If you aren't yet convinced that Atlanta's 18-year-old super rookie Ilya Kovalchuk will be among the game's elite players for the next 15 or 20 years, you haven't been paying attention.

This kid is the total package ... at least physically.

Kovalchuk has the speed and acceleration of a smaller player in the body of a power forward. He has the quick release and heavy shot of a seasoned goal scorer. And he possesses the nasty streak of a hungry Doberman.

The rising Russian star also brings a ton of attitude to the rink. This kid just loves to compete and he won't back down. Nothing, it seems, makes him happier than shoving back in an opponent's face.

By season's end, Kovalchuk will have 35, maybe 40, goals (and a Calder Trophy). That's no small feat for a teenager fresh out of the draft playing on a bad team in a league where scoring goals has become a very tough thing to do.

There is no question -- if he stays healthy -- Kovalchuk will light up scoreboards around the circuit with his immense physical abilities for years to come.

What could possibly stop him? Playing for the hapless Atlanta Thrashers. We won't fully find out about this amazingly gifted sniper until the Thrashers start to improve and their expectations begin to rise.

As a kid rookie on a third-year expansion team, he can drift slowly back into the defensive zone, miss defensive assignments, make bad line changes and overstay his shifts. Those mistakes of inexperience are overlooked as he learns how to play at the NHL level. And they're really overlooked when he pulls everyone out of their seats with his raw speed and skill.

But, as a more experienced, high-profile player on a better team -- a team that's expected to make the playoffs and challenge for a Stanley Cup -- that type of on-ice behavior will be heavily scrutinized (and not accepted) by coaches and teammates.

Other exceptionally skilled prodigies like Steve Yzerman, Joe Sakic and Mike Modano have been able to make the transition from dazzling individual talent to complete player and leader. And it's worth noting that all three of the aforementioned stars needed several seasons to reach their full potential. So, we can expect Kovalchuk to need the same kind of time to mature.

When he does, it will be interesting to see which he's more interested in -- wins or stats, the team or himself? It takes longer to find out on losing teams.

Of course, as with anyone asked about winning, Kovalchuk will say he wants to be on a winning team ... on a Stanley Cup-winning team. But will he do the selfless things necessary to be a key part of a winner?

Certainly, the Thrashers figure their young star will someday want to be much more than just a great player on a bad team. As hockey fans, we can only hope they're right.

E.J. Hradek writes puck for ESPN The Magazine. E-mail him at ej.hradek@espnmag.com.