Minnesota Wild Top Prospects 2026-27: Stramel Leads

The Minnesota Wild's top prospects list for 2026-27 dropped in NHL.com's 32 in 32 series on Aug. 14.

And the No. 1 name is the one every fan in the State of Hockey has circled: Charlie Stramel, projected to arrive in the NHL this season. A kid from Rosemount, minutes from the rink, with a legitimate case to make the opening-night roster.

Why Charlie Stramel could make the Wild

Start with the arc, because the arc is the story.

Two years at Wisconsin produced 20 points in 67 games. And people were quietly writing off the No. 21 pick from the 2023 draft. He transferred to Michigan State, put up 27 points in 37 games in 2024-25, then exploded as a senior: 19 goals, 25 assists, 44 points in 37 games, with seven game-winning goals, tied for most in the entire NCAA, and a plus-29 rating.

He led all Big Ten skaters with 483 faceoff wins, made the All-Big Ten First Team and was a Top Ten finalist for the Hobey Baker. The Wild locked him up April 6 with a three-year entry-level contract that starts in 2026-27.

The catch is real, though.

Stramel broke his ankle in late March. And he told NHL.com on June 29 he was back on the ice and expected to be 100 percent within a couple of weeks. That timeline matters. A 6-foot-3, 212-pound center who wins draws and scores late doesn't need power-play time to justify a roster spot. He just needs to show up healthy and win a job at even strength.

Who are the Wild's top five prospects?

The order: Stramel first, winger Adam Benak second, defenseman David Spacek third, center Riley Heidt fourth, winger Hunter Haight fifth.

Spacek is the sneaky one. The 23-year-old got two NHL games last season, 11:59 in a 6-2 loss to Winnipeg on Jan. 15 and 9:31 in a 4-3 loss to Montreal on Jan. 20. And he chipped in 36 points in 59 games for Iowa in the AHL. He also played five games for Czechia at the Milano Cortina Olympics. His favorite memory? "Defending McDavid and MacKinnon on one line," he said Feb. 27. He signed a one-year, two-way deal July 9 worth $850,000 at the NHL level. And his projected arrival is this season.

Haight already owns his first NHL goal, scored in the season finale, a 3-2 win over Anaheim on April 14, after debuting in a 5-0 win over St. Louis on Oct. 9. Add 18 goals in 54 AHL games and a this-season projection, and he's a recall waiting to happen. Heidt is the worry spot. He torched the WHL for 304 points in 194 games with Prince George, then managed 25 points in 71 games as an AHL rookie, 0.35 per game. NHL.com's projection for him: next season.

Is Adam Benak worth the wait?

A 5-foot-7, 164-pound Czech taken at No. 102 in 2025 doesn't sound like a future top-six piece. Then you look at the production.

He had 59 points in 56 USHL games with Youngstown in 2024-25, then 77 points in 48 games with Brantford of the OHL last season as a 19-year-old.

The skating, the sense and the playmaking all grade out.

The size is the entire question. He's off to Western Michigan this fall, and NHL.com doesn't project him until 2028-29. That's fine. If he hits, a fourth-rounder producing like a second-rounder is exactly the kind of margin a cap-tight team lives on.

What to watch from Wild prospects at camp

The hook was a local kid topping the rankings. The payoff would be him actually wearing No. 15 in a game that counts, a short drive from where he grew up. Watch one thing above everything else in preseason: how Stramel handles established NHL centermen on the draw. That's his ticket.

If Stramel, Spacek and Haight all push for spots at the same time, the Iowa shuttle becomes the most interesting storyline in the organization. So which rookie forces the Wild's hand first?