Red Wings 2025-26 Mid-Season Prospect Overview: Goalies

When Steve Yzerman took over as general manager of the Detroit Red Wings in the spring of 2019, the organization’s future in the crease was murky at best. Longtime starter Jimmy Howard was still around, but was fading from prominence. Their best prospects were Keith Petruzzelli and Filip Larsson, and if you don’t recognize those names, that’s pretty much the point I’m making.

Needless to say, Yzerman and his amateur scouting department had a lot of work to do to rebuild the team’s outlook in goal.

Since then, the Red Wings have added a lot of talent to their goaltending pipeline, headlined by Sebastian Cossa, the 15th pick of the 2021 draft. While he remains the most prominent name in this collection of talent, there are a few others whose national profiles are increasing, including one prospect who rivals Cossa as the best of the bunch.

Much work has been done to acquire good, young goaltending talent, and now it is starting to seem like the Red Wings have a (good) problem on their hands.

QMJHL

Rudy Guimond announced himself last season when he won 24 out of 25 games with the Moncton Wildcats of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) last season, including eight wins in the playoffs. He has continued that dominance by recording 24 wins in 31 games this season, including a 2.38 goals-against average (GAA) and a .920 save-percentage (SV%).

Guimond tracks the puck well and anticipates the play just as effectively. He’s a smart goaltender which shouldn’t be much of a surprise given that he is slated to attend Harvard University next season. In a position where some players rely on athletic ability and talent while others rely on positioning and technique, he appears to be in the latter camp. While he certainly has talent in the crease, his processing power is the driving force behind his ability to stop the puck and win games.

There is also something to be said for how the QMJHL is typically an offense-first league, with “good” goaltenders in that league often sporting GAAs that would be seen as pedestrian in the NHL. The fact that Guimond has been as effective as he has been since joining the Wildcats makes him one of the Red Wings’ more intriguing lottery tickets in their prospect pool.

NCAA

Only two goaltenders were picked ahead of Trey Augustine (41st overall) in the 2023 draft, and only one goalie from that draft class has already played NHL games (Jacob Fowler, 69th overall). Augustine was often heralded as one of, if not the best goalie prospect in that draft class, so it was apparent from the moment the Red Wings selected him that he was going to be in direct competition with Cossa for the title of Detroit’s “goalie of the future.”

Since he was drafted by the Red Wings, Augustine has gone on to establish himself as one of the top collegiate goaltenders in the sport. Now in his junior season with Michigan State University, he has 15 wins in 20 games, a sub-2.00 GAA, a .937 SV% and he has already matched his career-high shutout total of three. He was a big reason the Michigan State Spartans had championship aspirations last season, and he’s maybe the biggest reason they have those same aspirations this season.

Augustine is sound and steady in the crease. He absorbs shots with precise movements and good positioning. He is considered one of the best prospects at his position, and the Red Wings will want to find him minutes if he signs his entry-level contract when the Spartans’ season comes to a close.

AHL

The Grand Rapids Griffins have won 30 of 36 games through three months of AHL hockey, a record-setting pace that wouldn’t be possible without the efforts of their goaltenders.

Of course it starts with “The Big Fella” Cossa, now in his third season with the Griffins. Among goalies to play at least 20 games so far this season, he ranks second in both GAA (1.81) and SV% (.932). His confidence in the crease is palpable, and he has made noticeable progress in both his mechanics and his rebound control.

There is no question that most Red Wing fans would still consider Cossa to be the organization’s top prospect in goal. He has faced high expectations since he was drafted, and he really seems to be rounding into form this season. While he made his NHL debut last season in a relief appearance, there is growing enthusiasm for him to get a real shot at securing a spot with the Red Wings.