Red Wings’ Trey Augustine enters third World Juniors as tournament’s top goaltender

Steven Ellis
Steven Ellis
Trey Augustine (Steven Ellis/The Nation Network)
Credit: Trey Augustine (Steven Ellis/The Nation Network)

Trey Augustine can’t possibly surpass Alan Perry’s USA record of 18 starts at the World Junior Championship. But he’s likely to surpass fellow Detroit Red Wings goaltender Jack Campbell for the second most games played in the nation’s history when he suits up for the main event in Ottawa over the next few weeks.

Augustine is set to control the starter’s crease for the third year in a row, something that rarely happens at a high-profile event like this. Augustine stole the net as a 17-year-old in 2023 and hasn’t looked back, and he now has a chance to win his third medal in as many years. Nothing will beat taking home gold in 2024, but he’s looking to replicate the success in his final year of eligibility.

So, how’s he feeling?

“I just feel old now,” said a smiling Augustine during Day 1 of USA’s camp in Plymouth, Michigan. “I kind of felt young at the start, like I was a little above my level, but now I just feel comfortable, feel like I’m one of the old guys on the team.”

Few NHL goalie prospects have been as dominant as Augustine the past few years. He went 29-1-2 with the USA Hockey National Team Development Program in 2022-23, often shining against NCAA talent. The Red Wings took him 41st overall in 2023, and then he embarked on a 23-9-2 record as a freshman at Michigan State University. That was the most games he has lost since the start of COVID-19 back in 2020.

Internationally, Augustine has won gold and bronze at the World Juniors, gold and silver at the U-18s and was the nation’s top goalie at the men’s senior IIHF World Championship last May – edging out NHLers Charlie Lindgren, Alex Lyon and Alex Nedeljkovic.

Nothing will beat his play during the 2024 World Juniors, though. He was dialed in all tournament long, posting a 4-0-0 record with a .936 save percentage – the best in the tournament. It was just the start of big things to come for him last season, with Augustine earning Big 10 tournament MVP titles after leading MSU to the league championship. Now back for a second year, Augustine is 11-2-1 with two shutouts and a .930 save percentage – putting him back near the top of every notable category in the country.

“I always say I’m a competitive, athletic goalie,” Augustine said. “I just kind of use my skating to kind of put myself in position to make saves. That pretty much describes my game.”

That résumé, merged together with his experience leading a team on the world stage, is something USA Hockey is happy to have at a high-profile event like the World Juniors.

“He’s a mature kid, a winner and leader amongst the group in a lot of ways,” coach David Carle said. “He just has another level of pedigree to him now and with winning a year ago, and to have him back, that stabilizing force in goal will be a huge asset for us.”

Augustine isn’t big, standing at just 6-foot-1. But he makes up for it in pure athleticism, play-reads and an outstanding glove hand. As teams crave goalies standing 6-foot-3 and taller – including the Red Wings, who have 6-foot-6 Sebastian Cossa tearing up the AHL – there never really have been concerns about Augustine’s mid-sized stature.

“There’s a reason he keeps winning,” one scout said. “He has good teammates, sure, and he’ll thank them before ever acknowledging his own play. But he’s such a battler out there – like getting scored on is a personal attack or something. He never gives up on plays and often comes out on the right side. His mental game is off the charts.”

The Americans will kick off the tournament with two winnable games against Germany and Latvia before facing off against Finland. The biggest test, though, will be against Canada on New Year’s Eve. Despite the intense rivalry the two nations have – and the vast experience playing internationally – Augustine doesn’t have a ton of experience facing off against Canada. He had a rough go during 2024 pre-tournament play, allowing three goals in half a game in an eventual 6-5 loss. He also lost 6-2 in his only defeat of the 2023 World Juniors. Augustine’s only victory against Canada was a 27-save victory at the 2022 U-18s. So beating Canada in Ottawa ahead of the playoff round could help cement himself as an American World Junior legend.

Regardless of what happens, Augustine is already one of the most accomplished young goaltenders USA Hockey as at their disposal. And it won’t be long until he’s challenging for a roster spot at a future Olympic tournament, either. Many think he’ll kick off his pro career in Grand Rapids next year – so snagging some extra hardware along the way wouldn’t hurt his confidence.

If the Americans are going to challenge for gold this year – and they definitely look like one of the favorites alongside Canada and Sweden – they’ll need Augustine to become the first two-time goalie champion in the nation’s history. That’s partly because the United States has never won consecutive years. But with Augustine playing as well as he has this year, betting against him seems like a mistake on your part.

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