Wild take Minnesota native Charlie Stramel with 21st pick in NHL Draft
Minnesota native Charlie Stramel is the newest member of the Minnesota Wild after being selected 21st overall in the first round of the NHL Draft Wednesday night.
"This is a big guy. This is a guy that was rated inside the top 10 coming into this season, but he plummeted because the points weren't there at Wisconsin," ESPN analyst Brian Boucher said.
Stramel, who attended Rosemount High School in the southeast Twin Cities metro, was drafted two picks after Mounds View, Minnesota native Oliver Moore, who was taken by the Chicago Blackhawks.
Stramel was among The Athletic draft analyst Corey Pronman's favorite prospects in this year's draft class. Pronman acknowledged Stramel's struggles as a true freshman at the University of Wisconsin, but touted how dominant Stramel was against competition of comparable ages in the USHL.
"When I watched Stramel’s USHL games I saw an impactful power forward. I saw a big, fast center who routinely crushed and ran over opponents and provided secondary offense," Pronman wrote.
"I get downgrading him for his tough draft season. His offense is concerning, and that power-forward element wasn’t always consistent in college. I see him being rated outside the first round routinely and hear the same from plenty of scouts and I just don’t agree with that. He’s a good player and I think he will rebound."
