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Fans of the Detroit Red Wings have every reason to feel excited about what lies ahead, thanks to their intriguing tandem of goaltending prospects, Sebastian Cossa and Trey Augustine.

Augustine, who is playing in his junior season with the Michigan State Spartans, ranks near the top of the NCAA in all major goaltending statistical categories, including wins, goals-against average, save percentage, and shutouts. 

Meanwhile, Cossa continues to have a stellar campaign for the Grand Rapids Griffins in the AHL, helping them set multiple records for the best start in AHL history. 

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Their most recent victory, a 5-0 shutout over the Texas Stars, improved their record to 37-7-2-1. 

Cossa made 26 saves to pick up his fifth shutout of the season, and in doing so, he matched a record that had stood for 10 years in Griffins history. 

Cossa's five shutouts are the most by any Griffins goaltender since Jared Coreau in the 2015-16 season.

Cossa is a brick wall 🧱

Cossa’s five shutouts are the most by a Griffin since 2015-16 (Jared Coreau) #GoGRGpic.twitter.com/bFhGrcb5TO

— Grand Rapids Griffins (@griffinshockey) February 16, 2026

Coreau, who previously played at Northern Michigan, signed with the Red Wings as an undrafted free agent and spent several seasons with both the Griffins and the ECHL affiliate Toledo Walleye before making his NHL debut with Detroit during the 2016–17 season.

He would ultimately post a record of 5-4-3 with a 3.46 goals-against average and a .887 save percentage, along with two shutouts in his first taste of NHL action. 

He appeared in just 21 NHL games during his career, which continued primarily in the AHL with multiple clubs before he eventually moved overseas to play in Austria, Slovakia, and Sweden.

While Coreau was not viewed as a potential long-term goaltender of the future for the Red Wings, both Cossa and Augustine carry that potential, and their performances could be a strong indicator of even greater things ahead.

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With the preliminaries now over and the number one seed secured, Team Canada will now sit back and watch Czechia and Denmark duke it out on Tuesday in the Olympic Qualification Playoff round.

The good news for the winner of that game? They get to advance to the quarterfinals, where they'll be one win away from the semis and a chance to play for an Olympic medal. The bad news? They'll have to play the very next day against a well-rested, powerhouse Canadian team.

But lest we forget, Czechia and Denmark have both given Canada trouble in the recent hockey past.

At the World Juniors, Czechia has been up in Canada's face for three years now, eliminating them in each of the last three tournaments, while the Czechia men's national team won the World Hockey Championships in 2024.

And don't sleep on Denmark either.

Many of the current Canadian Olympians, like Sidney Crosby, Nathan MacKinnon, Macklin Celebrini and Jordan Binnington, were on the Canadian team that fell to the Danes 2-1 in the quarterfinals of the 2025 World Hockey Championships. 

Ottawa Senators veteran Lars Eller wasn't a member of that Denmark team, but as the only Danish player ever to win a Stanley Cup, he knows a thing or two about big games.

Eller was also Denmark's captain during Olympic qualification in 2024 when they defeated Norway, Great Britain and Japan to get to Milan for just the second Olympic appearance in their history. Eller led the Danes with two goals and two assists through those three games. In these games, he has one assist, along with 4 penalty minutes and a -2 rating.

The 36-year-old was joined on the team by Belleville Senators goalie Mads Sogaard, who played 51 minutes against the Americans before leaving the game with an injury. He made 33 saves on 38 shots in a 6-3 loss. 

He and Eller are two of only six players on Denmark's roster who've played NHL games this season. The others are Nikolaj Ehlers, Oliver Bjorkstrand, Oscar Moelgaard, and starting goalie Frederik Andersen.

Frank Dichow has never played in the NHL, but he was in goal for last spring's quarterfinal shocker against Canada, and is also available for what the Danes hope will be a back-to-back situation this week. 

If they do get to the quarters, the Danes will be badly outmatched, playing on short rest, and because of last spring's historic upset, there won't be a single player in Canada's locker room looking past them. Being on the wrong end of one of the greatest upsets in hockey history isn't something you soon forget.

As he prepared to make his Olympic debut earlier this month, Eller fondly recalled his childhood, watching the NHL's return to the Olympics in 1998 all the way to the 2010 games in Vancouver, when he was breaking in with the AHL's old Peoria Rivermen.

“Every Olympics is pretty memorable," Eller said in an interview with Senators writer Andrew Wilimek. "You remember flashes and players from those eras, so that’s pretty cool to think back on that, and now you’re going to be on that stage yourself.”

Meanwhile, if Canada's opponent is to be Czechia (1-1-1), which will be the favourite in Tuesday's Qualification Playoff matchup with Denmark, the Czechs bring a lot more NHL experience to the table, not to mention two former Senators.

Filip Chlapik, Ottawa's 2015 second-round draft pick, is Czechia's second-leading scorer with two goals and an assist. They also have forward Dominik Kubalik, one of the players acquired from Detroit in the Alex DeBrincat trade. Kubalik was ineffective in his one season in Ottawa and hasn't done much yet in his two games.

But the Czechs, despite their 5-0 loss to Canada, do have serious NHL game breakers in David Pastrnak (3 pts) and Martin Necas (5 pts). They also have Tomas Hertl, Ondrej Palat, Filip Hronek, Radko Gudas, and a solid goaltending tandem of Dan Vladar and Lukas Dostal.

On paper, Canada should be able to handle either nation in Wednesday’s quarterfinal (10:40 a.m. ET), but single-elimination hockey has a way of ignoring the script.

Steve Warne
The Hockey News

This article was first published at The Hockey News-Ottawa. Read more Senators features and articles from THN Ottawa here:

Former Senator Mark Stone Still Has Plenty Left... Just Ask Canada
From Hasek to Tkachuk: The Sens Have Been Burned By Best-on-Best Tournaments
Tim Stützle Named Germany's Alternate Captain As Outstanding Season Continues
Current And Former Ottawa Senators Competing At Winter Olympics
Senators Can Further Boost Playoff Hopes By Upgrading One Position At Deadline

The Carolina Hurricanes have signed goaltender Brandon Bussi to a three-year, $5.7 million contract extension the team announced on Monday.

Bussi, 27, was claimed off of waivers by the team before the start of the season and has quickly evolved into one of the best stories in the entire league.

The New York native has had a tremendous start to his NHL career, with a 23-3-1 record, 0.908 save percentage, two shutouts and has shattered multiple records along the way.

“Before we brought him to Raleigh, Brandon had been successful at every level from the USHL to college to the AHL," said Carolina GM Eric Tulsky in a press release. “Given the opportunity at the NHL level this season, he’s proven to be a winner here too. We are thrilled that he will continue to provide a steady presence in the crease for this team into the future.”

The team also announced that in celebration of Bussi’s extension, the Carolina Hurricanes Foundation will make a $10,000 donation to the Autism Society of North Carolina.

Autism awareness is something that's close to Bussi’s heart as his younger brother, Dylan, has autism.

10 Questions With Rookie Phenom Brandon BussiRookie goalie Brandon Bussi reveals his favorite comedies, dream European escapes, and who inspired his NHL dominance. Get to know the Carolina Hurricanes' rising star.

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