Charlie Stramel signed a three-year, $3.225 million contract with the Minnesota Wild on Monday night, locking up the 21-year-old center before he could reach free agency on Aug. 15.
The deal does not begin this season. It starts in 2026-27, a structure that reflects the ankle injury Stramel suffered in the first period of Michigan State’s second-round NCAA Tournament loss to Wisconsin and keeps the first year from being burned while he is unlikely to return this spring.
Stramel, a Rosemount, Minnesota native and the Wild’s 2023 first-round pick, spent two seasons at Wisconsin before transferring to Michigan State and turning in the best season of his college career. He scored 19 goals and finished with 44 points in 37 games, while his 483 faceoffs won ranked second in the nation. He was also named a top-10 Hobey Baker finalist.
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The contract will pay him $1.025 million in 2026-27, including an $850,000 salary and a $102,500 signing bonus, then $1.075 million in 2027-28 with a $900,000 salary and a $107,500 signing bonus, and $1.125 million in 2028-29 with a $950,000 salary and a $112,500 signing bonus. When he is in the NHL, Stramel can earn up to $1 million in max A bonuses for forwards.
For Minnesota, the move ends months of uncertainty around a player some had once begun to write off. Stramel had been viewed by many as a bust during his time at Wisconsin, and he had also been in trade rumors before the March 6 deadline. Instead of letting that linger into the summer, the Wild moved now to secure a player they drafted in the first round and have watched steadily rebuild his stock.
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That turnaround was part of what made the finish at Michigan State so jarring. After the ankle injury, a postseason return became unrealistic, which made the delayed start in the contract the cleanest way to handle the situation. Ben Clymer, the Wild’s director of player development, said in January that Stramel looked like a player who could be in the NHL for a long time, praising his size, intelligence, skating and responsibility and saying he had a more complete game this year.
Stramel told The Athletic in January that he planned to sign with the Wild after the season and not test free agency, and the contract now closes the loop on that promise. He said the player development staff had been excellent, and Minnesota now has a young center under team control through 2028-29, with the question shifting from whether he would sign to how quickly he can become part of the lineup.
