Charlie Stramel

Pre-college: Big raw USA Development team centre-wing who is already six foot three, 215 with an already developing muscular physique. Just started transitioning to the centre ice position during 2021-2022 season. Has impressive tools, but has only started putting up numbers, and the jury is still out on whether he will be a more successful centre than wing.  He has excellent processing skills and stick handling skills as a middle lane player whose body adds dimension to his forecheck and wall play. His game is basically physical and gritty to the point of domination. He’s extremely difficult to get the puck off in one-on-one battles and is always driving hard to the net. He still isn't a big body that  can explode into top gear from a standstill, but once he starts flying, there is power in his stride and he uses all his tools to set the pace and tone on the attack. He is a huge kid that can control play down middle. Dominates on the cycle.  Uses his size as a compliment to his competitive style that uses his 200 lb.s of muscle, his length and strength to drop mid range shots using his strong wrist shot. He will wins corner battles for pucks and makes power moves to the crease and has good net front presence. When this prototypical power forward suited is at the University of Wisconsin. we expected more of the same even though, after UConn's Matthew Wood, he is the second youngest player in college hockey, nothing seemed  click like it did on the USA Developmental squad where his familiarity to his teammates was second nature. It is an understatement to say that his college play this was underwhelming, where his play was inconsistent, full of bad penalties and frustration. It was a matter of him now playing against older stronger players that play the game inside their system and not necessarily the free wheeling style his USA team did. Since then, he has improved his play away from the puck and started forcing pucks back the Badgers way, and there is physically to his defensive play. The team that drafts him will have to be patient with a possible big payoff as he continues his maturation and development.

                                                               --Bill Płaczek--