Strobel attended Rochester Mayo High School where he earned all-conference honors in 1973-74, 1974–75 and 1975–76 before moving on to the University of Minnesota.

[2] Strobel first played for Team USA at the 1979 Ice Hockey World Championships in Moscow.

He managed only half a season as a professional playing for their top minor league team, the Rochester Americans of the American Hockey League (AHL), before he broke his ankle during an AHL playoff game in the spring of 1980, and retired from hockey.

[6] Strobel met his future wife Kim when he returned to university after his playing career ended,[4] and they have two daughters, Leslie and Krista.

Strobel was not featured in Miracle on Ice, a 1981 TV movie, but appears in archival footage of the gold medal ceremony.