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As reported via a tweet by TSN's Bob McKenzie, Nebraska-Omaha junior defenseman Andrej Sustr has announced that he will not return to Nebraska-Omaha in order to pursue free agent opportunities in the NHL.
No surprise, but Andrej Sustr, 6-foot-8 Univ of Nebraska-Omaha junior dman (UFA), has officially decided to leave school/field NHL offers.
— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) March 18, 2013
Sustr, a 6'8" defenseman, was widely considered one of the top free agent targets in college hockey this year. Last month, we ranked him as the second best available free agent in the WCHA/CCHA behind only Western Michigan's Dan DeKeyser. It was basically a foregone conclusion that Sustr would be leaving to sign an NHL contract as soon as Nebraska-Omaha's season ended, which it did last night, against Minnesota State. By announcing that he's leaving his school, it closes any ambiguity about whether or not he might be returning to UNO, while also allowing him to take his time and weigh his options to see which NHL team makes the best offer to him.
For as sought-after as Sustr has been, he also comes with a pretty high amount of risk as a prospect. Sustr has very alluring size at 6'8" but still has a lot of work to do to become an NHL-caliber skater, and for a player of his size, he's not all that physical. He does, however, have remarkably soft hands for a player of his size, and is an excellent passer.