Red Wings Prospects Picking up Awards, Setting Records

As he was picking up yet another honor, a legit question to ask regarding Trey Augustine is what’s next for the Detroit Red Wings prospect?

The Michigan State Spartans sophomore was named Big Ten Goalie of the Year on Tuesday. The Spartans are the No. 1 team in the NCAA. Meanwhile, Rudy Guimond’s Moncton Wildcats are the top team in the CHL. That means the best major junior team and best college team in North America both have Red Wings prospects as their No. 1 netminder.

Of course, in physical terms, what’s next for Augustine and the Spartans is the NCAA Tournament.

Selected 41st overall by the Red Wings in the 2023 NHL entry draft, Augustine is a Hobey Baker candidate and a Richter Award semifinalist. The netminder is a finalist for the prestigious AAU Sullivan Award, given to the top amateur athlete in the United States.

B1G Goaltender of the Year 🟢 ⚪ pic.twitter.com/3UDY0FDTsk

— Michigan State Hockey (@MSU_Hockey) March 18, 2025

He’s currently leading the Big Ten in wins (18, eighth NCAA), save percentage (.925, 11th NCAA) and goals against average (2.02, 12th NCAA). He’s also third in games played (28), minutes played (1695:28), and third in saves (723). Augustine hasn’t lost successive starts all season long. He was also named First Team All Big Ten.

Will Augustine Turn Pro?

In more esoteric terms, it would seem that what’s next for Augustine is to turn pro at season’s end. The two-time world junior champion really has little left to prove in the amateur ranks.

Detroit could set Augustine off on the same path followed by 2021 first-round pick Sebastian Cossa. They might opt to make him the No. 1 goalie with the ECHL Toledo Walleye next season in order to get his feet wet at the pro level. Of course, ultimately, it all depends upon whether Augustine, 20, is ready to forego his remaining college eligibility to chase the pro dream.

Red Wings Pick A Record Setter

The KHL regular season is winding down. There aren’t going to be playoffs for Vityaz, the club that is home to Red Wings draftee Dmitri Buchelnikov (52nd overall, 2022).

That’s the bad news. However, the good news is that in his first season with the Moscow Region club, Buchelnikov has established a new franchise single-season mark for assists. He dished out a pair of helpers Monday against Metallurg.

#LGRW prospect Dmitri Buchelnikov breaks Vityaz team record for most assists in a season (34).

Buch broke the team record that was shared by Justin Danforth, Kaspars Daugavins and Miro Aaltonen (32 assists each).

📸 HC Vityaz pic.twitter.com/GnaS1yDHES

— Hockey News Hub (@HockeyNewsHub) February 26, 2025

That gives Buchelnikov 38 assists on the season. The previous club mark was 32. Three players were previously sharing the mark, including current Columbus Blue Jackets forward Justin Danforth.

Red Wings fan will recall Danforth. He netted the controversial game winner against Detroit in the recent Stadium Series outdoor game. Driving to the net, he bulled his way past the Red Wings defense pair of Simon Edvinsson and Albert Johansson. Danforth’s stick caught Edvinsson in the face. However, officials were not calling a penalty on the play.

Buchelnikov has two more regular-season games remaining to potentially add to his record total.