Trey Augustine Makes History, Wins Mike Richter Award as Nation’s Top Goaltender

College hockey is down to its final two teams. Unfortunately, neither of them is Michigan State, whose season came to an abrupt end at the hands of Wisconsin—one of the two programs still standing. Even with the Spartans off the ice, however, their players continue to make noise.

As college hockey handed out its annual awards on Friday night, Trey Augustine was named the winner of the Mike Richter Award, given to the nation’s top goaltender. Augustine becomes the first Spartan to win the award since its inception in the 2013–14 season. Fittingly, the award’s first-ever recipient was Connor Hellebuyck—now a star for Team USA—and it has finally made its way to East Lansing.

The honor caps off a remarkable run for Augustine, who has consistently been one of the most dominant goaltenders in the country. Adding to a busy week, Augustine also made his first start for the Grand Rapids Griffins on Friday night after being called up by the Detroit Red Wings organization. Drafted in the second round (41st overall) of the 2023 NHL Draft, Augustine recently signed a three-year entry-level contract set to begin in the 2026–27 season.

In the meantime, he joined the Griffins on an amateur tryout agreement to finish out the current season. His debut didn’t go as planned, as he allowed four goals in a 4–1 loss, but the opportunity marks the next step in what is shaping up to be a promising professional career. At the collegiate level, there was little doubt Augustine was the frontrunner for the Mike Richter Award.