Red Wings send Tomas Jurco to Grand Rapids on a conditioning assignment

By @MichaelCaples –

The Detroit Red Wings have just announced that they have sent forward Tomas Jurco back to Grand Rapids on a conditioning assignment.

Jurco, 22, has only appeared in four games this season, and he has only notched a single assist in the timeframe.

His lack of playing time has been seen as a series of healthy scratches, as Jurco’s lack of production has kept him out of the line-up.

Last season, he recorded three goals and 15 assists in 63 games, while playing to a plus-six rating. In his NHL career, Jurco has played in 103 games with the Wings, and recorded 11 goals and 23 assists for 34 points.

On Oct. 28, coach Jeff Blashill told reporters he was looking for Jurco to be in better shape on the ice.

“It is ultimately being in elite shape so he can skate nonstop in a game,” Blashill said, via the Free Press’ Helene St. James. “He is somebody who is going to be an effective player when he is able to go full-out at all times. That is what we have tried to work on with him.

“I am trying to translate tenacity to him, so if he is tenacious on the puck all the time, he is a really effective player.”

Jurco has not cracked Detroit’s line-up since Oct. 30.