Red Wings prospect goaltender Trey Augustine’s “turning pro” for his first full season with the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins this fall, and Augustine told MLive’s Ansar Khan that he’s very aware of the fact that he’s no longer a college student at Michigan State University…
“It has been my job for a while, but even more so now, it’s definitely a job,” Augustine said. “But I’m looking forward to the ups and downs that come with that.”
Augustine, 21, is preparing for his first full pro season with the Grand Rapids Griffins, after joining the AHL club in April. He made 26 saves in regulation and overtime and stopped all eight shootout attempts Saturday in a 4-3 victory over Dallas in the NHL Prospects Tournament. He’ll take part in his first pro training camp starting Thursday at Little Caesars Arena. Then he’ll join Michal Postava in Grand Rapids.
“It’s a new chapter in my life,” Augustine, selected 41st overall in 2023, said. “I’m just really excited to be a professional hockey player and really excited to be part of this organization.”
And Griffins coach Dan Watson explained to Khan that the differences between school-age structure and the structure (and lack thereof) surrounding professional hockey is a stark change for even the best-prepared athletes to deal with:
“There’s no classes for him now, so once we leave the rink, he’s got a full day ahead of him to figure out what to do with,” Watson said. “I think a lot of guys underestimate that side of it. Going back to your apartment, it’s a little bit different. Whether it’s a dorm or a house to hang out with the guys. You’re on your own a little bit at times, and that’s a big adjustment.
“The recovery side of it. We’ve got five three (games) in three (nights) throughout the season. Whether he plays a Friday-Sunday or gets a Saturday game, a lot of travel, and then we play. And then just the amount of ice time that we get between him and Roope (Griffins goalie coach Koistinen), there’s goalie sessions every practice day for 30 minutes before, there’s a ton of ice that he’s going to have to get used to but also have the ability to recover and learn from that.”
Continued; Watson states that he believes Augustine will have many mentors throughout the Griffins’ locker room:
“They’re playing now with guys who are married, who have kids, who depend on everyone in that locker room playing well and being a part of it and being dedicated and committed,” Watson said. “And I think in GR and in Detroit, you’ve got guys that’ll be able to explain that to the young guys that what you do off the ice, on the ice, away from the rink, it matters every single day. Trey’s going to be fine with that. He’s a smart guy, he’s very mature. He’ll get it real quick.”
