Andrej Šustr
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Andrej Šustr (born 29 November 1990) is a Czech professional
ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...
defenceman Defence or defense (in American English) in ice hockey is a player position that is primarily responsible for preventing the opposing team from Goal (ice hockey), scoring. They are often referred to as defencemen, D, D-men or blueliners (the l ...
for
Tappara Tappara (; Finnish language, Finnish for "Battle axe") is a Finnish professional ice hockey team playing in the SM-liiga. They play at ''Nokia Arena (Tampere), Nokia Arena'' in Tampere, Finland. The team has won 20 Finnish league championships, wh ...
of the Finnish
Liiga The Liiga, colloquially called the Finnish Elite League in English or FM-ligan in Swedish, is the top professional ice hockey league in Finland. The league comprises 16 teams from all around Finland with relegation and promotion between the Mesti ...
. Previously he played in the NHL for the
Tampa Bay Lightning The Tampa Bay Lightning (colloquially known as the Bolts) are a professional ice hockey team based in Tampa, Florida. The Lightning compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the ...
and
Anaheim Ducks The Anaheim Ducks are a professional ice hockey team based in Anaheim, California. The Ducks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Confere ...
. An
undrafted In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...
player, Šustr made his NHL debut with the Lightning in 2013 after playing three seasons of
college ice hockey College ice hockey is played principally in the United States and Canada, though leagues exist outside North America. In the United States, competitive "college hockey" refers to ice hockey played between colleges and universities within the go ...
with the
University of Nebraska Omaha The University of Nebraska Omaha (UNO) is a public research university in Omaha, Nebraska, United States. Founded in 1908 by faculty from the Omaha Presbyterian Theological Seminary as a private non-sectarian college, the university was origin ...
.


Playing career


Junior and college

Šustr grew up in the city of
Plzeň Plzeň (), also known in English and German as Pilsen (), is a city in the Czech Republic. It is the Statutory city (Czech Republic), fourth most populous city in the Czech Republic with about 188,000 inhabitants. It is located about west of P ...
, but after finding little opportunity in his home town, was encouraged to move to the
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
at the age of 17 to play
junior hockey Junior ice hockey is amateur-level ice hockey for 16 to 20 year-old players. National Junior teams compete annually for the IIHF World Junior Championship. The United States men's national junior ice hockey team are the defending champions from t ...
. He spent a year with the Kenai River Brown Bears of the
North American Hockey League The North American Hockey League (NAHL) is one of the top junior hockey leagues in the United States and is in its 50th season of operation in 2024–25. It is the only Tier II junior league sanctioned by USA Hockey, and acts as an alternati ...
(NAHL) in 2008–09 before moving up to the
Youngstown Phantoms The Youngstown Phantoms are a Tier I junior ice hockey team that plays in the Eastern Conference of the United States Hockey League (USHL). The team plays home games at the 5,200-seat Covelli Centre in Youngstown, Ohio. The team was co-owned ...
of the
United States Hockey League The United States Hockey League (USHL) is the top junior ice hockey league sanctioned by USA Hockey. The league consists of 16 active teams located in the Midwestern United States and Great Plains, for players between the ages of 16 and 21. Th ...
(USHL) in 2009–10. The University of Omaha Nebraska Mavericks ice hockey program then recruited Šustr to join their program in 2010. He played three seasons with the Mavericks, appearing in 111 games and recording 15 goals and 51 points.


Professional

An
undrafted In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...
player, Šustr participated in NHL development camps with the
Tampa Bay Lightning The Tampa Bay Lightning (colloquially known as the Bolts) are a professional ice hockey team based in Tampa, Florida. The Lightning compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the ...
,
Pittsburgh Penguins The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh. The Penguins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), E ...
and
New York Rangers The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in New York City. The Rangers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The team plays ...
. After completing his junior season at Omaha, he signed a professional contract with the Lightning on 21 March 2013. He made his NHL debut on 29 March against the
New Jersey Devils The New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey. The Devils compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The club w ...
. He appeared in two games in Tampa before being assigned to their
American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league in North America that serves as the primary developmental league of the National Hockey League (NHL). The league comprises 32 teams, with 26 in the United States and 6 in Cana ...
(AHL) affiliate, the
Syracuse Crunch The Syracuse Crunch are a professional ice hockey team based in Syracuse, New York. They are the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the National Hockey League's Tampa Bay Lightning. They play in they home games at the Upstate Medical Univer ...
. He played eight regular season games with Syracuse, scoring two goals and adding an assist, while the Crunch reached the
Calder Cup The Calder Cup is the trophy awarded annually to the playoff champions of the American Hockey League (AHL). It was first presented in 1937 to the Syracuse Stars. The cup is made of sterling silver mounted on a base of Brazilian mahogany. In it ...
Final against the
Grand Rapids Griffins The Grand Rapids Griffins are a professional ice hockey team based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. They compete in the American Hockey League (AHL), playing their home games at Van Andel Arena. They are the AHL affiliate to the Detroit Red Wings of t ...
. Šustr scored his first career NHL goal on 5 April 2014, against
Kari Lehtonen Kari Lehtonen (born November 16, 1983) is a Finnish former professional ice hockey goaltender who played 14 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Atlanta Thrashers and Dallas Stars. He was selected second overall in the 2002 NHL E ...
of the
Dallas Stars The Dallas Stars are a professional ice hockey team based in Dallas. The Stars compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. The Stars ...
. On 7 July 2014, the Lightning announced that they had re-signed Šustr to a one-year, one-way contract. He made his
Stanley Cup playoff The season structure of the National Hockey League (NHL) is divided into the pre-season, regular season, and the Stanley Cup playoffs. In the pre-season, which is generally held during the last two weeks of September, each team plays several not-fo ...
debut against the
Montreal Canadiens The Montreal Canadiens (), officially ' ( Canadian Hockey Club) and colloquially known as the Habs, are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal. The Canadiens compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic D ...
, appearing in three games in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. Additionally, Šustr appeared in 12 games with the Crunch, recording a goal and three assists. On 16 February 2015, during the 2014–15 season he played in his 100th career NHL game in Tampa Bay's 3–2 loss to the
Los Angeles Kings The Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles. The Kings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. ...
. On 30 March, the Lightning announced that Šustr would be out one-to-two weeks with an upper body injury, but was expected to return in time for the start of the 2015 playoffs. On 18 April, he scored his first career playoff goal in a 5–1 Lightning win over the visiting
Detroit Red Wings The Detroit Red Wings (colloquially referred to as the Wings) are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit. The Red Wings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the East ...
. On 30 June 2015, the
Tampa Bay Lightning The Tampa Bay Lightning (colloquially known as the Bolts) are a professional ice hockey team based in Tampa, Florida. The Lightning compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the ...
re-signed Šustr to a two-year, two-way contract. Šustr played in 72 games with the Lightning in the 2014-15 NHL season, recording 13 assists and 34 penalty minutes. Šustrset career highs in games played, assists, plus/minus (+10) and penalty minutes. Šustr also appeared in 26 Stanley Cup playoffs games for the Lightning, registering one goal and two points. Šustr has skated in 117 NHL games, all with the Lightning over the past three seasons, collecting one goal and 21 points. Šustr ranked fourth on the Lightning for blocked shots with 84 during the 2014–15 season. He also set the Lightning franchise record for the best plus/minus (+7) in a playoff series in the first round of the
2015 Stanley Cup playoffs The 2015 Stanley Cup playoffs was the playoff tournament of the National Hockey League (NHL) for the 2014–15 season. They began on April 15, 2015, and ended on June 15, 2015, with the Chicago Blackhawks defeating the Tampa Bay Lightning fou ...
against the
Detroit Red Wings The Detroit Red Wings (colloquially referred to as the Wings) are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit. The Red Wings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the East ...
. On 25 October 2016, Šustr skated in his 200th career NHL game, which came in a 7–3 Lightning victory over the
Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. The Maple Leafs compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the A ...
at the
Air Canada Centre Scotiabank Arena (SBA), formerly known as Air Canada Centre (ACC), is a multi-purposed arena located on Bay Street in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is the home of the Toronto Raptors of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and t ...
. On 26 June 2017, the Lightning announced that it had re-signed Šustr to a one-year, $1.95 million contract extension. After six seasons within the Lightning organization, following the 2017–18 season, Šustr left as a free agent and agreed to a one-year, $1.3 million contract with the
Anaheim Ducks The Anaheim Ducks are a professional ice hockey team based in Anaheim, California. The Ducks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Confere ...
on 5 July 2018. Šustr began the 2018–19 season with the Ducks. However, he was limited to just 5 games over the duration of the year, reassigned for the majority of the campaign to add a veteran presence to AHL affiliate, the
San Diego Gulls The San Diego Gulls are a professional ice hockey team based in San Diego. They are the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the National Hockey League (NHL)'s Anaheim Ducks. The team plays its home games at Pechanga Arena. History On Jan ...
. With his NHL career stagnating, Šustr, an impending free agent from the Ducks, opted to halt his North American career, agreeing to a one-year contract with Chinese club
Kunlun Red Star HC Kunlun Red Star () is a professional ice hockey club based in Beijing, China. It is a member of the Tarasov Division in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). The club joined the KHL prior to the 2016–17 season. History Preparation of the te ...
of the
Kontinental Hockey League The Kontinental Hockey League (KHL; ) is an international professional ice hockey league founded in 2008. It comprises member clubs based in Russia (20), Belarus (1), Kazakhstan (1), and China (1) for a total of 23 clubs. It was considered in ...
(KHL) on 7 June 2019. Šustr returned to the Lightning organization on 28 July 2021, when he signed a one-year, two-way contract with the team. He began the season with the Lightning, appearing in his first NHL contest in three years in a 7–6 overtime victory over the
Detroit Red Wings The Detroit Red Wings (colloquially referred to as the Wings) are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit. The Red Wings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the East ...
on 14 October 2021. He registered 1 goal in 8 games with the Lightning before he was reassigned to AHL affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch, registering 12 points through 25 games. In a recall to the Lightning, on 7 March 2022, Šustr was later placed on waivers by the Lightning, and was claimed the following day by one of his former teams, the Anaheim Ducks. On 13 July 2022, Šustr joined the
Minnesota Wild The Minnesota Wild are a professional ice hockey team based in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The Wild compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Confer ...
, signing a one-year, two-way contract as a free agent. In the 2022–23 season, Šustr made 39 appearances with AHL affiliate, the
Iowa Wild The Iowa Wild are a professional ice hockey team based in Des Moines, Iowa. They are the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the Minnesota Wild of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Wild play their home games at Wells Fargo Arena. The ...
, collecting 12 points. On 3 March 2023, Šustr was traded by the Wild back to Anaheim, for his third stint with the team, in a package for defenceman
John Klingberg John Andersson Klingberg (born 14 August 1992) is a Swedish professional ice hockey defenceman for the San Jose Sharks of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted 131st overall in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft by the Dallas Stars. He is the y ...
. At the conclusion of the season, as a pending free agent, Šustr was traded by the Ducks to the
San Jose Sharks The San Jose Sharks are a professional ice hockey team based in San Jose, California. The Sharks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Con ...
in exchange for Andrew Agozzino on 27 June 2023. While not offered a contract by the Sharks, Šustr left North America as a free agent and agreed to a one-year deal with German outfit Kölner Haie of the DEL, on 10 July 2023. On 28 July 2024, Šustr signed a one-year contract with
HC Dynamo Pardubice HC Dynamo Pardubice is a professional ice hockey club that plays in the Czech Extraliga. Its home venue is Enteria arena (Pardubice), Enteria arena located in Pardubice. The club was originally named LTC Pardubice, acquiring its current name at ...
of the
Czech Extraliga The Czech Extraliga () is the highest-level ice hockey league in the Czech Republic. It was created in 1993 following the peaceful dissolution of Czechoslovakia midway through the 1992–93 Czechoslovak Extraliga season (which all Slovak and ...
. However, after recording two assists in 12 games, Šustr and the club agreed to mutually part ways. Just four days later, Šustr came to terms with Finnish club
Tappara Tappara (; Finnish language, Finnish for "Battle axe") is a Finnish professional ice hockey team playing in the SM-liiga. They play at ''Nokia Arena (Tampere), Nokia Arena'' in Tampere, Finland. The team has won 20 Finnish league championships, wh ...
to play the remainder of the season with them.


International play

On 2 March 2016, the Czech Ice Hockey Association named Šustr to its roster for the
2016 World Cup of Hockey The 2016 World Cup of Hockey (abbreviated WCH2016) was an international ice hockey tournament. It was the third installment of the National Hockey League (NHL)-sanctioned competition, 12 years after the second World Cup of Hockey in 2004. It was ...
. Šustr was joined by Lightning teammate
Ondřej Palát Ondřej Palát (born 28 March 1991) is a Czech professional ice hockey winger (ice hockey), winger and Captain (ice hockey), alternate captain for the New Jersey Devils of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted in the seventh round, 208 ...
. The tournament ran from 17 September to 1 October 2016, in
Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...
.


Career statistics


Regular season and playoffs


International


Awards and honors


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sustr, Andrej 1990 births Living people Anaheim Ducks players Czech expatriate ice hockey players in the United States Czech expatriate sportspeople in China Czech ice hockey defencemen Expatriate ice hockey players in China Iowa Wild players Kenai River Brown Bears players Kölner Haie players HC Kunlun Red Star players Omaha Mavericks men's ice hockey players San Diego Gulls (AHL) players Ice hockey people from Plzeň Syracuse Crunch players Tampa Bay Lightning players Undrafted National Hockey League players Youngstown Phantoms players Czech expatriate ice hockey players in Germany 21st-century Czech sportsmen