Trey Augustine might've impressed at Little Caesars Arena during the Duel in the D, but don't think he's in a rush to get there with the Red Wings

Trey Augustine did an un-Trey Augustine thing on Saturday.

Before facing Michigan in the Duel in the D, the Michigan State netminder and Red Wings second-round draft pick allowed himself to slip into the future. Instead of lasering in on the next game and the next save, he took a moment to look at the scenery in Little Caesars Arena, where he might one day play for his hometown team.

“I went out and sat on the bench for a couple minutes before the game and just kinda took it all in, looked around and stuff, looking at the banners,” Augustine said. “It’s a super cool arena and obviously it’s kind of that thought (that) goes through your mind. But then it’s just kinda getting back to the game at hand.”

Forgive him for being a little enamored, but that game — and really, this season — gives plenty of evidence that he’ll get his chances in the pros soon enough. Augustine’s performance for the Spartans showed what makes so many believe in him as an elite prospect. He stopped 36 out of 38 shots in a 3-2 win, including navigating net front traffic and stopping deftly placed shots from top-end NHL prospects. It won’t be long, if he continues his current progression, before he might one day skate out at Little Caesars Arena for the big club.

Just don’t rush him.

Even if he took it all in before Saturday’s game, Augustine isn’t the type to forecast. He’s steady, dependable and most importantly locked in one moment at a time. You can ask him about big saves, or if he feels the pressure, but he doesn’t. And even the questions don’t rattle him either besides a simple “No, not really.”

“When you’re asking the questions, those are great questions. You know, I don't think he worries about anything except for stopping the next shot,” Spartans coach Adam Nightingale said. “And if it goes in, there’s no body language — I think that's really important. Those are all things that really trickle down to your team. So he’s had a huge impact.”

An 18-6-2 record, .917 save percentage and 2.87 goals against don’t nearly do justice to the impact Augustine has had for the Spartans, who have reinvigorated their program under Nightingale the past two seasons. Really, it’s all about what Nightingale mentioned — the confidence Augustine brings. Augustine trusts his abilities, and that makes his teammates trust themselves, too. 

Saturday’s effort showed what that poise can lead to, because while there were a few would-be goals that Michigan bungled, Augustine came up with stops when his team needed them most. The Spartans weren’t defensively dominant in front of him, and yet he kept them in the driver’s seat for the vast majority of the game. His team — and even an “Aug-ust-ine” chanting crowd — believed in him. Augustine was so good that the Wolverines tried extracurriculars to distract him, as Rutger McGroarty shot the puck at him late after the second-period horn. But even that puck couldn't fool Augustine, and he saved it without a flinch.

Such poise has been the driving force for Augustine’s hockey journey so far, and it’s a big reason why the Red Wings believe in him. It’s also a trait that Nightingale has seen from Augustine since he was a 15-year-old trying to crack the NTDP. From the U-18 World Juniors to the Duel in the D, poise is a constant in Augustine's on-ice demeanor.

“That was the same thing he brought to us,” Nightingale said of the U-18 World Juniors. “We had a ton of confidence in him and his poise and his ability to bounce back and all those different things. And so, yeah, I mean, this is what we expected of Trey (at Michigan State).”

And when the game ended in front of a sellout crowd of 18,410 fans, his teammates all beelined off the bench to congratulate him. Whether traditional goalie love or not, for Augustine, it was genuine.

Success as a college freshman doesn’t mean Augustine will be some force of nature in the NHL, and he has some areas to work on. Rebound control is on that list, as it is for almost all 18-year-old goaltenders. His usually sound positioning also saw some gaffes Saturday that should’ve given Michigan a goal or two had the Wolverines not missed their shots. He also needs to develop his consistency against top-end opponents — he let up 10 goals across two games at No. 1 Boston College earlier in the year, and the Wolverines scored 12 in a series last month. More time in college hockey should help him round out those areas.

But as much as Augustine might need more time to develop, the season he has put together thus far is a promising sign for the Red Wings organization down the line.

Because even if he took a moment to marvel at what a Red Wings future might look like, Augustine is in no rush. He’s just worried about the next save.

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