Charlie Stramel knows the haters are talking.

He grew up in the age of social media, and while he has done a pretty good job steering clear of some of the negative things being said about him online, it’s virtually impossible for him to avoid all of it.

“Everybody has their opinion,” he said. “It is what it is.”

Never mind that Stramel is still in the early stages of his career and doesn’t turn 20 years old until this fall. Some people are already labeling the him as a bust after the Wild selected him in the first round of the 2023 NHL draft.

Not that the outside noise matters much to him.

As far as Stramel is concerned, proving the Wild right is way more important than proving the haters wrong,

“It definitely helps put a chip on my shoulder,” he said. “I’m coming into this season with something to prove.”

Talking to reporters on Tuesday afternoon at TRIA Rink in St. Paul with development camp in full swing, the 6-foot-3, 225-pound center wasn’t hiding from the fact that his play last season left something to be desired.

He was supposed to be an impact player for Wisconsin, who used his massive frame to dominate whenever he hopped over the boards. Instead, he struggled to produce much of anything in a limited role, and ultimately transferred to Michigan State in search of a fresh start.

“I think adversity is going to come and go, for sure, in a guy’s career,” Stramel said. “Obviously we went through a little bit of that.”

After making his decision to transfer this spring, Stramel returned home to Minnesota this summer knowing he needed to improve every part of his game. He has spent time working out at Royalty Sports Performance near White Bear Lake, while also skating at Braemar Arena in Edina.

The most important thing for Stramel, however, is finding a way to play with a sense of physicality once again.

His combination of size and strength was a big reason the Wild took a chance on him on the first place as they forecasted him as somebody who could make a difference in front of the net. He admitted that he got away from that at Wisconsin, and he knows he needs to harness that at Michigan State.

“Just getting back to my identity,” he said. “I’ve got to stick to the player I am and the player I’m hopefully going to be at the next level.”

Asked about his confidence, Stramel said he has felt it steadily increase this summer as he has continued to put the work in. You can see glimpses of that with the way he’s carrying himself at development camp. Now the key for Stramel is continuing to trend in the right direction.

“I feel like I’m in a good spot right now,” he said. “Just got to keep working.”

Wisconsin’s Charlie Stramel (28) against Penn State during the second period of an NCAA hockey game on Friday, Oct 28, 2022, in Madison, Wis. (AP Photo/Andy Manis)

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