Meet Trey Augustine, USA’s next top hockey goaltender
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Nothing seems to intimidate Trey Augustine.
College teams? Nope. The best shooters in his age group? Nah. How about facing off against the top young prospects in the world? Not a chance.
And that’s the type of hyper-focus you need as a goaltending prospect, something Augustine has. And that’s why he was given starting duties for USA’s World Junior Championship effort against Latvia on Monday, with the first U-20 game of his career coming on the opening day of the tournament.
It’s conventional wisdom for the States to go with older, more experienced college goaltenders. Given the uncertain nature of goaltending prospects – only five in Halifax and Moncton have ties to NHL clubs – it’s not uncommon for teams to run with an older, overlooked guy trying to force himself onto the radar of NHL clubs.
Augustine’s status as a first-year eligible is rare, so it was interesting when he was given the opening start. But, again, he’s confident, and he stood tall to give USA the victory against a Latvian team that didn’t make it easy. He also looked good against Finland in a pre-tournament game after shaking off early rust that saw him allow a floater of a goal early on.
Given the nature of the United States Development Program, with some of the nation’s top talent spending two years together before getting the chance to play at the WJC, Augustine was familiar with many of his new teammates. He ultimately overtook Tyler Muszelik, a Florida Panthers goalie prospect, as the starter at the U-18 World Championship in the spring, and again for one of the three goalie spots in Moncton. Much of this year’s core team – including Logan Cooley, Cutter Gauthier, Lane Hutson, Chaz Lucius and Jimmy Snuggerud – played on the USNTDP U-18 team last year, with Augustine playing a year up.
So while chemistry doesn’t really mean the same when talking about skaters and goaltenders together, it allowed Augustine to enter camp more comfortable, and the coaching staff liked what they saw enough to make him one of the three players headed to Eastern Canada.
Kaidan Mbereko was USA’s starting goalie during the summer and likely will be given a longer leash over the next week. But Augustine’s play this year, highlighted by a 12-0-2 record with the U-18 team, and his stats are the best the program has seen since Spencer Knight’s reign of terror. From a performance standpoint, it wouldn’t be a shock if Augustine stole the crease for good heading into the playoff round.
I chatted with Augustine midway through USA training camp before the team made its final goaltending decision. He was all smiles, despite, again, conventional wisdom suggesting he would be the odd man out. But he’s confident in his own game and lets the results do the talking. Augustine isn’t a big goalie by any means, but at 6-foot-1, he can hold his own. He says he watches Juuse Saros closely since he’s one of the more successful smaller goalies in recent NHL history.
And, in a way, there are some solid comparisons there.
“(Saros) is a reflexive goaltender, same with Augustine,” a scout said. “Augustine isn’t big so he has to rely on his movements, and they’re swift and focused. He doesn’t waste his movements and doesn’t push himself out of position all too often.”
Augustine said he isn’t worried about the NHL Draft right now – the usual company line toted by anyone under pressure. But unlike skaters, who have ample opportunity for ice time, young goaltenders have to force their way into starting positions. Not only did Augustine earn nine starts with the older U-18 team last year, but he’s been excellent against older competition in the NCAA, too.
“For me, I’m just trying to focus every day, getting better and just keep going. But (getting drafted) is a goal of mine,” Augustine said. “But I can’t focus on that too much right now. It’s all about winning gold.”
And focus he does.
“Just watch his eyes,” another scout said. “They never stop watching the puck. He anticipates plays so well and he rarely lets in a soft goal.”
The Michigan State commit is a B-rated goalie on the NHL’s Central Scouting’s initial watch list, making him one of the top projected goalies for the draft. Some scouts believe Augustine can go in the second round, others in the third. USA’s goaltending situation can always be tough to predict because they’re typically backstopping a dominant group in front, but Augustine has done a lot of the heavy lifting himself.
Augustine entered camp coming off the heels of an arduous 38-save effort against an offensive-heavy Chicago Steel squad earlier this month. He has a 3-0-2 record in games when he’s faced at least 30 shots between the USHL and World Junior Championship and hasn’t lost a game in regulation yet, either. That includes games against NCAA teams, where he has a perfect 5-0 record.
In January, he’ll head back to the program and spend the rest of the year with the USNTDP before going back to the U-18 World Championship in April. Right now, he’s focused on the current task: helping USA win gold for the second time in three years.
“Getting to represent your country, there’s no greater honor in that,” Augustine said. “I’m going to do whatever it takes to win a gold medal.”
Whether that’s in a supporting role or as the leading man, that’s not clear. But the coaching staff clearly believes in Augustine, and NHL scouts do, too. This is the start of a big career for the youngster, and at this point, he’ll be one of the first goalies taken in Nashville in June. The results are there and the skill is, too.
And now, all eyes are on him in Moncton.