Picking up where he left off during the second half of his rookie campaign, the 24-year-old Czech has blossomed into one of New York's most dangerous and exciting offensive forces and finds himself part of the NHL's sophomore elite. Not bad for someone who was spurned by the Islanders and the Flames, and ended up in New York as an add-on to a deal.

"Things have worked out very well for me," Hlavac told SportsLine.com. "I'm very happy I'm here."

Jan Hlavac has already surpassed his rookie year goals total.(AP)

So are the Rangers, who acquired the six-foot, 200-pounder from Prague in a trade that enabled them to get two of the first nine choices in the 1999 draft. New York used those picks to get highly-touted juniors Pavel Brendl and Jamie Lundmark, but two years later, neither has played an NHL game while Hlavac has already scored more than 40 goals and 80 points.

"I played with him in Europe and I knew how good a player he was," Rangers center and linemate Petr Nedved said. "He's got tons of skill and he's showing it now."

Hlavac actually showed his skills for several seasons as a star in the Czech elite league, but it meant little when it came to getting a shot at the NHL.

"I wasn't really frustrated," said Hlavac, who was selected by the Islanders in the second round of the 1995 draft. "I said that's life. I will work hard in the Czech Republic and I will have a chance."

He had one opportunity with the Islanders, but failed to impress the team at his first training camp and was sent back home. Hlavac remained New York's property until 1998 when Calgary acquired him for Jorgen Jonsson, the brother of Islanders star defenseman, Kenny Jonsson.

"Neither team gave him a real look, but at least the Flames told me that I could try to make a deal for him." Hlavac's agent, Rich Winter said.

The Rangers were interested, particularly after their European scout described Hlavac as the best player in the Czech league. New York's assistant general manager, Don Maloney, wasn't surprised.

"I was (GM) with the Islanders when we drafted Jan and he was a skilled winger, but I lost touch with him," said Maloney, who left the Islanders in December 1995. "When (Rangers) scouts saw him, he was leading the elite league in goal scoring and he led at the world championship as well.

"He was 23 at the time and he looked like one of those players who matured a little later. We kind of identified him as someone we'd like to acquire."

Hlavac arrived at the Rangers training camp last season under the radar screen, and made the club along with other low-profile rookies Mike York and Kim Johnsson while Brendl and Lundmark wilted under the spotlight. He struggled with only two goals through the first two months of the season, and was sent down to the minor leagues in early December, a trip which was a quick, but effective wakeup call.

"He went down for about three games and from that point on, I thought he really picked up his work effort and his intensity," Maloney said. "Before that, he seemed to be just saying 'let me get the hell out of this league.'"

Perhaps that was what Maloney thought Hlavac was saying. He spoke little English when he found himself on New York's opening night roster last year, a handicap he concedes might have added to the struggle in his NHL debut.

"It was kind of tough because I was in a new city and my wife was still in Prague," said Hlavac, whose command of the language remains limited at best today. "I had to get used to it."

The playing style and smaller ice surface were other factors Hlavac had to get used to, but it wasn't until the Rangers made a New Year's trade that Hlavac found a way to do so. New York picked up young Czech right wing Radek Dvorak from the Panthers and joined him with Hlavac and Nedved on a line that came to be known as 'The Czech Mates.'

They became, and have remained, the Rangers best forward unit.

"We play the same kind of hockey that we learned and grew up with, so obviously it helped us on the ice," said Nedved. "That's why we kind of clicked real fast."

Maloney said the three Czechs are effective because of their complementary skills.

"Dvorak is a power, straight line skater with outstanding speed, Nedved is a playmaker and Jan is the sniper," Maloney said. "He's the guy who can put pucks away and that's an asset that is really hard to come by these days."

Which is why the Rangers are thrilled to have Hlavac.

"When we made the trade for him, a scout from another team came to me and said we got ourselves a really good player," Maloney said. "The nice thing is that he's just going to get better and better."