Of course, it helped that the offer came from a hometown company he had admired and dreamed about joining since he was a little kid. So once the Washington Capitals showed the unrestricted free agent a contract, it was a no-brainer for the Ivy Leaguer to sign his name on the dotted line.

"It was important for me to do a deal after college ended so I could play right away," the second-year Washington center told SportsLine.com. "It's also kind of nice knowing what you're going to do at that stage of your life and also knowing you're doing what you want.

"That's why we really didn't spend any time going up and down in prices. They gave us an offer and we came back and said it was good."

For both sides. Halpern, 24, immediately realized his lifelong dream of becoming a professional hockey player and the Capitals got themselves a skilled young player who would jump directly to the NHL from college and contribute immediately.

Halpern scored 18 goals as a rookie last year, fourth-best on the team, helping Washington record 102 points en route to winning the Southeast Division.

"He's real good player who displays an amazing amount of intelligence for someone so inexperienced," Washington coach Ron Wilson said. "A lot of teams wanted to sign him, but fortunately, he wanted to play for us."

Halpern's visions of being in the NHL were typical of anyone who loved playing the game as a kid, but the fact he hailed from the nation's capital region meant that the road to get there would be challenging, to say the least.

The Capitals franchise was two years old when Halpern was born and by the time he was old enough to play, competitive leagues were non-existent in his area. It forced him to spend his formative hockey years on various regional 'select' teams, collections of top local players who spent the bulk of their game time on the road.

"I probably played 80 games a year when I was a kid, which is no different than anyone from Boston or from Canada," Halpern said. "The big difference was the travel. You had to go pretty far to get that competition."

For Halpern, going that extra mile was a portend of things to come for him as a hockey player. He went to New Hampshire for a high school hockey program, and upon commencement, moved up to Stratford, Ontario, to play in a Junior 'B' league. It was the only way someone who wasn't then considered a prospect could continue his dream alive.

"When I was 15, a pro career really wasn't presented to me so I had to look at other options," Halpern said. "When I went to Stratford, my biggest goal was getting noticed so I could go to college. I wanted to continue playing and get an education at the same time. Playing professional hockey wasn't really a thought then."

That changed at Princeton, where Halpern began as a freshman in 1995. Don Cahoon, who coached the Tigers for nine years before leaving last spring for the University of Massachusetts, said the newcomer demonstrated an intense passion for playing the game and for doing anything he could to improve.

It showed. During his career with the Tigers, Halpern added some weight and strength, and transformed from being strictly a defensive specialist who scored only 10 goals in his first two seasons, to someone who could contribute some offense given the chance. In his junior and senior years, he scored a combined 50 goals and 97 points in 69 games.

"He became very thorough in all three zones as he matured," said Cahoon. "That was what attracted Washington."

The Capitals watched him closely in his senior year, and wasted no time assigning him to their AHL affiliate in Portland once his final college season ended. Halpern scored two goals in six games with the Pirates, and spent the summer of 1999 knowing that he had a shot at putting on a Capitals jersey the following season.

"I knew going in that there were to spots open at center because of trades they had made," said Halpern, who went on said. "I figured I had a chance, I just didn't think it would go as well as it did."

Neither did the coach.

"He was a surprise to make our team," Wilson admitted, "but it has everything to do with talent.

"The bottom line is that if you're good enough, you don't have to play in the minors. Jeff has been good enough to play in the NHL right off the bat."