Andrej Sustr

History

2007-08: Andrej Sustr skated for the HC Plzen U20 team in his native Czech Republic as a 17-year-old and appeared in four international matches with the Czech U18 team. He scored 2 goals with 8 assists and was +7 with 44 penalty minutes in 41 games. In five playoff games he had 1 assist and was +1 with 4 penalty minutes. He had 1 assist and 2 penalty minutes with the Czech U18 team but was not selected to play in the 2008 U18 World Junior Championship.

2008-09: Sustr joined the Kenai River Black Bears in the NAHL in November after beginning the year in the Czech Republic. He played two games for HC Rokycany in the Czech third division — finishing with no points and 2 penalty minutes — and was +5 with 1 goal, 4 assists and 14 penalty minutes in 13 games for HC Plzen’s U20 team before heading to Alaska. In 36 games with Kenai River he scored 1 goal with 7 assists and was -8 with 58 penalty minutes. Kenai River finished last in the West Division, winning 14 of 58 games. Sustr played in two games in the three-game playoff series with Fairbanks and was -1 with 2 penalty minutes.

2009-10: Sustr played for the Youngstown Phantoms in the USHL and represented the Czech Republic in the 2010 World Junior Championship. In 50 games with the Phantoms he scored 1 goal with 18 assists and was -6 with 95 penalty minutes. Youngstown missed the USHL playoffs; finishing sixth in the Eastern Conference. Sustr skated in five games at the WJC and was -5 with no points and 6 penalty minutes. He committed to playing college hockey at Nebraska-Omaha.

2010-11: Sustr skated in all 39 games for Nebraska-Omaha as a freshman. He scored 2 goals with 7 assists and was +10 with 38 penalty minutes. The Mavericks finished third in the WCHA and earned an at-large bid to the NCAA West Regional despite being swept by Bemidji State in a first round WCHA series. Nebraska-Omaha lost to Michigan 3-2 in overtime.

2011-12: Sustr was the second-leading scorer amongst Mavericks’ defensemen in his sophomore season at Nebraska-Omaha. He scored 4 goals with 13 assists in 33 games and was -2 with 26 penalty minutes. The Mavericks slipped to seventh in the WCHA and were swept by St. Cloud State in a first round playoff series.

2012-13: Sustr signed a two-year, entry-level contract with Tampa Bay in March 2012 following his junior season at Nebraska-Omaha. He made his NHL debut in a game against New Jersey on March 29th and played one other game for Tampa Bay; finishing +1 with no points nor penalty minutes and seeing 21:26 minutes of ice time in the two games. Sustr played eight regular season games for the Lightning’s AHL affiliate in Syracuse and was -3 with 2 goals, 1 assist and 8 penalty minutes. The Crunch finished first in the East Division and reached the AHL Finals against Calder Cup champion Grand Rapids. In 18 AHL playoff games Sustr scored 2 goals with 5 assists and was +11 with 25 penalty minutes. In 39 games for Nebraska-Omaha he scored 9 goals with 16 assists and was +16 with 53 penalty minutes. The Mavericks finished seventh in the WCHA and lost to Minnesota State in a three-game first round series.

Talent Analysis

While his gigantic frame is certainly one attribute that NHL teams like about Sustr, what has impressed them even more is how effectively he uses it. Sustr takes full advantage of his size, strength and wingspan in moving opposing players off pucks and taking away their time and space. He has good gap control and does an excellent job in containment, as well. Sustr is also a player that doesn’t shy away from playing the body, showing that he can dish out some of the most punishing hits in college hockey. Two of Sustr’s best assets are his stick and his shot. He uses his excellent stick work exceedingly well at both ends of the ice, whether it is in creating turnovers or distributing the puck. His cannon-like shot has improved in both accuracy and velocity over the course of his collegiate career. Another area where Sustr has really developed is his skating. He’s not the prettiest skater, but he moves remarkably well for such a big man. Sustr has also shown marked improvement in his agility and balance.