Charlie Stramel is barely into his pro hockey journey, and he’s already drawing a comparison that turns heads.
The Minnesota Wild opened preseason Saturday night against the Chicago Blackhawks and came away with a 4-3 overtime win, but the bigger takeaway for the team was the amount of ice time handed to young players trying to earn their way onto the roster. Stramel was one of the prospects in that mix, getting a chance to make his case as Minnesota looks at options down the middle.
The 21-year-old recently left college hockey to begin his professional career, and the path is there for him to push for a roster spot right away. The Wild aren’t exactly overflowing with center depth, which only adds to the intrigue around how quickly he might carve out a role.
That intrigue got a boost from teammate Nico Sturm, who didn’t hold back when describing what he sees in Stramel.
“Big, strong kid,” Sturm said of Stramel. “He’s got confidence.
He wants the puck on his stick. He’s got a heavy shot.
So, as he gets more comfortable, I think he’s going to be a really good player in this league, and I could see him playing a lot of different roles.
“I actually think, like, the way he skates and his shot and stuff, he’s got a little bit of like a Jack Eichel in him,” Sturm said. “He reminds me a little bit of him, so he’s going to be a really good player in this league.”
That’s a hefty comparison for a player who hasn’t even played a professional game yet, but it says plenty about the impression Stramel is making inside the locker room.
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