Valeri Nichushkin's sophomore year hasn't gone according to plan.

The talented 20-year-old has been limited to four games due to a hip injury after recording 14 goals and 20 assists as a rookie for the Dallas Stars last season.

His journey back to the NHL lineup is taking a big step, however, as the Stars have activated Nichushkin off injured reserve and loaned him to their AHL club for conditioning.

While it may be too late for the Russian to make much of a difference this year, he'll be expected to start producing offensively as a big part of the team's core as soon as next season.