Year. The following season, he began his two-year tenure with the University of Wisconsin Badgers of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA). As a freshman, he was named to the WCHA first All-Star team and NCAA West Second All-American Team, in addition to earning WCHA Rookie of the Year honours. In the off-season, he was drafted second overall by the Atlanta Thrashers in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft, behind goaltender Rick DiPietro. After his sophomore year, in which he was named to the 2001 WCHA Second All-Star and NCAA West First All-American Teams, Heatley chose to forgo his final two years of college eligibility to turn pro with the Thrashers. Professional Atlanta Thrashers (2001–2005) Heatley made his NHL debut with the Thrashers in 2001–02, leading all rookies in points (67) and assists (41) and was second in team goal-scoring (26) behind Ilya Kovalchuk. He won the Calder Memorial Trophy as the NHL's Rookie of the Year, for which Kovalchuk was also nominated. In the 2002–03 season Heatley emerged as an NHL star, recording 41 goals and 89 points in 77 games and finishing ninth overall in league scoring. As a result of a car crash in September 2003 that seriously injured Heatley and claimed the life of Thrashers' teammate Dan Snyder, Heatley's season did not start until January 2004 and he ultimately appeared in only 31 games. A difficult season ended with Heatley recording only 25 points as the Thrashers failed to earn a playoff spot. During the 2004–05 NHL lock-out, Heatley initially played for the Swiss team SC Bern. He scored 24 points in only 16 games before an errant puck struck his left eye and broke his orbital bone. As a result of this injury, the pupil of his left eye became permanently dilated. He finished the year with Thrashers' teammate Kovalchuk on the Ak Bars Kazan of the Russian Superleague (RSL), recording 4 points in eleven games. Ottawa Senators (2005–2009) Prior to the end of the lock-out, Heatley asked to be traded from Atlanta in hopes of leaving reminders of the tragic crash behind. This was unpopular with Atlanta fans, particularly as Snyder's father Graham noted that Heatley owed much to the Thrashers' organization that had particularly been extremely supportive of him during his trial and ordeal. On August 23, 2005, the Thrashers sent him to the Ottawa Senators for Slovak star Marián Hossa and veteran defenceman