Trey Augustine is one of the top goalie prospects in this upcoming draft. He made his presence known after an impressive performance at the World Junior Championship in Halifax and Moncton. The Americans came into the tournament without a starting goaltender, and Augustine ran with the opportunity, cementing his spot as the top dog throughout that tournament.
As a 17-year-old, his calmness, poise and athletic build earned him a slow but steady rise in draft rankings following his WJC performance. Committed to Michigan State, he will keep polishing an already intriguing athletic toolkit.
Birthplace: South Lyon, Michigan
Date of birth: February 23, 2005
Catches: Left
Position: Goaltender
Height: 6’1”
Weight: 179 lbs.
Team: U.S. National Team Development Program
He is part of a small group of goaltending prospects with a high chance of being taken in this draft, along with the Czech Michael Hrabal, the Canadian Carson Bjarnason, and Slovak Adam Gajan. Some people might also remember Gajan from the same World Juniors, as he also shone brightly for team Slovakia.
Out of those four goalie prospects, Augustine is the smallest at 6’1”. Yet he presents some of best raw athletic prowess of the group. One of the key ingredients to his success is his reaction speed and glove. His coordination with his left hand and the speed at which he reacts to changes in his field of view is impressive.
Statistically speaking, he tracks as a potential NHLer, especially if he can keep pushing and adding to his current toolkit. A commitment to several seasons in the NCAA will give him the framework to build upon his strengths and work on limiting his weaknesses. For the 2023-24 season, Augustine will have a chance to earn the starting role with the club. Depending on how he progresses, his first season will be an indicator on just how far his talent can take him.
Augustine uses his excellent reflexes and lateral movement to cover his crease. His positioning is very sound and technical, and he is always in the right place at the right moment to make the save. He isn’t big so he has to rely on his movements, and they’re swift and focused. He doesn’t waste his movement and doesn’t push himself out of position too often. His ability to track the puck through traffic is excellent, and gives his team confidence that he’ll be ready to stop any shot.
Whenever opponents come through his side of the ice, he makes himself as big as he can in his crease and cuts off lot of angles, leaving the shooter not much to work with. His technical polish can be seen more readily through his calm and square-to-the-shooter approach. His eyes never stop watching the puck, and he anticipates plays so well that he rarely lets in a soft goal.
As can be seen above in the graphic, Augustine stacks up well against his peers. Tomas Suchanek is a good comparative for his first 2 years. If Augustine can keep progressing and avoid hitting a wall in his D+1 season, chances are he might have what it takes to reach the pro level. Interestingly, Augustine is heavily basing his own style off that of Juuse Saros, who is also a smaller goaltender who’s found success in the NHL.
If Augustine is to make the NHL at some point, he will need to work on his rebound control, making sure to keep them close and toward the boards rather than dead in front of him. What’s more, he’ll have to learn to be aggressive and use his puck tracking, lateral movement, and agility to give himself the best chance to make the net look small to top-level opposition.
Preliminary Rankings
Dobber Prospects: #36
Elite Prospects: #51
FCHockey: #94
Hockey Prospect: #58
Hadi Kalakeche: #39
McKeen’s: #57
Bob McKenzie (TSN): #57
NHL Central Scouting: #3 (North American goaltenders)
Corey Pronman (The Athletic): N/R in Top 34
Scott Wheeler (The Athletic): N/R in Top 64
With no sure-fire starting goaltenders in this year’s draft, Augustine will most likely have his name called in the second or third round. But getting drafted is only the beginning. He will need to keep working, overcoming his shortcomings and fine-tuning his strengths if he wants to have a shot of playing in the NHL full-time.
Matt Drake
