Andrej Sustr hoping for second meeting with Stanley Cup

BRANDON, Fla. — Andrej Sustr knew the superstition and he wasn’t about to take any chances.

It was the summer of 2009 and the Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman was 18 and watched fellow Plzen, Czech Republic native Petr Sykora win the Stanley Cup as a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins. As part of the annual tradition, the trophy made its way to Sustr’s hometown with Sykora dropping by a local hockey camp.

“I didn’t touch it,” Sustr said. “Even though I was a little kid I remember that I knew the rumor that you shouldn’t touch it if you want to win it, so I made sure I didn’t touch it. Hopefully that’ll work out.”

Sustr is the tenth player from Plzen to reach the NHL, and with the likes of Sykora and Martin Straka playing in North America while he was growing up, he had a weekly ritual.

“Me growing up, I would always watch the NHL news. It showed up on a Sunday morning, kind of early, so you’d have to wake up for that,” he said. “When you see something like that happen [winning the Cup], you see those guys, it’s something you dreamed of.”

Sustr’s hockey journey took him to the North American Hockey League and the Kenai River Brown Bears at age 17. A year later, he joined the Youngstown Phantoms of the USHL before heading off to play NCAA puck at Nebraska-Omaha. After going undrafted, the 6-foot-8 defenseman signed a contract with the Lightning after participating in several NHL developmental camps.

Now in his second season with Tampa, he’s accustomed to the grind of a full campaign.

“It’s a jump from college, but I’ve been playing pro now for second full year,” he said. “You kind of get in a rhythm of playing games every other day. The level of everything elevates in the playoffs, but you kind of get used to it. Now it’s just a routine kind of job."

Sustr has played in all 24 Lightning playoff games this postseason, recording two points while averaging 15:21 of ice time. Still finding his way, he understands the ups and downs that come with maintaining a role in the NHL. He’s been in the position that Jonathan Drouin is currently in being in and out of the lineup. But time in the press box can do a world of good for a young player.

“You see the game upstairs, it kind of shows you have a little bit more time than you think,” he said. “You see how the play develops and how the players handle themselves on the ice. There’s definitely a lot stuff you can learn from watching upstairs.

“I think you’ve just got to utilize every opportunity you get to get better.”

- - - - - - -

Sean Leahy is the associate editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Sean_Leahy

MORE FROM YAHOO HOCKEY: