Michigan State University hockey’s 2024-25 season came to an earlier-than-expected end against a red-hot Cornell team rallying to extend the career of retiring head coach Mike Schafer. Now, the Spartans turn their focus to the season ahead.
With the new season comes the effect of the transfer portal. As the Spartans now face the losses of freshman forward Mikey DeAngelo and sophomore defenseman Austin Oravetz, MSU also deals with the loss of backup goaltender sophomore Luca Di Pasquo, a star for the team from December to January as he replaced sophomore starter Trey Augustine for some time.
Even with Augustine returning, the upcoming season is expected to be his last in East Lansing. The South Lyon native is likely to sign with the Detroit Red Wings, who drafted him in 2023, and continue his development at the professional level.
With Augustine’s eventual departure looming and Di Pasquo now gone, MSU’s future in goal is uncertain. Junior Dolan Gilbert remains as the third-string option, but the backup position and long-term starter role are now open questions.
The return of Trey Augustine
According to multiple sources, Augustine informed the Red Wings that he will return to Michigan State for one more season.
The winningest goaltender in IIHF World Junior Championship history, Augustine led Team USA to back-to-back gold medals. In his freshman season, he helped MSU return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2016 and, across two years, backstopped the Spartans to back-to-back Big Ten regular season and tournament titles — a first in program history.
Augustine was named Big Ten Goaltender of the Year as a sophomore and is a finalist for both the Mike Richter Award, given to the nation’s top college goaltender, and the AAU Sullivan Award, which honors the nation’s top amateur athlete.
The 20 year old has recorded six career shutouts — three in each of his first two seasons — and added four career points, with one assist in his freshman season and three in his sophomore year.
Augustine finished the 2024-25 season with a 2.08 goals-against average and a .924 save percentage.
