Detroit Red Wings prospect Trey Augustine is finding better value in playing another season in East Lansing with Michigan State hockey.
The future looks bright for Trey Augustine, who will hone his skills on a highly competitive team next season while delaying his career with the Detroit Red Wings until at least 2026.
Earlier this summer, the No. 41 overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft went through a second development camp with the Wings, which gave team personnel a chance to help instill the habits that, down the road, project to make Augustine a good pro. For now, he wants to be a championship player for Michigan State hockey, to which he is returning for his junior year.
"There’s still something to prove there and I want to go back and win a national championship," Augustine said. "But it was a lot of good things that happened throughout the year. I got better as a hockey player and as a person and am looking to do that again next year."
Augustine, 20, had an outstanding sophomore season: 19-7-4 with a 2.08 goals-against average and a .924 save percentage, earning first-team All-Big Ten and All-America honors and leading the Spartans to their second straight Big Ten regular-season and tournament titles. The Spartans were a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament but were upset in the opening round by Cornell.
Michigan State's odds of winning the championship next season got a big boost with Porter Martone – 2025's No. 6 overall pick who at 18 already is 6 feet 3 and 205 pounds – deciding to join the Spartans.
Martone is a top-rated prospect for the Philadelphia Flyers; Augustine is among the top prospects for the Wings. When general manager Steve Yzerman drafted Augustine, he said, "He’s a very competitive goalie. It kind of sounds silly, but he looks good in the net. He moves well, his positioning is good, he’s a competitive kid. We picked him in the second round, we think very highly of him."
Augustine may well be starting his pro career next spring (depending on when MSU finishes playing), saying "ideally" he turns pro then: "I still have to go out there and prove it. I’ll make that decision at the end of next season."
For Wings director of player development Dan Cleary, Augustine's decision this year was spot on: "Michigan State has a great program," Cleary said. "With Trey going back, it solidifies there team in net for sure. The Big Ten is a really good conference. And I think maybe he has some unfinished business with that club. We look forward to Trey becoming a pro."
The Wings have drafted two goaltenders in the second round or higher since Yzerman arrived in 2019: Augustine, and two years earlier at No. 15, Sebastian Cossa. Cossa, 22, has been in the minors the last three seasons. He was a respectable 21-15-6 with a 2.45 GAA and .991 with the Grand Rapids Griffins (and won the one game he played with the Wings) but Cossa matched the Griffins in the AHL playoffs: Not good enough, with an 0-2 record, a 4.51 GAA and .868 save percentage. He and Michal Postava project to handle the duties in Grand Rapids in 2025-26; the Wings have Cam Talbot and John Gibson on their roster.
And Augustine? He'll continue his development for another season what projects to be a highly competitive team and likely emerge even better for having made the right decision for himself.
"I didn’t feel there was a wrong answer – just kind of what worked best for me and my career," Augustine said. "I still want to get stronger on and off the ice and I think staying in college gives me a little better opportunity to develop my body and get ready for the professional game."
Mental toughness is crucial for goaltending, and Augustine learned from last season's thrilling but ultimately disappointing run.
"It’s more focused on after a negative –how do you respond? But the same thing happens after a positive – you make a big save, but if they have another good chance, you have to be focused right away again," he said. "So if something goes wrong or right, for me it doesn’t really matter – it’s the same approach. I have to be ready for the next shot and that’s an opportunity where I can have a positive impact on the game."
Contact Helene St. James at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: MSU's Trey Augustine makes right choice for himself, Detroit Red Wings
Category: General Sports
