mistake.
"Growing up in Minnesota, I was always a huge Wild fan, so to get selected by them was a big deal and something I'm very fortunate to have happen," Stramel said. "We have a great relationship and they've been happy with the switch and it's going well. They continue to help me out with my game and what they need to see from me in the future and help me grow as a player."
MSU captain Red Savage took a similar college path as Stramel. Savage played two seasons at Miami (Ohio) before transferring and joining the Spartans ahead of last season. Savage experienced a big uptick in his production in his first season at MSU and he thought the same could happen for Stramel, who he had played with in the U.S. program.
Savage is now MSU's captain, and while he's sidelined with a season-ending injury, he remains a leader and sounding board for teammates and, in particular, Stramel.
"He was going through a lot personally and it took a toll on his hockey game," Savage said. "He needed to get put back on the right track, and that's something (Nightingale) and I talked about before Stramel came here. He needed someone to lean on, and it's something I've tried to work on with him and you've seen it this year."
Stramel has become the workhorse the MSU coaches envisioned. He's a net-front presence on the top power play unit, is one of the first forwards over the bench during penalty kills, and leads the forward group with 22 blocked shots while being plus-15 for the season.
"He's been our No. 1 center all year, and he's earned that spot," Savage said. "It's been a lot of hard work on his behalf. He's shed a good amount of pounds, but he's still that big massive frame. He's shredded and he's trucking guys, and you can really see he's taken a lot more care into his game. He's going to end up being a really good hockey player because of his love for the game."
Contact Nathaniel Bott at [email protected] and follow him on X @Nathaniel_Bott
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: MSU hockey: Rejuvenated Charlie Stramel key to postseason hopes
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Two seasons at Wisconsin hadn't turned out the way he wanted. Stramel endured a difficult first season adjusting to the Big Ten level of competition. Then after a coaching change, the struggles continued. He wasn't producing, his conditioning slipped and he was ultimately buried on the Badgers' depth chart as a sophomore.
Stramel decided he needed a change and entered the transfer portal after the 2023-24 season. And when he heard from Michigan State coach Adam Nightingale — who he had previously played for with the U.S. National Team Development Program — there was no hesitation. Stramel knew MSU was the right place for him.
"Coming to a place I trusted was the biggest reason why I came here," said Stramel, a junior forward out of Rosemount, Minnesota. "(Nightingale) was a big reason, but having (MSU strength coach) Will (Morlock) here, I knew I could have been in better shape, and he's helped me get there. (Isaac) Howard was pretty adamant about how much he liked it here, so that was a big influence for me as well."
The result has been the rebirth that Stramel and MSU hoped for.
Stramel has been a stalwart as the center on the Spartans' top line with Howard — the Big Ten's Player of the Year — and junior Daniel Russell. He's MSU's third-leading scorer with nine goals and 17 assists and at 6-foot-3, 210 pounds, provides a physical dimension that's critical to the line's effectiveness.
The line is a key reason MSU (26-6-4) repeated as Big Ten regular season and tournament champions and is a No. 1 seed as it begins play Thursday in the NCAA tournament's Toledo Regional. The Spartans will face 4-seed Cornell (18-10-6) at 5:30 p.m. (ESPN+) at the Huntington Center in Toledo, Ohio.
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Along with taking better care of his body, Stramel's reunion with Howard, whom he played with at the U.S. program and with the U.S. World Junior team, has been instrumental to rediscovering his game. Howard's vision and playmaking have immensely helped Stramel get his knack for scoring goals back, assisting on eight of Stramel's nine goals,
And Stramel's returned the favor, assisting on nine of Howard's 26 goals, none bigger than his pass that set up Howard's double-overtime game winner in the Big Ten tournament championship game on Saturday.
"They've had some chemistry for sure," Nightingale said. "(Howard) is obviously having a great season and watching him grow has been special, but Charlie is a young player who just continues to get better. He's only 19, but he got in better shape and he's playing not just the way we need him to play but the way he wants to play. That line needs to continue to be consistent for us."
Stramel was a highly-touted prospect heading into the 2023 NHL draft. He had been a terrific player under Nightingale at the USNDTP, and with his size and skill, his upside seemed endless. He was selected in the first round of that draft by the Minnesota Wild at No. 21 overall.
It was a huge moment for Stramel to be drafted by the team in his home state. So after his early college struggles at Wisconsin, he was determined to prove to the Wild they hadn't made a mistake.
"Growing up in Minnesota, I was always a huge Wild fan, so to get selected by them was a big deal and something I'm very fortunate to have happen," Stramel said. "We have a great relationship and they've been happy with the switch and it's going well. They continue to help me out with my game and what they need to see from me in the future and help me grow as a player."
MSU captain Red Savage took a similar college path as Stramel. Savage played two seasons at Miami (Ohio) before transferring and joining the Spartans ahead of last season. Savage experienced a big uptick in his production in his first season at MSU and he thought the same could happen for Stramel, who he had played with in the U.S. program.
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Savage is now MSU's captain, and while he's sidelined with a season-ending injury, he remains a leader and sounding board for teammates and, in particular, Stramel.
"He was going through a lot personally and it took a toll on his hockey game," Savage said. "He needed to get put back on the right track, and that's something (Nightingale) and I talked about before Stramel came here. He needed someone to lean on, and it's something I've tried to work on with him and you've seen it this year."
Stramel has become the workhorse the MSU coaches envisioned. He's a net-front presence on the top power play unit, is one of the first forwards over the bench during penalty kills, and leads the forward group with 22 blocked shots while being plus-15 for the season.
"He's been our No. 1 center all year, and he's earned that spot," Savage said. "It's been a lot of hard work on his behalf. He's shed a good amount of pounds, but he's still that big massive frame. He's shredded and he's trucking guys, and you can really see he's taken a lot more care into his game. He's going to end up being a really good hockey player because of his love for the game."
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Contact Nathaniel Bott at [email protected] and follow him on X @Nathaniel_Bott
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: MSU hockey: Rejuvenated Charlie Stramel key to postseason hopes
Continue reading...
