He hasn't played in an NHL regular season game yet, but Brett Sterling already has Thrashers fans talking, and when they talk they understandably have some questions. Is he big enough and strong enough to compete in the NHL? Can he come anywhere near his AHL-leading 55-goal rookie season if he's up against NHL caliber goaltenders and defensemen? Can he hang with players like Ilya Kovalchuk and Marian Hossa and be an NHL scoring winger?

All of those questions will have to wait until at least training camp where sterling is expected to compete for a spot on the Thrashers' 2007-08 roster, but so far Sterling is showing that he has what it takes to succeed at he pro level as he exceeded even his own expectations in his first season as a professional player with the Thrashers' AHL affiliate Chicago Wolves.

"I put up better numbers than I thought I would," said the 5-7, 180 lb sniper before the AHL's Western Conference Finals. "But you never know who you're going to come in and play with your first year and I was fortunate to play with guys like Jason (Krog) and Darren (Haydar). I definitely exceeded my expectations. I wanted to come in and contribute right away but I didn't want to set any numbers because I didn't know what to expect my first year. But I was able to break some records obviously, and that only happened with a lot of help from my great linemates. It's been unbelievable.

The end result was that Sterling picked up 55 goals and 42 assists for 97 points in 77 regular season games before scoring another seven goals and five assists in 15 playoff contests. All of that was good enough to earn Sterling AHL Rookie of the Year honors. Not bad for a fifth round pick in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft.

Sterling (#29) in action with the Wolves against the Hamilton Bulldogs

Making the adjustment from NCAA hockey at Colorado College to the quicker-paced AHL game wasn't necessarily easy for Sterling though and he struggled early on as he tried to meet Coach John Anderson's expectations.

"I got sat about the third or fourth game in and it kind of woke me up and let me know how I need to play at this level."

One of the biggest adjustments for the native Californian was the way infractions are called in the AHL compared to at the college level.

"In college you can use your stick a bit more to hook and hold a bit here and there. You can't do that here though."

The difference paid off for Sterling and he didn't hesitate to credit the open space in the AHL for giving him time to get in scoring position and rack up gaudy goal totals.

"Absolutely it helped. I got extra time and space and guys can't drape all over you which made my life a lot easier as a smaller guy. Things can take a toll on your body, so these rules certainly help."

Now we'll just have to wait and see if the smallish but strong winger can thrive in the NHL like he did with the Wolves. If Sterling found the players to be bigger, stronger and faster in the AHL he can expect more of the same when he makes it to the next level. It's not as if he'd be the first player under 5-8 to thrive in the big league. New Jersey goal scorer Brian Gionta is also 5-7 and he came up just two goals short of 50 in 2005-06. Then there was Theo Fleury, the scrappy pest who notched 455 goals in his NHL career that included eight 30-goal seasons. He was listed at 5-6. Or how about Steve Sullivan- the perennial 20-goal scorer who might have an inch on Sterling but who tips the scales at just 165 lbs? Sterling has proven his detractors wrong at every level so far, and the Thrashers organization is hoping he can do it again come September. In the mean time he'll be working hard to make sure he shows up to prospect camp in the best shape possible.

The Colorado College product celebrates after scoring in a 2006 pre-season game.

That's one of the biggest keys for a young player transitioning from college to the pro game. The sheer volume of games makes being in peak condition an absolute necessity and he was warned told by the Thrashers staff  to focus on keeping in shape.

"They told me to work on my conditioning. It's different playing about 40 games per year in college and then coming in and playing over 80 in the pro ranks."

He was also told to soak in the atmosphere and learn how to handle himself as a pro.

"They wanted me just to become a pro player- on and off the ice., said Sterling. "Luckily there were lots of veterans here in Chicago that have been around for a while to help me out. And they just wanted me to continue to play my game and not stray away from it. Just keep doing what I did in college."

Speaking of college, Sterling had some friends with him in Chicago who helped him make the transition to AHL life. Fellow Thrashers prospect Joey Crabb spent four years with Sterling at Colorado College and rugged winger Colin Stuart served as their captain in their freshman and sophomore seasons. Having them around made life a lot easier for the budding sniper.

"It was great having Colin and Joey here. Joey and I were together for four years and Colin was with us for two. They're great guys and I love being around them. When things get rough around the rink it's great to have guys like them that you can just go and relax with."

Looking back Sterling values his college career but can see why some players are torn between playing in college or playing junior hockey in Canada.

"It's a double edged sword. If you stay for four years you're bigger and stronger than a lot of the junior guys and you have a couple years than them, and in the long run you've been playing longer than a lot of them so that certainly helps. But at the same time your clock is a little bit shorter than those junior guys. So yeah, you've got a step up on them in development, but they have a few years to catch up to us, explains Sterling. So what does it come down to?

"The big thing for us college guys is that we wanted the education. We want to have our college degrees and that counts for a lot. Hopefully a lot of the junior guys keep working on their education as they go a long or they go back and get it, because the sad thing is that you never know when hockey is going to end and you have to have something to fall back on."

While that line of thinking shows a lot of maturity on Sterling's part, there are a lot of people who will be hoping he doesn't need to fall back on that college degree any time soon.

Sterling (grey) challenges fellow college product Colton Fretter (yellow) to a dance-off at Jillian's during the 2006 prospect camp.