Trey Augustine wants to ‘finish the job’ at the NCAA level

The Free Press’s Helene St. James profiles Red Wings prospect and Michigan State University goaltender Trey Augustine this morning, discussing the “unfinished business” at the NCAA level which gave Augustine pause about turning pro this summer:

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.

…

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.”

Continued;

I’ve read a couple of people suggesting that Augustine didn’t turn pro this past spring because he doesn’t want to play for the Red Wings, and that’s ludicrous “summer talk.” He’s going to sign with Detroit, whether it’s next spring or two springs from now.