Angelo Esposito isn't from hockey's famous Esposito family, but a couple of years ago he was making a name of his own.

Experts projected him as the No. 1 pick in the 2007 NHL entry draft. A Vancouver Sun story headlined "Is this one the Next One?" said Esposito was "being mentioned in the same breath as Sidney Crosby."

Jason Getz/jgetz@ajc.com (ENLARGE)

Atlanta Thrashers' blue-chip prospect Angelo Esposito (57) signs autographs at the end of the first day of the Thrashers rookie camp at the Duluth Ice Forum Tuesday

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Esposito scored on his first shift in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League and became the league's offensive rookie of the year. He captained Canada's gold-medal teams at the world under-17 hockey challenge and the under-18 world junior championships. He leapt Toronto's CN Tower in a single bound.

So what is he doing this week at a Thrashers player development camp, still probably at least a year away from taking the ice for an NHL team?

It's a story about frustrated expectations, changing perceptions and a youngster who, at age 19, has been given a fresh start at defining who he is and the player he can become.

The change in the way people see Esposito started a little over a year ago. He wasn't drafted first; he was drafted 20th. The Pittsburgh Penguins, who had the real Crosby, soon learned they hadn't acquired a second one. They changed Esposito's position from center to left wing and sent him back to his junior team, where for the second consecutive season his production fell, from 98 points as a rookie to 79 in 2006-07 to 69 this past season.

When the Thrashers traded Marian Hossa and Pascal Dupuis in February, the Penguins sent back Erik Christensen, Colby Armstrong, Esposito and a first-round pick in 2008. The Thrashers needed Christensen and Armstrong immediately, but they have a longer-term plan for Esposito: Give him the chance to become as good as he can be without measuring him against the superstar expectations that might have been weighing him down.

The most important part of prospect camp for Esposito might be the conversations he had Tuesday with Thrashers coach John Anderson and director of amateur scouting and player development Dan Marr.

"We just told him, 'Look, the slate's clean here. Don't worry about what everybody else says you're supposed to do. Just play, and let your hockey do the talking,' " Anderson said.

Esposito got a similar pep talk from Thrashers general manager Don Waddell after the trade.

"The trading part, the change in positions, being drafted 20th, doesn't mean anything anymore," Waddell said he told Esposito. "You're with an organization that wants you. Let's take the next step forward, and we'll move on."

Esposito is back at center and happy about it. This week, he has shown some of the offensive skills that once had him so highly touted; he darts about on the ice, works well with the puck and has a quick release and a good shot. A hockey game, though, isn't a skills competition. Before he can play for the Thrashers, he needs to improve his ability to fight through traffic and help on defense. "Those are things you can teach," Waddell said.

Esposito will play another year of junior hockey, Waddell said, for the new Junior de Montreal team in Esposito's hometown. The Thrashers need to sign him by June 1, 2009. "From there," Waddell said, "his play will dictate where he goes."

Esposito said his goal is to make the team this season. Whatever happens, he said he won't get caught up in any expectations games.

"I just have to be who I am," Esposito said. "I know who I am, and I know what I bring to the team, and that's all that I'm worried about, and I'm not worried about what others are saying."