MADISON, Wis. — Charlie Stramel took the puck in the neutral zone, picked up speed, split two defenders with a slick move and finished the play with a highlight-reel goal.

The play from the Michigan State senior and Minnesota Wild prospect on Thursday was the game-winner in a 4-3 victory over then-No. 2 Wisconsin — the school where Stramel spent his first two seasons before transferring.

After the goal, the 6-foot-3, 215-pound center jumped into the boards behind the net, slamming the glass with both hands. On the other side of the glass was a student section that had booed him when he was introduced as part of the starting lineup, as they had a year earlier.

“I was kind of expecting it,” Stramel said afterward, smiling. “It’s nice to come here and be the villain.”

If Stramel, 21, sounds like a kid with swagger, he is. The 2023 first-round pick (No. 21) is night and day different from the player he was a couple of years ago, when he was languishing in a limited role with the Badgers. His 13 goals and 29 points in 22 games this season are more than he had in 77 games over two seasons with Wisconsin (eight goals, 20 points). Stramel is a driver for one of the top teams in the country, playing on a line with 2025 No. 6 pick Porter Martone.

“More times than not, he’s been our best player,” coach Adam Nightingale said. “He does it on both sides of the puck. He’s grown, big-time. I give him credit. He really drives us.”

Why is this important? Stramel expects to sign with the Wild after his Spartans season is over, either reporting to the NHL club or AHL Iowa. And, after the Quinn Hughes blockbuster, he is also among the top trade chips Minnesota has ahead of the March 6 trade deadline.

“He’s going to be a good pro,” said former NHLer Ben Clymer, a college hockey analyst for Big Ten Network. “He’s going to be a mainstay in the NHL for a long time. You think of the size and the smarts. He skates well. He’s responsible. He has the ability to where he could, depending on how his offense is going, can spot in on the (second or third line). He has the 200-foot nature to his game. He feels more complete this year.”

It’s quite the turnaround. Two years ago, Stramel had lost his identity, and confidence, at Wisconsin. He wasn’t moving his feet. There was a coaching change between his freshman and sophomore year, with Tony Granato — who recruited Stramel — replaced by Mike Hastings. Stramel said he tried to do too much, picked up bad habits and was buried in the lineup.

The decision to transfer to Michigan State was a no-brainer for him, allowing him to reunite with Nightingale, his former U.S. National Team Development Program coach. Nightingale told Stramel to have a “chip on your shoulder.” And get his swagger back. “I should leave the rink saying you’re the best guy on the ice,” he told him.

And more often than not this season, Stramel has.

It wasn’t like a snap of the finger. It took work. When Stramel was at the U.S. NTDP, Nightingale noted that he was in great shape — able to play a power forward’s game. Stramel needed to get back to that. Thanks to time with director of athletic performance Will Morlock at Michigan State, Stramel said he’s now in the best shape of his life.

“I could get back to the player I was (at the program),” he said. “I need to use my size and play to my strengths. I feel like I’ve been able to do that every single night.

“Confidence is everything.”

A prime role is helping, too. Last season, Stramel scored nine goals and 27 points playing on a top line with Hobey Baker Award-winner Isaac Howard (26 goals, 52 points). This season, he’s with Martone, who’s at 14 goals and 27 points as a freshman.

One could argue that Stramel has been boosted by playing with those two top prospects. But as Nightingale put it, “It’s more of the opposite.”

“You look at how Ike won the Hobey last year, and you look at how Porter has transitioned to college — probably as good a freshman as there is in college hockey, right? Nightingale said. “The common denominator was Charlie and Daniel Russell.”

Martone said he’s leaned a lot on Stramel. Whatever adversity he’s gone through as a freshman, his senior linemate has been through it.

“The way he conducts himself around the rink, that’s someone who I want to be,” Martone said. “The way he takes care of his body, the way he plays, that powerful game. That’s what I’ve looked at doing this year, and it’s been really good for me.”

Martone also appreciates that even when Stramel doesn’t get points, he’s still valuable. He’s making plays on the forecheck or backcheck. He’s winning battles.

“He’s got tremendous skill, he’s got a great hockey mind and he can finish,” Martone said. “But if he’s not scoring, he’s always doing other things, so he’ll always be valuable in different ways. That’s something you need to have on a winning team.”

Rob Woodward, a former Michigan State player who is now the team’s radio color analyst, said some of Stramel’s best games came during the Great Lakes Invitational tournament over the holidays, when Martone was playing for Team Canada at World Juniors. Woodward has been struck by the attitude in Stramel’s game, the assertiveness. Whether he’s on the forecheck or in the faceoff circle, he doesn’t wait for the game to happen to him,

“It’s about his presence,” said Brad Bombardir, the Wild’s director of player development. “He really has a presence and impact on the games. Yes, he’s creating some offense and is able to do that. He’s been physically dominant.

“He’s the Alpha of that team. You wouldn’t be able to say that going back two years.”

Stramel said the Wild development staff has had a significant presence in his life as he’s made these strides, both at his games and chats over the phone. Bombardir has been a part of that, of course, as has Aaron Bogosian, the team’s human performance specialist. There’s a level of maturity and perspective they’ve seen in Stramel, who lost his father in 2021.

Stramel’s parents, David and Gretchen, used to take him to Wild games as a kid, as he grew up in Rosemount just south of the Twin Cities. His favorite player was Zach Parise. When Stramel attended a home Wild game several weeks ago, it hit him differently, being so close to his dream.

“They’re super fun to watch,” Stramel said. “And I’m looking forward to hopefully getting the opportunity to throw that jersey on.”

Nightingale feels Stramel is ready for the next step. Of course, they all hope a Frozen Four run comes before that. But you can tell from how the Spartans trust Stramel in all situations, from the power play to late-game defensive-zone draws, that Nightingale sees an NHLer in him.

“From who we’ve played, we’re here in January, I don’t think I’ve seen a more pro-ready player,” Nightingale said. “I’ve had multiple people say that to me, too. It’s because he’s doing it. Not that he’s perfect. He’s still got stuff to work on. But, I mean, I definitely think he’s ready. He can help a good team win.”

It’s a long way from where he was at with Wisconsin. In retrospect, the Badgers clearly just weren’t the right fit, though Nightingale said Stramel has never said a bad thing about any place he’s been.

“He did an unreal job of looking in the mirror — ‘I’ve got to be better,’” Nightingale said. “He’s like, ‘This is on me, I’ve got to get there.’”

Stramel’s performance against the Badgers had to be cathartic. The boos? He had heard them before, so they didn’t faze him. And there were no hard feelings on the other side. Ben Dexheimer, the Badgers’ senior captain, was Stramel’s roommate for his two years in Madison. He said it was “pretty emotional” when Stramel told the team he was transferring, but “it truly was the best thing for him.”

The fact that Stramel has taken off since?

“It was the least surprising thing ever,” Dexheimer said. “He had all the tools. It was just about when he found the time to use them, and he’s doing it right now.”

Dexheimer, who’s from Edina, Minn., feels Stramel has the frame and the brain to play in the NHL.

“I hope I can be there for his first one,” Dexheimer said. “Because he’s going to do amazing there. And the fans will love him.”