Stars GM Nill: 'I think you're going to see a big step' from Nichushkin

Dallas Stars sophomore forward Valeri Nichushkin earned rave reviews in his rookie season.

Though he was adjusting to the smaller ice surface, a new culture, and life as an NHL player, Nichushkin managed 14 goals and 34 points in 79 games, and was a standout on an upstart Stars team that ended a long Stanley Cup playoff drought in North Texas.

Now, entering his second season in the NHL, more is expected out of talented 19-year-old.

"I think Nichushkin is going to be even better," said Stars general manager Jim Nill this week, in a conversation with ESPN.com's Pierre LeBrun. "Last year was just a brand-new year for him, for a kid who’s 18 to come over here and go through the NHL not knowing the language, the rinks. He stayed here all summer, trained here, his English got better, so I think you’ll see a big step from him."

Nichushkin has also added 15 to 20 pounds this summer, according to Nill, which will presumably allow him to attack the net with even more reckless abandon than he has in the past.

For a player with Nichushkin's speed, skill and size to add nearly 20 pounds of muscle and still be a year away from his 20th birthday is a terrifying thought. Perhaps Jaromir Jagr, who notably predicted that Nichushkin will be "one of the best in the world," knows what he's talking about.