Charlie Cashing In

OMAHA, Neb. – As Charlie Lurie heads home for Thanksgiving this week, the Minnetonka native is especially thankful for one thing on the ice: Opportunity.

At this time last season, Lurie found himself on the outside looking in, struggling to crack Omaha’s lineup and sitting in the stands as a healthy scratch. The left-shot forward appeared in just four games during his freshman season, three of which came in a two-week stretch. Lurie was scratched for Omaha’s first seven games this season too.

However, Omaha has been decimated by injuries and up until their past two series, the Mavericks had struggled mightily offensively – paving the way for more playing time.

It’s safe to say Lurie is both enjoying and making the most of it so far.

“At the end of the day, when you get an opportunity, you have to take advantage of it,” Lurie said Monday afternoon. “If you don’t do that, the coach has no reason to play you. So, when guys get hurt, it’s an opportunity for other people to step up and rise to the occasion.

“You’ve got to be prepared mentally and physically to do that and not fold under the pressure.”

Lurie made his season debut on Nov. 9 as Omaha fell to Western Michigan at home, 4-2. He earned an assist in the loss and also fired four shots at the Bronco net, which has been a staple of his game so far.

Lurie’s 15 shots are already tied for 10th on Omaha’s roster and his per-game average (3) is tied for third.

Lurie remained in the lineup the following weekend at Arizona State and scored his first NCAA goal during a second-period power play. He added another power-play marker this past Saturday as the Mavs skated to a dominant 8-1 win and a sweep of Miami.

Charlie Lurie is a 6-foot, 187-pound forward who initially committed to Omaha in November of 2019. “I think it came down to the staff and the facilities,” Lurie said. “I thought the staff put a lot of time into getting to know me when I was just 15 and 16 years old, and I thought they had a plan in place for me. They care about you here, they recruit great humans, and it’s a team-first mentality here.” (Photo courtesy of Carley Pappas / Omaha Athletics)

Especially with Omaha’s top two returning scorers – Tanner Ludtke and Zach Urdahl – out with injuries, contributions from players like Lurie have been a welcomed sight.

“The amount and run of injuries we’ve had is certainly unfortunate, but it’s been great to see guys like Charlie take advantage and perform how they have,” said Omaha coach Mike Gabinet. “He’s always done a tremendous job of showing up and continuing to put in the work, and when you do that good things usually happen.

“So, I give Charlie a lot of credit because he’s always wanted to be in the lineup, and obviously it wasn’t working out that way. But he always did the extra work and stayed ready. He’s done exactly that and he’s getting rewarded with some quality minutes.”

“He’s been awesome,” added Bloomington’s Tyler Rollwagen, who centered Lurie’s line this past weekend and also scored in Saturday’s win. “He comes to the rink every day with the same attitude and makes the most out of the opportunity he has earned. It’s been a lot of fun seeing his success as of late.”

Putting in the work
While it’d be cliche to say that success wasn’t earned overnight, it’s exactly the case with Lurie.

The left-shot forward learned at a young age that in order to be successful, you have to put in more time, work and effort than everyone else. So, earning his opportunity is nothing new.

“Everything I’ve ever had in my hockey career has been earned, and nothing’s been given to me,” Lurie said. “I was fortunate enough to go to Shattuck (St. Mary’s), but I wasn’t ever the best player and I was always trying to catch the guys that were better than me.

“Even going back to when I was a squirt in Minnetonka. My first year I made the B team, and the second year I was placed on the B team again while all my friends were on the A team. So I think that’s kind of what lit a spark in me and jump-started my career. Then the following year I made the Peewee AA team as a first-year player, and I never looked back from there. So, I think the important lesson for younger kids to know is that just because you’re not on a team now doesn’t mean you can’t make a team later, and at the end of the day you have to do the work.”

Lurie and the Mavs are coming off the above-mentioned sweep of Miami and have two series remaining in the first half – at St. Cloud State and home against Lindenwood.

No. 24 wants to be in the lineup for both and keep contributing, especially on the power play – which is where Lurie’s presence has been noticed the most.

Looking to help out on the power play
Omaha (5-7-0, 3-3-0) opened the season a dreadful 2-for-24 on the man advantage, and although its current 8-for-45 mark (17.8%) still doesn’t look exactly great on paper, the Mavs are generating many more chances and getting the puck to the net.

Omaha netted three power-play goals last Saturday and is 6-for-21 over its past five games, which coincides with Lurie’s addition to the unit.

Charlie Lurie played for four USHL teams – including the Omaha Lancers – over his two USHL seasons. He played 42 games for the Lancers during the 2022-23 season before returning to Omaha last fall. “We recruited him as a very young man out of Shattuck, and I just think he’s always had a knack for shooting the puck and finding the scoring areas,” Gabinet said. “I think that’s something he does really well and he puts himself in a position to get shots off, and he’s a very high-character kid too.” (Photo courtesy of the Omaha Lancers)

“When a guy has a certain talent or skillset, you want to maximize it. And one of those for Charlie is shooting the puck,” Gabinet said. “So it’s nice to have that threat out there, and he’s helped get our power play rolling.”

Now the next step is to build on it.

Lurie initially committed to Omaha nearly five years ago – Nov. 30, 2019 – and took a winding road to the school, as he spent time with four different USHL organizations after spending four seasons at Shattuck-St. Mary’s.

Lurie recorded 68 points (30-38-68) and 90 penalty minutes over 122 career USHL games, following a successful career at Shattuck – a place that Lurie is “beyond grateful for” and said “has made his career” to this day. Yet he wants to add another chapter in Omaha.

It’s been a good start, but the sophomore is far from satisfied.

“My goal for the rest of this season is to be in the lineup every night,” Lurie said. “The last three weeks have been nice. It’s nice to get in the lineup and earn some of that privilege that I have being on the power play, but I just want to keep going and not give my spot up.

“I want to be in the lineup every night and give my team the best chance to win.”