The Red Wings signed Trey Augustine to a three year entry level contract starting in 2026-27. He is also joining Detroit’s AHL affiliate, the Grand Rapid Griffins, for an amateur tryout in order to participate in the AHL playoffs. It will be fascinating to watch who gets a larger role in the playoffs between Augustine and Cossa, as Cossa has had a strong season in the AHL but Augustine has excelled at the NCAA level as well as internationally for team USA in the World Juniors for three years. Augustine is a Hobey Baker Award finalist as well as a Mike Richter Award finalist for top goaltender in the NCAA – two significant accomplishments that bode well for his NHL upside. As we saw with Cossa, the Red Wings will likely give Augustine at least one year in the AHL for seasoning however he may end up seeing meaningful starts in the NHL on a similar timeline as Cossa considering the success he has had over three strong years in the NCAA.

Augustine had another strong season in the NCAA, plus another run as the starting goalie for Team USA at the World Juniors, which won gold in the tournament for the 7th time. Augustine also made four starts as the starting goalie for Team USA at the 2024 World Hockey Championship, no small feat for a 19-year-old at the time. Although Cossa is pegged as the future starting in Detroit, Augustine is beginning to make a case for a 1A/1B workload, and if he continues developing along this trajectory, he might end up as the 1A.

Augustine remains in the upper echelon of prospect goaltenders after a successful transition to college hockey this year. He took on a full workload at Michigan State and carried them to the second round. While his numbers were not quite as sparkling as they were back in the NTDP, he has continued to develop the attributes that prompted Detroit to take him in the second round last year. His excellent mechanics and technical foundations enable him to have an incredible economy of movement in the crease, characterized by smooth, controlled, and composed movements. A year ago at the draft, areas of concern included rebound control and occasional delays in tracking pucks and cross-crease passes. He will have to continue working on these areas for the next couple of years in the NCAA before he follows Cossa up to the Griffins.

The Detroit Red Wings began the second day of the 2023 NHL draft by adding to their goalie pipeline by selecting local goaltender Trey Augustine with the 41st overall pick. The 6’1 netminder, is committed to play as a freshman at Michigan State and is also a product of USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program. The 18 year old posted a 2.21 goals-against average and .925 save percentage in 32 games this past season while posting a 24-1-2 record. In the World Junior Championships for Team USA, Augustine had a .891 save percentage and a 2.85 GAA in six games, winning four as the USA took home the gold. Augustine is technically sound and his net-front awareness is one of his best attributes. He will need to work on his tracking with the Spartans. He instantly slots in as the Wings number two goalie prospect behind Sebastian Cossa and should be considered as a late-round flier in the majority of dynasty leagues.

Augustine was selected 41st overall by the Red Wings.

An early frontrunner for my favorite goalie in this class, Augustine is almost everything a goalie coach hopes to achieve in their athletes. Augustine has been on fire to start the year, going 12-0-2 with a .930 save percentage through 14 games so far. As a reward, he was given a “B” rating by NHL Central Scouting in their preliminary list and was the only 2005-born goalie to be invited to Team USA’s U20 camp. Despite being “only” 6-1, Augustine’s mechanics and composure make him both a top goaltender in his league and a promising prospect.

Every time I watch Augustine, I’m immediately reminded of what makes him special. In a class of highly technical and composed goalies, Augustine is second to none in those aspects. His movements are fluid and his body remains compact, taking the most efficient routes to get to pucks. He tracks pucks well, transitioning between techniques with ease. Most notably to me, his glove positioning is excellent, consistently attacking outwards and catching/deflecting pucks out in front of his body. His upper body and feet are exceptionally quiet, with very little unnecessary movement. I appreciate his ability to make smart choices on standing versus RVH decisions, and I think that it serves him well, allowing him to aggressively gain depth or seal the ice where necessary. My criticisms of his game are not minor, however. Augustine has struggled with rebound control in my viewings, particularly on shots to his lower body. While he does have strong recovery abilities and leads well with his gloves to mitigate the danger of rebounds, unnecessary chances can be fatal at higher levels of hockey. Further, his anticipation and processing abilities have not stood out to me in my viewings. While his lateral quickness is solid once in motion, he seems to pick up passes a split second later than some of his peers, which once again could cause issues as he advances levels.

To summarize, Augustine is an incredibly technical goalie who thrives on control. He has performed at an exceptionally high level thus far, and should be one of the first goaltenders taken in the 2023 NHL draft.