Mark Bell is a perfect example of the old adage: If at first you don't succeed, try, try again...and again...and again.

The Chicago Blackhawks' prize pick in the 1998 draft (No. 8 overall), Bell spent the entire 1998-99 season in junior with Ottawa of the Ontario Hockey League . Last season, he got a 13-game look with the Hawks, but spent most of the season with their American Hockey League affiliate in Norfolk, Va. Now, after a season in the minors under the tutelage of former Hawks defenseman Trent Yawney -- and a switch from center to wing -- Bell is older, wiser and making an impact in the NHL as a physical player, as well as a point producer.

Through 13 games, Bell is tied for first in rookie scoring with Florida's Kristian Huselius with 11 points. He and Huselius also share the longest active scoring streak among rookies of five games (Bell, 3-6-9; Huselius, 7-2-9).

Bell, who had been skating on the left wing with center Michael Nylander and Eric Daze on the right, has recently been matched with right winger Steve Thomas and center Igor Korolev. The trio notched 11 points and was plus-11 in Tuesday's 5-1 win over the Los Angeles Kings. Bell registered a season- and career-high four points with a goal and three assists.

What's a rookie in the NHL?
To be eligible for the Calder Memorial Trophy, a player cannot have played more than 25 games in any single preceding season nor in six or more games in each of any two preceding seasons in any major professional league. The player must not be older than 26 years before September 15 of the season in which he is eligible.

ESPN.com's NHL Rookie Report will run on the first of each month and will highlight some of the league's top rookie performers.

Players are listed with position, team, age and draft selection by round (overall) and year. Statistics through Oct. 31:

PLAYER	STATS	THE SKINNY
Mark Bell, F Blackhawks 21, 1 (8) '98	13 GP, 3-8-11 +8, 12 PIM	A gifted scorer as a center, Bell has been switched to wing and has been encouraged to play more physical. He's second on the team among forwards with 24 hits.
Kristian Huselius, F Panthers 22, 2 (47) '97	13 GP, 9-2-11 +2, 4 PIM	Huselius leads the Panthers in goals and points and is skating on a line with Marcus Nilson and Pavel Bure. His five-game goal scoring streak breaks the franchise rookie record set by Radek Dvorak in 1995-96.
Dany Heatley, F Thrashers 21, 1 (2) '00	10 GP, 3-5-8 -4, 6 PIM	After 10 games, Heatley leads the team in points and is tied for the team lead in power-play goals. While fellow Thrashers rookie Ilya Kovalchuk is the more flashy of the two, Heatley is older, more mature and plays a more complete game. He leads all NHL rookie forwards in ice time, averaging 18:05 per game.
Martin Erat, F Predators 20, 7 (191) '99	11 GP, 2-6-8 +1, 6 PIM	Erat's puckhandling and passing skills are being utilized on an all-European line with center Denis Arkhipov and right winger Vladimir Orszagh. He was second among rookies in October with six assists.
Ilya Kovalchuk, F Thrashers 18, 1 (1) '01	10 GP, 7-0-7 -4, 6 PIM	Kovalchuk leads the Thrashers with seven goals -- more than double the next highest total (four players have three goals). His current four-game goal scoring streak breaks the team record of three, which was reached 10 times by seven players.
Jeff Jillson, D Sharks 21, 1 (14) '99	12 GP, 1-4-5 -2, 10 PIM	Jillson's NHL baptism was certainly by fire -- he faced a two-on-one break against Red Wings Brendan Shanahan and Sergei Fedorov. Though he allowed the goal, the Sharks really are breaking him in slowly. Jillson notched all five of his points on the power play.
Toby Petersen, F Penguins 23, 9 (224) '98	10 GP, 3-1-4 +1, 0 PIM	Petersen has only one assist since Mario Lemieux set him up for a hat trick on Oct. 16, the day after coach Ivan Hlinka was fired and the day new coach Rick Kehoe promoted him to the top line. With Lemieux, Martin Straka and Alexei Kovalev out of the lineup with injuries, Petersen joins Jan Hrdina and Robert Lang as the Pens' patchwork No. 1 line. Kehoe's survival tactic of team defense will take some of the pressure off him and his linemates.

Sherry Skalko is the NHL editor for ESPN.com.