USA Hockey’s national goaltending coach Dave Lassonde calls it “winning time.” His prized pupil, Trey Augustine, says they’re “game-defining moments.”
Augustine, an 18-year-old South Lyon native who will play goal for Michigan State’s hockey team in the fall, faced one of those moments in the final seconds of the third period in the gold-medal game between Team USA and Sweden at the 2023 world U18 championship last month in Basel, Switzerland.
With the game tied 2-2 and Sweden on the power play, Augustine stopped captain Otto Stenberg on a one-timer from the faceoff circle with 18 seconds remaining and then robbed Felix Unger Sorum from the slot with one second left. Ryan Leonard then scored in overtime to give the U.S. its first gold medal at the world U18s since 2017.
“Me and Coach Lassonde have been talking about winning time my whole career at NTDP (National Team Development Program based at USA Hockey Arena in Plymouth),” Augustine said. “You don’t know when those moments are going to come but when they do, you just have to be ready for it.
“In the moment, I knew Stenberg was winding up for a one-timer so I was just trying to get a push over and make myself as big as possible. On that last play, there was a scrum in front and I saw the puck pop up and go off to the side. I just kept myself compact and in position to make the save.”
It’s those kind of saves that have elevated Augustine in the history books of the NTDP and in the final draft rankings of NHL Central Scouting, which projects the 6-foot-1, 183-pound Augustine as one of the first goaltenders to be taken in the second or third round of the 2023 NHL Draft in Nashville on June 28-29.
This year, Augustine’s 2.13 goals against average ranked fourth overall in the program’s 27-year history (Thatcher Demko, 2.04; Drew Commesso, 2.05; Jack Campbell, 2.08), fourth in wins with 30 (Spencer Knight, 32; Demko, 32; Rick DiPietro, 31) and second in save percentage at .926 (Jeff Frazee, .932).
“In two years working with Trey, not once when we’ve gone over film has he ever pointed the finger at someone else,” said Lassonde, who played goal for Lou Lamoriello’s Providence College team from 1981-83 before spending 32 years coaching in the college hockey ranks at Dartmouth College, University of Denver, New University of Hampshire, Miami University and University of Wisconsin.
“There’s no excuses, no alibis. He holds himself accountable and honestly evaluates his play. When Sweden was ahead 2-0, he knew he couldn’t give up another goal. He’s able to do that because he does it every single day in practice. He has a routine and he sticks to the process and doesn’t let noise or adversity affect his approach. He has mental and emotional toughness, two critical skills to have success at that position.”
Augustine said his international hockey experience helped snap an 0-2 record playing as an underage 17-year-old goalie in the two previous world championships.
At the U18s in Landshut, Germany, the U.S. lost to the Swedes, 6-4, in the final despite a 51-15 edge in shots on goal. At the U20s in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada beat the U.S., 6-2, in the semifinal with Canadian goals by Regina Pats superstar Connor Bedard and University of Michigan’s Adam Fantilli, the consensus top two picks heading into Monday’s NHL Draft Lottery in Secaucus, New Jersey (8 p.m., ESPN).
“There’s nothing like playing in those tournaments,” Augustine said. “The experience can only help, knowing how tough it is to win and how long and hard the schedule is. This year, I was with my age level and I took a bigger leadership role.
“I just think you have to let your instincts take over in big moments like that. Go back to repetition, to those 7 a.m. skates when you really didn’t want to go out there and do it. Just power through it and it all kind of comes back to you.”
A.J. Walczak knows all about Augustine’s early-morning practices. The Novi native has been his goalie coach since Augustine was eight years old and remembers sitting in the Southfield Ice Arena with Trey and his mom Yvette and telling them there might be a hockey future for the young goalie. Among their highlights was being part of the Honeybaked U15 team, which won a national championship in 2020-21.
“Even as a little kid, he was lucky to skate with local pros (Scott Wedgewood of the Dallas Stars and Alex Nedeljkovic of the Detroit Red Wings),” said Walczak, who was a goalie coach for five years with the Saginaw Spirit in the Ontario Hockey League and is now with Armour Goaltending with Ottawa Senators goalie coach Zac Bierk.
“They kind of took him under their wing, reaffirming the important points on ice or with video. We would watch video of Wedgewood and when I would ask Scott, ‘What are you thinking?’ Trey would be listening. A lot of young kids don’t get that opportunity.
“What sets Trey apart from others is his skating ability. His skating is elite, the way he transitions in and out of his posts, getting across the crease. He focuses on all the little details and is very meticulous with his work ethic. He’s a student of the game.”
At 6-1, Augustine isn’t as big as most of the NHL’s playoff goalies: 6-5 Jake Oettinger (Dallas), 6-5 Akira Schmid (New Jersey), 6-4 Frederik Andersen (Carolina), 6-4 Stuart Skinner (Edmonton), 6-3 Ilya Samsonov (Toronto) and 6-3 Laurent Brossoit (Vegas).
Lassonde said it’s more important “how big do you play” and that “some goalies who are 6-4 play like they’re 5-10” because they “don’t keep their shoulders up, don’t keep their hands where they need to be and they play deep in their net.”
Augustine said goaltending is a “tough position” and doesn’t think height is the biggest factor in “stopping all of these talented shooters nowadays.”
“You see all the time in these playoffs goalies still getting beaten on top and they are 6-4 and 6-5,” Augustine said. “I classify myself as an athletic, competitive goalie. I try and do everything possible to take away space and stop the puck.”
Augustine, who was part of a Detroit Tigers/New York Mets’ pregame ceremony at Comerica Park last week along with his gold-medal winning teammates, is preparing for the NHL Combine in Buffalo from June 4-10. Growing up in South Lyon, he’s a Red Wings fan and says his parents and family wouldn’t mind if he was drafted by Detroit.
“It’s always been the Red Wings for me,” Augustine said. “I remember going to games at the Joe (Louis Arena). That place was historic and they had so many championship teams. LCA is an incredible arena. The goalies I watched there were Jimmy Howard and Petr Mrazek. I’m just looking forward to being drafted by any team.”
mfalkner@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @falkner