F Charlie Stramel - Michigan State University, NCAA (2023, 21st, MIN)

[Pavel Buchnevich]

 

[Lavar Ball]

Wheeler had him way down at 32 in his first ranking

 

[Marc the Habs Fan]

Not really a shock. He has 2 points in 8 games as an 18 year old in the NCAA. If he had been born 1 month earlier, whichever fanbase of the team that had drafted him high in the 2022 draft would be freaking the heck out right now.

 

[BKarchitect]

UW sucks this year. A drafted NHL upperclassman in Ty Smilanic has like 1 point. Their PP has like 3 goals all year and just by blind luck is going to be more fruitful with a bigger sample size. He's centering the second line with Bantle and Gorniak - not exactly like playing on the Wolverines or Gophers.

Fully agree that Stramel's stock is taking a hit but he's still one of only 3 (I think) first year draft eligibles playing NCAA hockey this year (with Wood and Brindley). I'd definitely wait for a much, much larger sample size and the WJC's before dropping him as far as Wheeler did.

Lol…forgot Fantilli among the draft eligibles but he’s like on his own planet at the moment!

 

[seadawg]

UW sucks this year. A drafted NHL upperclassman in Ty Smilanic has like 1 point. Their PP has like 3 goals all year and just by blind luck is going to be more fruitful with a bigger sample size. He's centering the second line with Bantle and Gorniak - not exactly like playing on the Wolverines or Gophers.

Fully agree that Stramel's stock is taking a hit but he's still one of only 3 (I think) first year draft eligibles playing NCAA hockey this year (with Wood and Brindley). I'd definitely wait for a much, much larger sample size and the WJC's before dropping him as far as Wheeler did.

More often that not, I open a thread on HFBoards about a prospect or topic I'm interested in, and have to read through a bunch of useless information posted by uneducated or biased individuals.

However, every once in a while I come across a nugget of gold (like this one) posted by someone who actually has something meaningful and insightful to post. It's refreshing and very much appreciated to read something apart from the pointless rhetoric and bickering that's rampant around here.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

I saw that also.

Wheeler doesn’t like Stramel. This is well documented. He didn’t like Gauthier either. Interesting that he likes Fantilli so much, who is similar to those players. I guess a lot of secondary assists on the most talented team in college hockey will do that for you.

I’ve mentioned before that the season comparable to look to is Dylan Holloway. They play a similar style and are late birthdays that played their draft season at Wisconsin.

Holloway had 3 points in his first 8 games, and 17 points in 35 games. He was 8th on the team in points and he got drafted 14th. That team was bad, but they were a high scoring team. Their goaltending sucked. This Wisconsin team can’t score.

Stramel will be fine. It’s laughable where Wheeler has him.

I also previously debunked Wheeler’s constant claim that Stramel is the third wheel on his line.

Quoted below. I’m sure Wheeler reads this website. Not looking to antagonize him. If I’m wrong, explain why because I explained why that take is wrong.

I'm not sure what the big knock on Stramel is. Wheeler suggests he was often the third wheel on his line. I think that misunderstands how Stramel plays the game, what he was asked to do on his team this season, and I think Wheeler probably didn't do his homework well enough on this. I'm not going to claim Wheeler is a hack who doesn't watch hockey, but on this I think he didn't do his work. Stramel played a bunch of games with the 17's early on when he came back because he needed extra games and he was certainly not the third wheel in those games. One might say he's older than his teammates on that team, but all but one of them are in the same draft as him and the competition was still almost entirely older competition than him.

With the 18's, he was playing on a line with guys like McGroarty, Lucius, Nazar, Howard, Leonard, Smith, Brindley. Except for McGroarty, all those guys are smaller or average sized forwards that require a lot of puck touches. McGroarty also probably is more of a puck-dominant player than Stramel. Stramel on the 18's had the role of transitioning the puck, digging the puck out of the corners, winning battles/races, and going to the net. That was his role. He can play differently, as he did playing with the 17's, but when you are the biggest, strongest, fastest, and most physical player on a small team with a lot of fancy danglers who require the puck, your job might make it seem like you are the third wheel on the line. Wheeler notoriously seems to like players who require a lot of puck touches and excel in more fancy parts of the game as opposed to the players who play the game simpler and in straighter lines. If he did all his work properly, he would've went back and watched the difference between Stramel on both teams.

 

[ConnorMcMullet]

Wheeler doesn’t like Stramel. This is well documented. He didn’t like Gauthier either. Interesting that he likes Fantilli so much, who is similar to those players. I guess a lot of secondary assists on the most talented team in college hockey will do that for you.

I’ve mentioned before that the season comparable to look to is Dylan Holloway. They play a similar style and are late birthdays that played their draft season at Wisconsin.

Holloway had 3 points in his first 8 games, and 17 points in 35 games. He was 8th on the team in points and he got drafted 14th. That team was bad, but they were a high scoring team. Their goaltending sucked. This Wisconsin team can’t score.

Stramel will be fine. It’s laughable where Wheeler has him.

I also previously debunked Wheeler’s constant claim that Stramel is the third wheel on his line.

Quoted below. I’m sure Wheeler reads this website. Not looking to antagonize him. If I’m wrong, explain why because I explained why that take is wrong.

I haven’t watched Stramel play this year, but I was going to make the Holloway comparison too based on his playing style, statistical profile, and late birthday.

 

[ponder]

Another good example of “don’t freak out if a freshman doesn’t immediately dominate in the NCAA” is Boldy. Boldy had just 2 points (1G 1A) in his first 14 NCAA games, and that was in his D+1 season, not draft year like Stramel.

Boldy is already a PPG NHLer at 21, a little struggle adjusting to the NCAA is nothing to get too worried about.

 

[William H Bonney]

Another good example of “don’t freak out if a freshman doesn’t immediately dominate in the NCAA” is Boldy. Boldy had just 2 points (1G 1A) in his first 14 NCAA games, and that was in his D+1 season, not draft year like Stramel.

Boldy is already a PPG NHLer at 21, a little struggle adjusting to the NCAA is nothing to get too worried about.

But it wouldn't be HF or hockey scouting if folks didn't overreact to small sample sizes and box scores!

 

[WeThreeKings]

Another good example of “don’t freak out if a freshman doesn’t immediately dominate in the NCAA” is Boldy. Boldy had just 2 points (1G 1A) in his first 14 NCAA games, and that was in his D+1 season, not draft year like Stramel.

Boldy is already a PPG NHLer at 21, a little struggle adjusting to the NCAA is nothing to get too worried about.

Boldy was far more impressive, though. You could make the easy case for bad puck luck considering his smarts and offensive tool kit.

Stramel just underwhelms and gets the size bump.

 

[Marc the Habs Fan]

My memory is that Boldy was also being tried at center during his slow start.

 

[shotvalley]

But it wouldn't be HF or hockey scouting if folks didn't overreact to small sample sizes and box scores!

Boldy was far more impressive, though. You could make the easy case for bad puck luck considering his smarts and offensive tool kit.

Stramel just underwhelms and gets the size bump.

True. Boldy was snake bitten first half of his freshman year at NCAA.

Not gonna comment about Stramel because i haven't seen him but Boldy had superior puck skills in his draft year.

My memory is that Boldy was also being tried at center during his slow start.

True, Wild probably asked for it as Boldy was center when younger and went winger because Hughes and Zegras took the center spots. Boldy was too skilled to play as a 3rd liner.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

Stramel just underwhelms and gets the size bump.

Have you watched one Wisconsin game this season?

 

[Frk It]

Thought he was overrated to start the season and said as much. Initial impression was I didn't see a top 10 talent. Even saying that, I would gladly take him somewhere around the 11-20 range and then give him some time to try to put everything together.

 

[Boss Man Hughes]

My memory is that Boldy was also being tried at center during his slow start.

Exactly. The part of the season he struggled was when they tried to make him into a centre. When they moved him onto the wing on Newhook's line they both took off.

 

[WeThreeKings]

Have you watched one Wisconsin game this season?

Yes, they have Smilanic and Gorniak (not that I care much) as Habs prospects. Montreal, a poster on our board often includes Stramel shifts in the prospect videos he does as well.

I've yet to truly be impressed by Stramel and continuously wonder how he remains ranked so high. I much preferred Holloway.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

Yes, they have Smilanic and Gorniak (not that I care much) as Habs prospects. Montreal, a poster on our board often includes Stramel shifts in the prospect videos he does as well.

I've yet to truly be impressed by Stramel and continuously wonder how he remains ranked so high. I much preferred Holloway.

I’m pretty sure he’s the second youngest player in the NCAA this season. If he was two months younger, he’d be dominating juniors and no one would be saying these things.

Players go through adjustments at new levels and it’s been 8 games. Not everyone starts their time on a powerhouse where it’s impossible not to score a lot of points. Wisconsin isn’t very good and it’s hard for all their players to score right now.

 

[WeThreeKings]

I’m pretty sure he’s the second youngest player in the NCAA this season. If he was two months younger, he’d be dominating juniors and no one would be saying these things.

Players go through adjustments at new levels and it’s been 8 games. Not everyone starts their time on a powerhouse where it’s impossible not to score a lot of points. Wisconsin isn’t very good and it’s hard for all their players to score right now.

He could come around.. I didn't even like him last year though. I haven't seen really anything that stands out about his skill set. He's decent offensively and it's in a nice physical package but that doesn't really lend itself to being a top 20 pick in a draft like this.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

He could come around.. I didn't even like him last year though. I haven't seen really anything that stands out about his skill set. He's decent offensively and it's in a nice physical package but that doesn't really lend itself to being a top 20 pick in a draft like this.

You can’t discount being 6’3 215 with good skating and physicality as something that isn’t a big asset for a player. You need a lot less skill and sense at that size.

It’s the same way for someone like Fantilli. Was the same for Gauthier last draft. The higher the level of hockey, the more that these types of things matter.

 

[Lavar Ball]

Charlie Stramel embraces the challenge of being a true freshman at Wisconsin

EP Rinkside columnist Russ Cohen shares an exclusive interview with Charlie Stramel detailing the ins and outs of his game, his decision to play at Wisconsin, and the road ahead.

eprinkside.com

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

Wisconsin is so bad. They are 2-8 and have only scored 2 goals in their last 4 games.

It’s going to be a tough season for Stramel and everyone else on that team.

This is the NCAA team I always shutter when good prospects go to play there. I think Granato is completely overrated.

 

[Bonin21]

Should have gone to the Gophers.

 

[WhiskeyYerTheDevils]

You can’t discount being 6’3 215 with good skating and physicality as something that isn’t a big asset for a player. You need a lot less skill and sense at that size.

It’s the same way for someone like Fantilli. Was the same for Gauthier last draft. The higher the level of hockey, the more that these types of things matter.

This is the kind of thinking that gets Lawson Crouse and Pavel Zacha drafted in the top half of the 1st round of deepest draft in a decade.

 

[William H Bonney]

I like Stramel but he's not playing at the level he was at for the U17 team. Yes, he missed a lot of the U18 season but he was underwhelming at the IIHF U18s and while it's impressive that he made the WJC team, he wasn't a factor. He's looked fine in the Wisconsin games I've caught so far, but not at the level you saw as a U17 when he looked like a top 10 guy. He's one of the youngest guys in the NCAA, and Wisconsin is trash, but he needs to do more to regain some the earlier promise. He's looked more like a 20-30 range pick to me.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]