Augustine, Savage off to Hot Start with Michigan State

Red Wings Prospects Trey Augustine and Red Savage have helped lead MSU to a 5-1 start to their '23-24 campaign

Detroit Red Wings prospects Trey Augustine and Red Savage have helped lead the Michigan State Spartans to a 5-1 start and under second-year head coach Adam Nightingale.  On the strength of that form, MSU sits at number eight nationally in the current USCHO poll.

Augustine, whom Detroit selected 41st overall at the 2023 NHL Draft, arrived in East Lansing on the heels of a prodigious two-year run with the U.S. National Team Development Program in nearby Plymouth.

Just 18 years old, Augustine's job was to take the reins in net as Nightingale and company looked to build on the head coach's exemplary first year at the helm and return the Spartans to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2012.

Through five starts, he has looked up to that task and more.  He's earned four wins and a .912 save percentage, but that offers a slightly incomplete picture.  

Four of his five starts have been stellar, while Augustine had one trying outing when State traveled west to Colorado Springs and dropped a 6-5 decision to Air Force.  The freshman goaltender played just one period—conceding three goals on 16 shots.

Augustine clearly wasn't on the top of his game that night, but at the same time, only one of the three goals looked like one he'd want back, and, at a more macro level, NCAA hockey is a high variance endeavor.  

It is not altogether unusual to see a highly motivated Atlantic Hockey team, eager to prove a point against a Big Ten foe, race out to a fast start on home ice in the first match-up of a weekend.  Throw in the high altitude in Colorado Springs, and you have another mitigating factor.  One iffy performance is hardly cause for concern.

In his four other starts (all wins), Augustine has 122 saves on 132 shots against for a sterling .924 save percentage.  The early returns out of East Lansing suggest that the 18-year-old is more than ready for a heavy NCAA workload.

Meanwhile, Red Savage (whom Detroit selected in the fourth round in 2021) transferred into MSU this off-season after two seasons with the Miami Redhawks.  As with Augustine, the early signs suggest that Savage has taken no time to acclimate to his new home.

Through six games, Savage shares the team lead in points with nine (three goals and six assists).

Savage might not be as touted an NHL prospect as Augustine, but his intelligence and work rate make him a valuable player to any line-up he joins.  A year ago at the World Juniors, he proved that he can fit in well alongside elite teammates.  Now at State, everything seems to be coming together brilliantly for Savage, where he's combined his 200-foot dependability with a team-leading scoring touch.

For both Augustine and Savage, the season will get decidedly more difficult this weekend with a Thursday-Friday trip to Chestnut Hill, MA to take on Boston College in the first major test of the year.  BC is loaded with future NHL talent like Cutter Gauthier, Ryan Leonard, and Will Smith, and the Eagles are currently ranked number three in the nation.

It will be an excellent measuring stick for Augustine, Savage, and the rest of the Spartans.