Now that the 2024 World Junior Championships have come to an end, it’s time to look back at all of the Red Wings prospects who made a splash on the international stage. Overall, there were five prospects representing their respective countries in the tournament- the 7th most of any NHL team.
It’s no secret that the Red Wings have a stacked and talented prospect pool and seeing prospects play each other on the international level is exciting. Combine those two things and that makes for some insanely fun hockey to watch! So let’s get into it- here are the highlights from the seven Red Wings prospects that took part in the 2024 World Junior Championships.
Team USA
Trey Augustine (G)
Currently a freshman at Michigan State University (NCAA), Trey Augustine was solid for Team USA throughout the 2024 World Juniors. He was the primary goalie for the tournament ahead of Boston College’s Jacob Fowler (Montreal, 2023 3rd Round) yet they both played important games for Team USA.
By the end of the tournament, Augustine played in four games with a .934 save percentage and a 1.75 goals-against average. These numbers aren’t too different from those he has put up at the NCAA level this season- a .916 SV% and 2.97 GAA through 17 games. He ended up being the top performing goaltender in the tournament ahead of Sweden’s netminder, Hugo Havelid, who had a .917 SV% and a 1.77 GAA.
His performance in the semifinal game against Finland carried Team USA to a victory after a two goal deficit. His team scored three unanswered goals to push them to the finals to face off against Sweden- a marvelous comeback for what started off as a shaky game. Augustine got rattled by two goals very early in the game but was able to shake off the shock and play rock solid for the remainder of the game.
Team USA ended up bringing home the gold medal as Augustine stood tall in the net against Sweden. He made 24 saves and allowed two goals in the championship game for a final score of 6-2. It’ll be exciting to see how the rest of his season at MSU plays out following the high of the gold medal at World Juniors, but I can say with confidence that it will be pretty dang good.
Canada
Nate Danielson (F)
Despite Canada’s early exit from the tournament, Nate Danielson stood out on the ice consistently. Selected in the first round of the 2023 NHL Draft at 9th overall, Danielson was a bit of a surprise at the moment but has turned out to be a good selection by Yzerman and Co. He is currently in his 4th season in the Western Hockey League (WHL) with the Brandon Wheat Kings where he has 12 goals and 14 assists through 26 games. On January 10, he was traded from the Wheat Kings to the Portland Winterhawks in exchange for two players and several draft picks.
Throughout the 2024 World Junior Championship, Danielson played in five games and had one goal and two assists. His only goal of the tournament was Canada’s opening goal in their game against Finland, a deflection of a shot from Maveric Lamoureux.
Canada was a favorite to continue further in the tournament, however their hopes were dashed in the quarterfinal game against Czechia. The game ended in heartbreaking fashion with the Czechs scoring with just 11 seconds remaining on the clock.
Danielson looks to finish the remainder of the 2023-24 WHL season with his new team, the Portland Winterhawks, who are currently second in the Western Conference standings.
Sweden
Axel Sandin Pellikka (D)
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