A Michigan State goaltender shatters records, clinching the Mike Richter Award and sparking a promising pro career. He's rewriting college hockey history.
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. He finished the season with a 24-9-1 record, including an impressive 10-2 mark against teams ranked in the top five.
Before earning national recognition, Augustine had already secured Big Ten Goaltender of the Year honors for the second consecutive season, becoming just one of two Spartans to ever win the award in back-to-back years. He was also a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award, given to the top player in college hockey, which ultimately went to fellow Red Wings draft pick Max Plante of Minnesota Duluth.
Like Hellebuyck before him, Augustine could soon play a major role on the international stage for Team USA.
On December 16, 2023, he was named to Team USA’s roster for the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship. During the tournament, he won all four of his starts and posted a tournament-best 1.75 goals-against average along with a .936 save percentage. In the gold medal game against Sweden, Augustine stopped 24 shots in a 6–2 victory, helping secure the gold medal.
His international résumé continued to grow in 2024. On May 5, he was named to the United States men’s national team for the IIHF World Championship. He made his senior team debut in relief against Germany on May 11, allowing one goal on 12 shots. In doing so, he became the 19th teenage goaltender to compete in the tournament’s history. Over three appearances, he recorded a 1.37 goals-against average and a .929 save percentage.
Later that year, on December 21, 2024, Augustine was again named to Team USA’s roster for the 2025 World Junior Championship. With a semifinal win over Czechia, he became the winningest goaltender in Team USA history at the tournament, recording his 11th career win and surpassing the previous record held by Jack Campbell. He finished the tournament with a 4-1 record and helped lead Team USA to back-to-back gold medals for the first time in program history.
Back at Michigan State, Augustine delivered one of the best seasons of his career. As a junior, he posted a career-best .929 save percentage, ranking sixth in the nation.
More importantly, he helped lead the Spartans to their third consecutive Big Ten regular-season title, serving as the backbone of the team from between the pipes.
When it was all said and done, Augustine’s career in East Lansing was nothing short of special. He finished with 99 games played, six shutouts, and 66 wins, along with two Big Ten Goaltender of the Year awards, three Big Ten regular-season championships, and now a Mike Richter Award to top it all off—plus, as you put it, a partridge in a pear tree.
Because he was on the ice at the time of the ceremony, Augustine accepted the award via a pre-recorded video message. In it, he thanked the people who helped him along the way, acknowledged the other finalists, and expressed his appreciation for the fans—specifically mentioning how special it was to hear Munn Ice Arena come alive.
With this achievement, Augustine has officially etched his name into college hockey lore as the 12th recipient of the Mike Richter Award.