Philadelphia, PA (Betting Express) - In the months after Rick Nash was selected by the Columbus Blue Jackets with the first-overall pick in the 2002 NHL Entry Draft, it was unclear whether or not he would play with the club or be returned to Juniors for some more seasoning.

His play that preseason made it an easy decision. His play now is proving it was the right one.

While the norm in the NHL is for blue chip teenagers -- Joe Thornton and Vincent Lecavalier come to mind -- to take their time and get their skates a little wet before finally emerging as stars, Nash is bucking that trend. The 19-year-old power forward ranks second in the league with 16 goals at press time -- behind another quick-starting phenom, Ilya Kovalchuk.

Having played in 24 games, that puts him on pace to pot over 50 goals in his sophomore season. Only two guys have tallied 50 times in a year before the age of 20, and one of them went by the name of Gretzky.

Being that young players' fragile psyches usually lead to struggles in their career's infancy, Nash's quick start in October -- eight goals in the month -- boosted his confidence and sent him on his way.

"I was worried at the start of the season," Nash said of what his mindset was heading into the current campaign. "That was the question that everyone was asking about -- the sophomore slump.

"I just didn't try to think about it. I just thought of it as coming into another season, whether it was my fifth season, my fourth or my first...Lucky enough for me I got off to a quick start. I think that was the main thing, not to fall into a slump early."

The early output is a response by Nash to being given more ice time and responsibility by general manager/head coach Doug MacLean, who moved up two spots in '02 to make sure he could land him. Last season Nash was primarily a third liner and averaged only 13:56 per-match. He still managed a solid 17 goals in 74 games. Now, though, he is the top-line left wing and on the ice for an roughly 17:00 a night. The club felt so confident that Nash would come through that it allowed leading scorer and fellow left wing Ray Whitney to sign with the Red Wings over the summer.

"Last year I didn't know what to expect," said Nash, who played his Junior hockey for the London Knights of the OHL. "It took, I'd say, 30 games to feel comfortable out there. I still didn't know my role. I was playing on the third line. I wasn't sure what I was supposed to be doing.

"But, this year I feel a lot more confident, a lot more comfortable. I put on some weight, matured a little. I know what they want me to do out there and I know what I'm supposed to do."

There are, of course, some downsides to playing at such a high level. Nash cannot fly under the radar like he did when skating on the third line, as coaches are beginning to account for him with their top defensive pairing and/or checking line. And considering he and linemate David Vyborny have accounted for 26 of the Blue Jackets' 51 goals -- 51 percent -- that isn't going to make life any easier as he attempts to keep up his 50-tally pace.

Since Nash gets a lot of his scoring chances in front of the net and takes a beating while doing so, the worry is that his still growing body will wear down as the season progresses. Despite standing at 6-4, he is listed at only 195 pounds. A fellow power forward like Dallas' Bill Guerin, who is two inches shorter, weighs in at a more ideal 210.

The weight gain will come in due time, and the hope is that consistent team success will as well. Right now the Blue Jackets have the second-worst record in the Western Conference and that sporadic preseason playoff talk has all but dissipated.

Obviously some kind of offensive depth has to be located, as half a club's goals cannot keep coming from two sticks. The hope is that this past draft's first-rounder, Nikolai Zherdev, can get his Russian military service obligation issues taken care of and be a contributor in the season's final three quarters.

If he can't, though, expect Nash to keep doing his best to make us forget about the Alexandre Daigles, Pat Falloons and all the other teenagers who never provided a prime return for their team's investment.