Some thought Dany Heatley might only play one season for the University of Wisconsin hockey team before trying to make a go of it in the National Hockey League, including Heatley. But the son of former Badger hockey player Murray Heatley opted to spend a second season at Wisconsin to mature and hone his skills.

So it came as no real surprise when Heatley decided to leave school after his sophomore season to play for the Atlanta Thrashers.

"He grew up with the idea of playing in the NHL, so his focus has been how to get to the NHL," Wisconsin coach Jeff Sauer said. "Coming to the college level gave him an opportunity to mature physically and get a couple years of school under his belt. I think Dany's grown up with the NHL and think he's had that focus. He has learned by watching and playing, and -- barring injury, knock on wood -- he's going to be a superstar."

He already is in Atlanta. Despite his team's last-place record, Heatley is having a tremendous amount of success. The 6-foot-3, 205-pound forward leads all rookie players in the league with 38 points on 17 goals and 21 assists (through Jan. 17).

In fact, it's likely that he's having that success because of his team's record. If he were playing for a top-tier team in the NHL, he would not be logging the amount of ice time he's been getting in Atlanta.

"The point totals -- once I saw how much ice time he was getting -- that doesn't surprise me," Sauer said. "He gets his chances to put it away. And he can score against anybody."

Here's proof: On Jan. 16, he scored the game-winning goal against another former Badger, Curtis Joseph, one of the best in the league.

Wisconsin senior Matt Hussey said Heatley turned heads with his abilities.

"When he was here, he would do some amazing things in practice," Hussey said. "He's always had the offensive capabilities and the skill to play at the next level. It's just a matter of going in there and giving it your all every night. He's proved that he can."

Another of Heatley's teammates at Wisconsin, Brad Winchester, said he's not surprised by Heatley's success, either.

"He was put in a good situation," Winchester said. "But you gotta hand it to him. He's taken it and run with it. He's had a great season so far."

But Heatley, the No.2 overall pick in the 2000 NHL draft, hasn't been doing it alone. Ilya Kovalchuk, a Russian rookie who was selected with the first overall pick in the 2001 draft, has been on Heatley's heels all season in the points race. Kovalchuk -- who plays on the same line with Heatley, rooms with Heatley and hangs out with Heatley -- has 37 points.

In fact, the two were named co-NHL Rookies of the Month for December. If Heatley and Kovalchuk finish first and second in the league in rookie scoring this season, it would be the first time in 13 years that a same-team duo led the league in that category. The last time it was done - during the 1988-89 season - was by another former Badger, Tony Granato, and Brian Leetch.

In fact, Heatley's 38 points leads not only all rookies in the league, but leads his team as well. After Kovalchuk's 37, the next-highest scorer for the Thrashers is former University of North Dakota standout Tony Hrkac with 24.

So how important are Heatley and Kovalchuk to the Thrashers? According to Atlanta general manager Don Waddell, "On a scale of 1 to 10, I'd say a 10 for many reasons," he told USA Today. "First, this gives the people hope. Secondly, this gives the players confidence and hope that this team can score."

And with a third-year franchise that's struggling to make it in a market that's not accustomed to hockey, Heatley and Kovalchuk may be the team's saviors, or at least cornerstone of a solid franchise.

"I wouldn't say cornerstone," Heatley said. "I think they're showing a lot of confidence in us and relying on us and we're doing well this year. But when you get drafted by an expansion team, success isn't going to happen right away. You just have to deal with that. But we've got a good start here, a bunch of good young guys who are going to get better and better. We had a rough start to the season but we've been playing a lot better lately. If we can keep adding key guys every year, we'll keep improving, we'll be better."

Heatley, who was born in Freiburg, West Germany, where his father was playing hockey, said the Thrashers organization has made him feel right at home.

"I felt comfortable 20 games into the season," he said. "I was a little nervous in preseason and the first couple weeks of season, just trying to get my feet wet. I'm just very comfortable right now. I'm a part of this team."

When he was part of the Badgers' team, he was just as prolific from an offensive standpoint. During his two seasons at Wisconsin, Heatley recorded 113 points in 77 games and was named the Western Collegiate Hockey Association Rookie of the Year in 1999-00 and was a runner-up for the Hobey Baker Award as the top collegiate player in 2000-01.

"I expected the league to be better (than college), the guys to be stronger and faster and they have been," Heatley said. "But there are always surprises: new cities, different teams, different styles to get used to. And with an 82-game season, it gets a lot tougher. Three or four games a week you have to prepare yourself for mentally. In college you only have 40 a year, so it's a big adjustment. Back-to-back games are always tough on rookies. But I'm trying to take care of myself, getting lots of rest. I feel pretty good right now. Hopefully I can keep it going the rest of the season."

Heatley said one of the major differences from college, other than being paid more than $1 million dollars this season, was that he doesn't have to attend classes or keep up on schoolwork.

"Actually class was a good thing because it kept your mind occupied and you always had things to do," he said. "But in pro hockey you go to practice and have nothing to do the rest of the day. Sometimes it's good so you can go home and rest and lie on the couch if you want to. Other times you're bored and have to find things to do. It goes both ways."

So for now Heatley has taken on the role of teacher to his roommate - Kovalchuk.

"He's a good kid," the 21-year-old said of the 18-year-old. "He likes to have fun. His English is getting a lot better. One on one he's very good. We understand each other perfectly, but I think he's more timid around bigger groups."

So is Heatley picking up any Russian?

"Maybe if I was in Moscow I'd try a little harder," he said. "I just got the swear words down in Russian, that's about it."