The Minnesota Wild made their decision on Charlie Stramel this afternoon, assigning the 21-year-old to the Iowa Wild in the AHL with no corresponding move announced.
Stramel had spent a few extra days with the big club after making a push to break camp as a first-year pro, but the Wild chose not to keep him around as a 14th forward any longer. The hometown product has still never played in a professional regular-season game, so his debut should come sometime this weekend when Iowa opens its season against the Texas Stars.
A 2023 first-round pick at No. 21 overall, Stramel finished his college run at Michigan State with 44 points in 37 games last season, second on the Spartans behind Porter Martone of the Flyers. That year ended in rough fashion when Stramel broke his ankle in March against Wisconsin while blocking a shot.
He signed his entry-level contract in April, recovered in time to get into three of four preseason games for Minnesota, and even led the team’s forwards in ice time on September 23 with 20:59 in a lineup largely made up of AHL depth. Sitting out the preseason finale against Dallas made the picture pretty clear: he wasn’t quite ready for full-time NHL duty yet.
Minnesota also had a bigger roster issue to deal with today. Defenseman Brock Faber suffered a skull fracture in preseason play and will be out until further notice after successful surgery.
Even after the changes involving Faber and Stramel, the Wild still have seven defensemen on the roster, with David Spacek and Nico Sturm filling out the group for now. Minnesota opens the season Thursday in Nashville.
For Stramel, Iowa will be the next stop in a system that hasn’t been a strong one in recent years under general manager Bill Guerin’s push to chase contention. The AHL club has finished with a losing record in each of the last three seasons, including a 28th-place finish last year, and is trying to get back to the playoffs after former Ducks coach Greg Cronin lasted just one year behind the bench. Now Stramel will be learning under new head coach and former Wild defenseman Stu Bickel, alongside experienced NHL hands such as Tyler Pitlick and Dylan Gambrell.
In Other News...
Wild Lose Brock Faber And Now Face A Huge Blue-Line Question
Brock Fabers preseason injury has quickly turned into one of the Wilds biggest early-season concerns after the young defenseman suffered a skull fracture and had successful surgery. Minnesota placed him on injured reserve, and the team has not offered any kind of timetable for his return, choosing instead to let medical guidance set the pace while the club waits out a situation that clearly goes well beyond hockey.
Bill Guerin said Faber is doing well after the procedure, but the message from the organization has been consistent: health comes first. For a team that was counting on Faber to anchor the blue line, the uncertainty now creates a significant hole on defense and leaves the Wild with a major question as they move deeper into camp and toward the start of the season. [Read more 🡒]
David Spacek Just Landed A Chance The Wild May Need Later
David Spaceks place on the Wilds Opening Night roster is less about a long-term declaration than it is about timing, but it still says plenty about where the organization sees him. With Brock Faber sidelined by a fractured skull, Spacek gets a real NHL opportunity now after earning attention through strong play in the AHL and on the international stage.
Minnesota is also looking beyond this season, and that is where Spaceks name becomes even more relevant. Jared Spurgeon and Zach Bogosian are both moving closer to free agency and possible retirement, which leaves the Wild with future holes to address on defense, and Spacek looks like one of the clearer internal options to help fill them. [Read more 🡒]
Bill Guerin Changed What The Wild Will Accept From Themselves
Since taking over as general manager in August 2019, Bill Guerin has steadily tried to reshape what the Wild expect from themselves. The message has not just been about talent, but about standards, and some of his biggest moves made that plain. Buying out longtime pillars Zach Parise and Ryan Suter was a jarring reset, but it also signaled a willingness to move past the old comfort zone in favor of cap flexibility and a cleaner organizational identity.
Guerin has carried that approach into the rest of the roster, leaning toward players who fit the culture he wants and making trades with an eye on better lineup balance. For the Wild, the impact goes beyond individual transactions. It is about accountability, competitiveness and a front office that has made clear it will not accept the same habits that once defined the team. [Read more 🡒]